Disco Turkeys Play in Front of More Than 5,200 Fans During Unique July 4 Split-Squad Doubleheader

The Carolina Disco Turkeys pulled off one of the more unique Independence Day feats in North Carolina summer baseball history on July 4, playing in front of more than 5,200 total fans across two games in two cities on the same day.

The Disco Turkeys split their roster for a rare split-squad holiday schedule, with one group traveling to Kannapolis to face the Queen City Corndogs at Atrium Health Ballpark, home of the Kannapolis Cannon Ballers, while another group hosted the Uwharrie Wampus Cats that evening at Wake Forest University’s David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem.

More than 4,000 fans attended the Queen City-Carolina game in Kannapolis, which was hosted by the Cannon Ballers as part of their holiday weekend baseball programming. The Corndogs defeated the Disco Turkeys 10-1 in what now stands as the highest-attended game in Blue Ridge League history.

Back in Winston-Salem, the Disco Turkeys defeated the Wampus Cats 6-2 in front of 1,205 fans at Couch Ballpark, giving Carolina a split of its split-squad July 4 effort. Pitcher Ty Goodsen delivered a dominant performance in picking up the win for the Disco Turkeys.

Combined, the two games gave the Disco Turkeys more than 5,200 fans in attendance for games involving the franchise in a single day. Based on the club’s best available research, that figure is believed to be the highest single-day attendance total for a North Carolina summer collegiate league franchise.

The previous highest publicly reported single-game attendance figure for a North Carolina summer collegiate franchise appears to be the Burlington Sock Puppets’ crowd of 4,711 fans at Burlington Athletic Stadium on July 4, 2025. At the broader college baseball level, the state’s spring college baseball attendance record is 11,392 fans, set when North Carolina and NC State met in the 2013 ACC Tournament at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Team USA, based in Cary, also has drawn very large crowds for barnstorming games around the state.

The Disco Turkeys’ home crowd also continued one of the club’s strongest annual traditions. Friday’s turnout marked the third straight July 4 that Carolina has drawn more than 1,000 fans to Couch Ballpark for Independence Day baseball.

“This was a really unique day for our organization and a great example of how far the Disco Turkeys brand has come,” said Greg Sullivan, owner of the Carolina Disco Turkeys and chairman of the Blue Ridge League. “To have one group of players taking the field in front of more than 4,000 fans in a professional ballpark in Kannapolis, and another group playing in front of a big July 4 crowd back home in Winston-Salem, made for a special day.

“We believe this may be the largest single-day audience ever for a North Carolina summer collegiate league franchise, and regardless of where it ultimately stands historically, it was a major milestone for our organization. We may not yet be able to hit a milestone like this in the traditional way, but we’re willing to be a little creative sometimes until we get there. We also want to give a lot of credit to the Corndogs and Cannon Ballers for being a major part of the success on the Kannapolis side.”

The Disco Turkeys will hope for better luck down the road against the Corndogs, who now hold a 3-2 edge in the season series. The two teams currently sit atop the Blue Ridge League standings and are on a trajectory to meet in the best-of-three league championship series in late July.

Founded in 2021, the Disco Turkeys have become one of North Carolina’s most recognizable summer collegiate baseball brands, combining competitive wood-bat baseball with affordable family entertainment and a distinctive identity that has helped the club build a following across the Triad and beyond.

Photo: Courtesy of the Queen City Corndogs