We're diving into a baseball team with a vibe that's as infectious as it is unique. Meet the Carrboro Freight Trains through our exclusive Flyers Q&A. They are a team that embodies the spirit of "Baseball is for all y'all," a motto that reflects their inclusive, fun-loving approach to America's favorite pastime. Join us as we explore the extraordinary meaning behind their name that pays homage to an individual whose legacy is enshrined in the Library of Congress, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and beyond.
"We believe everyone has a spot on the diamond."
-Team Co-Founder Nick McGregor
Q: Our personal mantra is: "Run Faster. Jump Higher. Fly Free." Which one of those relates to Carrboro Freight Trains the most, and why–as it relates to your personal life or professional life or future dreams?
A: Definitely FLY FREE!
Q: How would you define Carrboro Freight Trains’ style as a team?
A: Laid-back, tight-knit, fun-loving, and playing together for the love of the game.
Q: Tell our Flyers about Carrboro Freight Trains, who you are, and how you're changing the game in your world. Or what your team wants to do in the future?
A: We’re a ragtag group of musicians, artists, writers, thinkers, doers, makers, and public servants. We believe everyone has a spot on the diamond—no matter how much experience they have, how "good" they are as a player, or what their identity is. Our motto (#baseballisforallyall) provides space for anyone and everyone, in every kind of body, to get on the field. Aspiring to be a better baseball player is great, but aspiring to be a better member of the Freight Trains community is mandatory.
Q: What is your team’s favorite P.F. Flyers sneaker (style/color), if you had to vote on one?
A: The Center Hi, of course!
Q: What’s one thing people don’t know about your team?
A: Our age range for the team stretches from 10 to 60, and the players at either end of that spectrum are probably the most passionate.
Q: What inspired the creation or revival of your sandlot baseball team, Carrboro Freight Trains? How long has your team been around?
A: We started in the summer of 2022 to provide a venue for fun, accessible sandlot baseball on the west end of the Triangle. A few of us had been driving to Raleigh to play ball with the Raleigh Reapers and the original crew that became the Carolina Kudzu. We love our friends in Raleigh, but it’s a long drive! Playing baseball 5 minutes from home at a community park in the lovely little town of Carrboro means everything to us.
Q: What does being a part of the Carolina Sandlot Collective baseball mean to you? How long have you been involved, and what position do you play?
A: It’s the best dang group of people to be a part of. It’s the crew from whence the Freight Trains sprang. The teams we play regularly are the teams that started the Collective and originally inspired us. It’s the relationships we’ve formed over baseball and parenthood and life… Also, not gonna lie, the Collective sets a high bar for on-field excellence that would stack up against any top sandlot town in America.
"Baseball Is For All Y'All"
The team’s journey from humble beginnings to becoming a beloved fixture in the community is a testament to their commitment to inclusivity and playful energy. Their diverse roster reflects a rich tapestry of backgrounds and experiences, each player bringing their own unique flair to the game. Whether through grassroots community outreach or celebrating diversity, the Freight Trains make everyone feel at home.
Q: If our Flyers are interested in learning more about how they can get involved with sandlot baseball in their city, where should they go or what should they do?
A: Follow us on Instagram at @carrborosandlot, come play ball with us on Saturdays at Hank Anderson Park in Carrboro, and let’s go see a loud rock ‘n’ roll show together at one of Carrboro or Chapel Hill’s classic dive bars.
Q: Who's your favorite character in 'The Sandlot' and why?
A: Scottie Smalls is our spirit animal. His love for the game means way more than his skills on the field.
Q: Where do you play, and how can Flyers support your Carrboro Freight Trains?
A: Saturdays at Hank Anderson Park in Carrboro! Come out and join us for a practice or a game and we guarantee you’ll leave saying, "THAT team is having the most fun."
Q: What are some of the most memorable moments or milestones in Carrboro Freight Trains’ history?
A: People from all over the world who’ve never played baseball before developing a love of the game and becoming key parts of our crew. New members showing up to check out our vibe — and never leaving. Travel games to Wilmington and Asheville to play ball and have fun with our Dock Ellis League friends, Port City Pickles and Asheville Vortex. Ross "Ross ‘n’ Roll" Gruet knocking a walk-off single to win our 2023 Sandlot Revival game against the Los Angeles Bandits — while wearing his trademark cut-off jorts, of course. Dawson Nacarrato hitting his first grand slam ever and our first grand slam ever near the end of a hard-fought June 2024 game against the Neuse River Nine Team co-founder Brad Porter turning a line-drive double play to finish a tight extra-innings July 2024 nail-biter against the Raleigh Reapers.
Q: Can you share any interesting or inspiring stories about the players?
A: Daniel Kreiss is an internationally acclaimed political science expert (seriously, Google him). Brian Litchfield is a public transit evangelist who leads the amazing team at Chapel Hill Transit. Greg Bell is a musical savant who’s been organizing and hosting top-notch Tarheel music festivals for the last 30 years. Baseball Hall of Famer Catfish Hunter also taught him how to throw a knuckleball in the 1970s (seriously)!
