KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Smokies brought home the Southern Conference Championship on Tuesday, the first one in around 45 years.
Fans in East Tennessee, like nine-year season-pass holder Lee LaFlower, said the team's energy was high from the beginning.
"They seem to have such energy from the very beginning, from game one," LaFlower said. "This team seemed like they played well together, and even the last few weeks when new players were brought up."
But because of her loyalty to the Cubs as a Chicago native, LaFlower is holding out hope that the players can bring something bigger than a minor-league championship.
"No true Cub fan will ever forget 2016, The World Series, and what it meant to all of us," she said. "I think it gives us hope that we have the players capable of doing it again."
And she's not the only Cubs fan with their eyes on the Smokies.
"The Cubs have done so well at growing their minor league system and their farm," said Chris Hansen from Palatine, Illinois. "I think you got people that are rooting for the teams that are more local and underground."
Chris Allen is the President of Boyd Sports, which owns the Smokies and several other minor league teams. He says it's hard to win a championship at the local level.
"It's tough to win at the minor league level because a lot of these players come and go throughout the season," Allen said.
But he's looking ahead to the future, both in the stadium in Kodak and the one being built in Knoxville.
"It'd be nice to finish out on top one more year," he said. "And, you know, open up the new stadium with a two-time champion."