The Hickory Crawdads are a Minor League Baseball team in Hickory, North Carolina, USA. They are a Class A team in the South Atlantic League, and have been a farm team of the Texas Rangers since 2009. From 1999–2008, they were a Class A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates, and from their inception in 1993 until 1998 they were a Class A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The Crawdads play home games at L.P. Frans Stadium. Opened in 1993, Frans Stadium seats 5,092 fans. The Crawdads won the South Atlantic League Championship in 2002 and again in 2004. The team has appeared in the SAL finals twice, and the SAL playoffs 9 times.