After twenty years, the Lynchburg Hillcats are no more. The club decided to change into Hill City Howlers, because the club needed new energy after twenty years.
The howler monkey name is represented by five “scary” mascots: Indy the werewolf, Gilly the creature, Victor the vampire, Murray the mummy and Daisy the bride. According to the club’s website, these creatures awaken in Hill City as fun-loving, community-oriented characters who hope to share the sport of baseball across generations.
The werewolf will be the main logo, the other four creatures will serve as alternate logos.
“The Howlers represent an exciting time to be a fan of baseball in Lynchburg,” said General Manager Matt Ramstead. “With the upgrades coming to City Stadium and the renewed investment in the community, this forward-thinking rebrand sets the course to create something the community can get behind.”
How did the club get this new name and appearance? The Howlers’ house has a strange reputation. Located next to Spring Hill Cemetery, some say it is haunted. Night watches have stopped. Lights flickered. And sometimes, on full moon nights, you could hear a howl echoing through the outfield. The cemetery was so old that tunnels ran under it and under the current baseball stadium! And according to folk tales, these tunnels were occupied by strange creatures (nice PR talk).
The Howlers are not the first club to leave the name of the city out of the name. The independent, now dormant Spire City GhostHounds were the trendsetter, followed by the Hub City Spartanburgers.
When it comes to the new look, Howlers’ website states: “Hill City Howlers branding features a traditional, classic script font, embracing both the historic legacy of baseball in Lynchburg and the circus-like nature of Minor League Baseball. The secondary logos, inspired by the location of City Stadium and its connection to the cemetery across the street, bring forward-thinking brand design to MiLB.”
The on-field cap is quite disappointing. A royal blue cap with the full name Hill City written on the front.
With the five different mascots/alternate logos, the club could have created great caps for multiple occasions. But now that the club is coming up with a number of twill caps for young people with the aforementioned alternative logos, more field caps may follow.
The sweaters are a completely different story.
For the time being, the webshop only shows an alternative jersey and an alternative two-jersey. But these are a lot of fun. Simple but with a traditional, classic script font.
An American flag is sewn onto the right sleeve of the shirt. On the left sleeve is a heart-shaped patch containing the area code of Lynchburg (434). The patch is decorated with baseball seams on the sides.
At $80.00, I think these jerseys are reasonably priced. The caps have a hefty price tag, but apparently €40.00 is a normal price these days.
The decision to rebrand was not easy, according to owner and CEO Dylan Narang, who bought the club in 2025. “I have had many meetings and discussions about the future of baseball in Lynchburg, with the MLB, with the city and with my staff. Ultimately, one of the best tactics I have for keeping professional baseball in our community is to create excitement in and for our fans and try to grow our fan base. I strongly believe the Hill City Howlers will create the jolt of energy we need and continue to add value to our community.”
The Hill City Howlers will defend the Carolina League title that the Lynchburg Hillcats won in 2025.
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