CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The 2023 Charlotte Knights met as a team on the field for the first time Wednesday at Truist Field in Uptown.
The Chicago White Sox Triple-A affiliate will start the season early, March 31, for a Friday night "Opening Knight" at home.
"To get out here and put the Knights gear on and get into it as a team, as a whole, it's exciting," manager Justin Jirschele said. "We're excited to be here."
At 32 years old, Jirschele is one of the youngest managers in professional baseball.
But he's not new to Charlotte. He played 16 games for the Knights across the 2014 and 2015 seasons before moving into coaching.
Since then, he's risen up the White Sox system, managing in Kannapolis, Winston-Salem and Birmingham.
"Probably one of my favorite managers I've had," infielder Zach Remillard said. "He has accountability. I think he's going to work well with the group."
The Knights uniforms are new, going with more of a Carolina-shade of blue. And some of the rules in all of pro baseball are new.
Like last year, the pitch clock and automatic balls/strikes will be in Triple-A. There cannot be a defensive shift in the infield, with a mandatory two players on each side of second base.
And the bases are slightly bigger, which could lead to more base stealing.
The Knights just happen to employ an outfielder with 324 career stolen bases at the Major League level.
Thirty-two-year-old Billy Hamilton did not make the White Sox out of spring training, but is still living his baseball dreams.
"Every opening day is always great to be a part of," Hamilton said. "Some day opening day isn't going to be here for you. So you've got to embrace every single one of them."
Contact Nick Carboni at ncarboni@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.