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The Uwharrie Wampus Cats have joined the Southern Collegiate Baseball League, an established wood-bat league headquartered in North Carolina, and begin play in their new Major League Baseball-supported circuit this summer.

The Southern Collegiate Baseball League, known as the SCBL and “The Southern Cape,” was founded in 1999 and has had more than 100 alumni go on to play professional baseball.

The Wampus Cats join the league along with their rival, the Carolina Disco Turkeys of Winston-Salem, giving the league eight teams mostly located in the Charlotte area. It includes the Mooresville Spinners, Statesville Owls, Queen City Corndogs, Lake Norman Copperheads, Concord A’s and Regulators Baseball Club.

The league is a non-profit and is recognized, advised and partially funded by MLB. The teams will play 30-game league schedules this summer, followed by a league tournament. The Wampus Cats will also be playing additional games outside of league play.

The Wampus Cats went 18-17 last summer as an independent team and welcomed more than 6,200 fans to their home games at Albemarle’s Don Montgomery Park.

“We’re very excited about being in the league and how this league now looks with the Wampus Cats and Disco Turkeys in it,” said Wampus Cats co-owner and president Greg Sullivan. “Fans should expect to see some great competition this summer in Albemarle.”

The Wampus Cats play from late May to late July.