Area baseball fans will will have a new team to root for this summer.

Traverse City Baseball unveiled the new name and logo of its Northwoods League team at a press event Tuesday at the State Theatre. The Traverse City Pit Spitters was the winning name chosen for the team from a short list of six finalists submitted by fans. The other finalists included the Black Pearls, Sasquatch, Tree Shakers, Dogmen, and Dune Bears. The organization received over 4,000 total suggestions for team names, according to CEO Joe Chamberlin

“When we started this process, our goal was to find a name that represents both this region and the core values of our organization. Pit Spitters hits it out of the park," says Chamberlin. "Not only do we get to recognize northern Michigan’s, and specifically Traverse City’s, unique agricultural history, we have created a name and a brand that screams fun, which is what we are all about.  We hope that the Traverse City Pit Spitters become synonymous with affordable, family-friendly entertainment, strong community connections, and a deep appreciation for everything that Traverse City and northern Michigan have to offer as a region."

Ryan Wright was one of a handful of individuals who submitted Pit Spitters as a team name and was randomly selected through a drawing to win the grand prize for submitting the winning name. He was on hand at the State Theatre Tuesday to accept his prize, which includes season tickets to the team's 2019 season, team merchandise, a Traverse City excursion package, and the opportunity to throw out the ceremonial first pitch on Opening Day. Other Pit Spitter entries will receive game tickets and merchandise.

Chamberlin took questions from children in the audience at the press event and indicated the team uniform colors would primarily be red, black, white, and green - all colors used in the team logos - and said a team mascot is still in the process of being finalized. He said Wuerfel Park stadium will be renamed before Opening Day on May 28, potentially with a corporate sponsor name attached, but indicated the stadium colors will not likely be repainted immediately to match the new team brand. Chamberlin also said the Pit Spitters roster is "99 percent finalized" and that players will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Traverse City Baseball, an investment group led by the Detroit Tigers-affiliated minor league baseball team West Michigan Whitecaps, purchased Wuerfel Park and its baseball team the Traverse City Beach Bums in 2018. The new Pit Spitters team will be comprised of all new players and will play in a different league, the Northwoods League, which has 22 teams across the upper Midwest and Canada. The league has attracted college talent from around the country, with alumni including MLB stars Chris Sale, Max Scherzer, Curtis Granderson, and Jordan Zimmerman. Two other Michigan teams also belong to the Northwoods League, including the Kalamazoo Growlers and the Battle Creek Bombers.

Team merchandise and ticket sales for the 2019 Pit Spitters season are available now online.