1988 was just the beginning of a new era of Charlotte baseball. George Shinn bought the Charlotte O’s, and renamed them as the Charlotte “Knights”. The refurbished O’s ballpark was renamed as  “Knights Park”, and the Knights were still the AA Southern League Baltimore Orioles affiliate. The team's colors were switched back to black and orange, and their uniforms had a more "Baltimore" look.

The roster included players from the Charlotte O’s like Bob Milacki and Kevin Hickey, as well as future Baltimore Orioles like Curt Schilling, Steve Finley, and Gregg Olson. Knights manager Greg Biagini (left photo) was previously the Charlotte O’s manager during their last two seasons, 1986 and 1987.

The 1988 season would be the last time for a while that baseball would be located in the Queen City. The Knights would play against teams like the (former Charlotte Hornets franchise) Orlando Twins,  and the Chattanooga Lookouts. (who would become the 1988 Southern League champions in their inaugural season as the Reds AA affiliate.) (The Lookouts would stay as Cincinnati's AA affiliate from 1988 - 2008.) At the end of the season, the Knights would finish in 4th place with a 69-75 record.