Baseball In Fredericksburg: Everyone's Welcome On The Diamond

FREDERICKSBURG, VA — Fredericksburg's residents are no stranger to baseball. Ball games actually predate European settlers in the area.

Still, many Fredericksburg natives might not know just how rich the region's baseball history is. Thankfully, the history wall at the Virginia Credit Union Stadium traces more than 150 years of playing ball in Fredericksburg.

The wall is situated in center field at the Fredericksburg Nationals' stadium. It was unveiled before the team's first game through a joint effort between the team, the Fredericksburg Area Museum, Germanna Community College and the Dovetail Cultural Group.

From left to right, the wall tracks hundreds of years of history. From the Native American game "chunkey" to the Fredericksburg Nationals' arrival in 2020, there are numerous stories to be told through the lens of baseball.

Kerri Barile is the owner of the Dovetail Cultural Resource Group. "This is absolutely some of the most exciting and innovative research that Dovetail has been a part of, and we just cannot wait to continue with it," Barile said when the wall debuted. "There are so many stories to tell."

In 1862, the Fredericksburg area was entrenched in the Civil War. Abner Doubleday, a Union general from New York, kept his troops busy by organizing baseball games before the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Despite the common legend, baseball historians do not believe that Doubleday invented the sport. However, by organizing games in areas far from his native New York, he spread the game's impact and helped standardize its rules.

After the Civil War, soldiers took their love of baseball home with them and started amateur clubs and leagues. In Fredericksburg, the first amateur club began in 1866.

"They meet for business every Friday evening and practice every Tuesday afternoon at three o'clock at Kenmore [Park]," a post in the Fredericksburg Ledger read in 1866. "The ladies are invited to attend."

In Fredericksburg, the "ladies" never hesitated to catch a ball game. In 1912, the barnstorming St. Louis Stars Ladies Baseball Club played a game against the local professionals, the Fredericksburg Giants. The Giants won 3-1.

"The local boys had to play well to win," a local paper wrote, according to the FredNats history wall. "While the women on the team are not heavy hitters, they play well in the field and are good base runners."

A few years later, a Fredericksburg native used his talent to make a dream come true in baseball's Negro Leagues, where Black players competed in the era of segregation. Charlie Lewis was born in Fredericksburg in 1907 and received an elementary school education. At the time, there was no secondary school available for Black students in the area.

At 19 years old, Lewis left home and pursued his dream of becoming a baseball star. For nine games in 1926, his dream came true as a shortstop for the New York Lincoln Giants.

He garnered 11 hits with 3 RBI and a stolen base. He was a member of the team for 266 total games as the team crisscrossed the country.

Unfortunately for Lewis, his time as a professional was short lived. In 1928, he returned to Fredericksburg and started working on railroads.

Lewis is just one trailblazer to make his name in baseball. In the late 20th century, Julie Croteau played with the Fredericksburg Giants, a semi-pro team. Croteau received national acclaim throughout her baseball career as the only woman on several baseball teams.

Barile noted that baseball has always been a unifying force for the people of Fredericksburg, even if the players were segregated.

"I think one thing that surprised us was that at times, baseball transcended racial and gender boundaries and inequities," Barile said. "The audiences for all games comprised all residents. Newspapers regularly discussed mixed-race crowds cheering our teams together."

For decades, teams came and went in Fredericksburg. The professional White Sox disbanded in the 1930s, though several club teams remained afloat through the end of the century.

"Fredericksburg residents never lost their love for the sport," Barile told Patch. "Even though club teams came and went, baseball was a constant presence through the 2000s."

In June 2018, Christmas came early for Fredericksburg baseball fans. Art Silber, owner of the Potomac Nationals in Woodbridge, announced that he'd be moving the team to Fredericksburg. A new stadium for the minor league club was scheduled to open in 2020.

The stadium was ready in 2020, but the team wasn't. Minor League Baseball canceled the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2021, Fredericksburg finally had a professional team again. The Fredericksburg Nationals hosted their inaugural season with thousands of fans at the Virginia Credit Union Stadium.

Barile is proud of the stadium's history wall. She encourages everyone to take a look at the wall when they can.

"It really highlights how important baseball has been to Fredericksburg residents for centuries, for all residents, young and old, of all backgrounds, Barile said. "It has brought us together and made us an even stronger community."

More information about the region's historical connection with baseball is available online thanks to Germanna Community College, the Dovetail Cultural Resource Group, and the Fredericksburg Area Museum.

The organizations have continued the historical initiative by posting several videos about specific historical topics in the "Fredericksburg Baseball History Minute" series. The videos have discussed Hall of Fame pitcher Walter Johnson throwing a coin across the Rappahannock River and the career of Julie Croteau.