Q: How has being part of Carrboro Freight Trains affected your life outside of baseball?
A: As our friends the West Philly Waste say, "Baseball is the excuse—community is the result." Speaking for myself (team co-founder Nick McGregor), it’s completely changed my life, and completely for the better. I’m in better shape than I’ve ever been before. I’ve made a tight group of like-minded friends who are all incredibly accomplished. I play baseball every weekend with a fantastic group of people. Our kids all hang out together in the stands and in the dugout. My older son (who’s now 13) has been there with the Freight Trains since Day One. And my younger son (who’s now 2) is starting to run around with the other older kids and have a blast. These are friends for our life and the best dang people in the world.
Q: What personal achievements or milestones within the team are you most proud of?
A: Screen-printing shirts in our garage … and actually selling them to people who want to wear them! Elevating more and more people from the Freight Trains crew to co-leader positions so that everyone feels invested in our team’s success. Securing sponsorship commitments from small businesses in Carrboro— nd not because we actively went looking for them, but because they saw what we were doing and were genuinely interested in supporting us. Bouncing back from an elbow dislocation to play harder and better and with more joy than ever before.
Q: What makes the Carrboro Freight Trains sandlot team unique or different from other sandlot teams?
A: We’re all fun, all the time. It’s so dang difficult to get 20 people together IRL in one spot to all collectively do the same thing—agreeing to abide by a set of unwritten rules, adjusting to the fluid dynamism of an always-changing game, smoothing out interpersonal wrinkles between big personalities…How the heck, as a grown adult playing a child’s game that’s been around for 160 years and eventually became the national pastime of the United States, can you NOT have a smile on your face for every minute of it?
We also cheer louder for every player in our lineup—especially those who are new or less skilled—than any other team. We laugh constantly, whether we’re winning or losing. If a game starts to get too competitive, we’ll amp up the volume and laugh and cheer and hoot and holler even louder. We ALWAYS sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the 7th-inning stretch. We build custom playlists comprised of jazz, blues, country, swing, punk, metal, hip-hop, and R&B—no top-40 jock jams allowed. We’re intentional about playing every type of sandlot team, from the queer hell-raisers in the Dock Ellis League to the Trom-boners in the People’s Baseball League to the men’s league-adjacent ringers in the upper echelons of the Sandlot Revolution.
Q: What is your team’s favorite thing about playing in Anderson Park?
A: It’s home! It’s the same park where most of our kids play baseball and soccer. It’s surrounded by tall trees. It’s 5-10 minutes from most of our homes. It’s a community gem with a fishing pond and a disc golf course and walking trails. Did we mention it’s home?
Q: Why are you the "Freight Trains"? Who picked the name and what does it mean to your team?
A: You saved the best question for last! We’re named after the American folk song "Freight Train," written by Carrboro native Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten, who was born in 1893 and grew up steps from the train tracks that run right through the heart of town. As a kid, she’d listen to the trains rumble by, dreaming of the chance to escape the brutal Jim Crow South and furtively stealing her older brother’s guitar out of his room to play whenever she could (as a girl, she wasn’t allowed to play by her parents).
Because she was left-handed, she had to teach herself how to play upside down, developing a unique Piedmont blues style where she would play the bass lines with her fingers and the melody with her thumb. Her signature alternating bass style has become known as "Cotten picking," mimicked the world over by everyone from Bob Dylan to Jerry Garcia. Cotten wrote "Freight Train" as a teenager but didn’t record the song until 1958, when, while working for Pete Seeger’s family in Washington, DC, she divulged her immense instrumental skill and robust body of work. The Seegers urged her to record her music and start touring again, at the ripe young age of 65.
By the time she passed away in 1987, Cotten was a bona fide American legend: her recordings are stored in the Library of Congress for posterity, she won a Grammy award at age 90, and she was named a National Heritage Fellow by the National Endowment of the Arts. The town of Carrboro has honored Cotten for years, naming bike paths and festivals after her while murals honor her umistakable style and an NC Historical Landmark sign right next to the very train tracks where she grew up commemorates the song "Freight Train."
In 2022, Cotten was inducted into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame, just months after we started the Carrboro Freight Trains. There was never a millisecond of doubt about what our team name would be, and we’re honored to pay tribute to this true American legend every time we take the field.
The Carrboro Freight Trains games are not just about baseball; they are a tribute to the rich cultural heritage of the sport and a special nod to the legendary Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten. Just as Cotten's music transcended generations with its soulful melodies, this team honors her legacy by celebrating the unifying power of baseball through a diverse and multigenerational ensemble. Each game is a living tribute to her spirit, blending the timeless charm of her tunes with the exhilarating pace of America's pastime.
