Charlotte Knights Kicked Off 2026 Season with Fireworks, New Food, and More

The Charlotte Knights started their 2026 season at Truist Field against the Durham Bulls. Two of baseball's Top 100 prospects join the roster. Left-handed pitchers Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith rank among the elite minor league players.

Hagen Smith pitched on opening day. Noah Schultz made his first start in the team's second series.

Chad Pinder, 33, manages the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox in his first season with the club. He's the team's fourth manager since 2022. Pinder played 553 games across seven major league seasons as a utility player after the Athletics drafted him in 2013 from Virginia Tech. He arrives from the Single-A Kannapolis Cannon Ballers.

"Getting as many people to the big leagues as possible," said Pinder to The Charlotte Observer on Wednesday. "For stuff that they do here, obviously, you never want to see things go wrong at the major league level. You never want to see injuries. But if the guys are pushing the envelope and making them make decisions, that's a success."

The White Sox called up several players from the squad last year. Chase Meidroth, Colson Montgomery, and Edgar Quero all started their 2025 seasons in Charlotte before joining Chicago's roster.

"The vast majority of our team were in major league camp," Pinder said. "And they were in major league camp for a long time this year, contributing throughout."

Executive chef Jamerius Sims introduced new food options for fans this season. The menu includes the "980" pork chop biscuit, rib tips with jalapeño cornbread, smoked wings with kale slaw, and sweet potato funnel cake fries. Homer's family feast offers 10 pounds of curly fries with meat and toppings.

The ballpark will host the ACC Baseball Championship from May 19-24. Banana Ball returns June 4-6 with the Firefighters and Texas Tailgaters competing. The Cosmic Takeover Tour, a game played under black lights, comes Sept. 4-5.