Nathan and Keri Lyons have acquired all assets related to the Lexington Legends of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB), along with Wild Health Field and its real estate, as part of the transaction from Stands, LLC, and other affiliated companies, whose CEO is Andy Shea. The announcement was made October 28th, 2022 by Atlantic League President Rick White.
Lyons is the Founder and CEO of Vintage South Development. Vintage South develops, owns, and operates commercial and residential properties in Nashville and other markets, combining the charm and character of the past with modern innovation and refinement. The game of baseball has been instrumental in Lyons’ life, and the goal of minor league baseball ownership was a natural fit.
Lyons said. “Our commitment to the City of Lexington and surrounding areas will allow us to offer a best-in-class fan experience. Our investments into the club and Wild Health Field will pay immediate dividends for all Legends fans. This is a great sports town and we look forward to continuing with the winning tradition set by all Lexington teams. We look forward to sharing more details of our vision soon.”
Shea and his family have owned the Legends since 2005 when his parents purchased the club and the ballpark. He will depart from his role as President and CEO of the Legends, having been with the organization since joining as a ticket sales representative in 2005.
The Legends were part of the South Atlantic (Sally) League for nearly two decades. Looking back to an Ace April 2002 cover story by Clayton Shane Navistar from the early days of the Legends, two decades ago, “Total 2001 attendance for the Lexington Legends was 451,076. Along with Lakewood (482,206), they were one of two Sally League teams to break the old mark of 324,412 set by Delmarva (MD) in 1997. The blockbuster attendance figures came during Minor League Baseball’s 100th birthday, a campaign which saw Minor League Baseball draw more than 38.8 million fans, a figure second only to the 1949 standard (39,782,717). That was Minor League Baseball’s ‘golden era,’ the post-war boom when 448 teams played in 59 leagues (as opposed to 176 teams in 15 leagues in 2001). The one-million attendance increase over the 2000 season was part of a 2001 season that saw four leagues set new attendance records, one of them the Sally League, which took in a record 2,950,630 patrons.
Major League Baseball dropped its affiliation with the Lexington Legends in 2020. The Legends joined the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball (ALPB) in 2021.
