Welcome to Batting Around, a monthly curation and analysis of Minor League baseball off-the-field news from around the country, locally sourced whenever possible. If you have an item to contribute for inclusion in a future edition, please email Ben Hill.

Sounds like a new era

After 36 seasons at Greer Stadium, the Nashville Sounds are moving into brand-new First Tennessee Park in 2015 (the home opener is scheduled for April 17). The ballpark, owned by the city and leased to the Sounds, recently saw its estimated $65 million price tag increase by an additional $5 million. Per The Tennessean newspaper, this money is needed to pay for "new water lines, electrical lines and paving that isn't factored into the project's overall price tag."

This financial setback was followed shortly thereafter by the news that a natural gas pipeline discovered during construction would have to be relocated. Again, per The Tennessean: "Mayor Karl Dean's administration is in negotiations to give Piedmont Natural Gas 124 acres of city-owned property in order to cover the relocation of a natural gas pipeline. ... That would be the company's return for removing and relocating [the pipeline]."

One of the primary justifications for funding First Tennessee Park was that it would spark development in the area immediately surrounding the ballpark. Tangible steps are being made in this regard, as Embrey Partners development group has broken ground on a 306-unit apartment complex that will be situated adjacent to the ballpark. One more time, from The Tennessean:

"San Antonio-based Embrey also provided a rendering as it broke grounds for The Carillon, which should open in the spring of 2016. The four-story project sits on 3.91 acres in the Germantown area near the rising new First Tennessee Park ballpark."

Finally, The Nashville Post reports that this residential development will be complemented by up to 30,000 feet of retail space. Sounds owner Frank Ward, a New York City-based developer, is involved in these efforts.

Fredericksburg flop

A long-gestating effort to relocate the Hagerstown Suns to Fredericksburg, Virginia, has failed after the city did not meet an Oct. 1 deadline to finalize the terms of the deal. The Hagerstown-based Herald-Mail reports:

"The Suns and Diamond Nation had planned to build a baseball complex on about 38 acres in the city's Celebrate Virginia South development. ... The baseball group had arranged about $35 million in private financing for the Fredericksburg project, which included a nearly 5,000-seat stadium for the Suns, as well as several turf fields for Diamond Nation's operation for amateur baseball and softball training and tournaments, according to reports.

"But construction estimates came back more than $15 million over budget due to site issues[.]"

With the Fredericksburg relocation effort now dead, it remains to be seen what the Suns' next move will be. The team's lease at their current home of Hagerstown Memorial Stadium runs through the 2016 campaign.

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Aw, Shuckers

The city of Biloxi, Mississippi, will field a Southern League franchise in 2015, and as of Nov. 20, that team has a name: the Shuckers. This moniker, which was announced in conjunction with a logo designed by Brandiose, is a reference to the city's seafood industry. The Shuckers will play in MGM Park, which is still under construction and likely won't be ready by Opening Day. Shuckers general manager Buck Rogers told me that he expects the facility to be ready by "late April or early to mid-May," meaning that the team will most likely open the 2015 season in its old hometown of Huntsville, Alabama.

So long, Salinas?

It's no secret that the Bakersfield Blaze want to get out of Sam Lynn Stadium, a dilapidated WPA-era facility that, as an added indignity, was built with the sun setting behind center field. Blaze owner D.G. Elmore recently spearheaded an effort to get a ballpark constructed at the Hayward Lumber yard in Salinas, California, but, after eight months of negotiations, these efforts proved futile.

"Obviously, this is a very disappointing conclusion," said Elmore, quoted in the Monterey County Herald. "We have spent considerable time, resources and capital analyzing the site and designing a stadium. We would like to thank the city of Salinas, and all of those in the local community who have supported our effort. We look forward to continue working with them to find a stadium site. Our team is currently compiling information on other potential locations."

Hartford happenings

Recent editions of this column have focused on the ongoing attempt to build a stadium in Hartford, Connecticut. This facility, with a targeted opening date of 2016, would serve as the home of the relocating New Britain Rock Cats. In October, Hartford city council approved a $350 million development project that would include the stadium, but in November it was reported that the city doesn't own all of the land it needs for the project. A potential solution to this problem? Eminent domain.

Project Jackson goes to court

The Augusta GreenJackets are also angling for a 2016 stadium opening, which would be built as part of a North Augusta development project dubbed "Project Jackson." This project has hit a potential snag in the form of a lawsuit filed by stadium opponent Stephen Donohue, who alleges that it is not in accordance with the state's Tax Increment Financing (TIF) law. The city maintains that construction needs to begin next month in order for the stadium to be ready in time for the 2016 campaign.

Shovels in the dirt in Columbia?

Minor League owner Jason Freier has received final approval from Minor League Baseball to move an as yet unnamed team to Columbia, South Carolina. On Nov. 25, South Carolina's The State newspaper reported that a stadium groundbreaking should occur "before Christmas." The stadium, a centerpiece of the city's "Bull Street Development" project, is slated to open in time for the 2016 season.