Powering the Charlotte Knights Display Upgrade

When you think of Triple-A baseball, you might not immediately picture a major-league-sized display system, but that’s exactly what fans are getting in Charlotte. The Charlotte Knights recently upgraded their ballpark with a full Daktronics display system, and we talked with Dan Rakowski, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and Chris Poindexter, Director of Game Presentation and Production, about how it all came together.

Matt Anderson on 11/10/2025

Categories: Pro Sports and Colleges

A Major-League Feel in a Minor-League Market

Charlotte isn’t your typical Triple-A city, with the NFL, NBA, MLS, NASCAR and PGA all nearby, the expectations for entertainment are high. “Even though we are a Triple-A team and a minor league team,” Dan said, “we’re in a market where our fan base expectation is to be a little bit higher than it may be in some other places.”

That mindset helped shape the Knights’ approach to upgrading their displays. What started as a plan to replace one main board quickly evolved into a complete system transformation — fascia displays, exterior marquees and even upgrades to the control room.

Building the Relationship and the System

Dan has been in baseball for more than 40 years and has worked with Daktronics for nearly two decades. That long-standing relationship played a major role in the decision to partner again for this project.

“The price was a little higher, but the quality, experience and reputation were worth it,” he said.

The installation timeline was tight, but the project stayed on track. “The window was very short,” Dan explained. “We needed the boards up and running by opening day, and the Daktronics team made it happen.”

Inside the Control Room

On the operations side, Chris and his team are running the show, literally. The Knights’ new setup includes Show Control and Camino, giving them powerful new ways to manage and present content.

“Daktronics had a great trainer with me, and I was able to learn basically the whole system in just a few days,” Chris said. “Show Control made everything smoother. We can swap out ads mid-game or make changes on the fly without interrupting anything.”

And then there’s Camino, the creative powerhouse behind the scenes.

“I’d never heard of Camino before, but its 3D capabilities and dynamic transitions completely sold me,” Chris said. “It’s made our lives a lot easier and much less stressful during games.”

The Charlotte Knights are also the first minor league team to implement Camino — a testament to their commitment to staying ahead of the curve in fan engagement.

A Commitment to Service and Quality

Both Dan and Chris emphasized how important service and support are when choosing a partner.

“You can’t put a price tag on service,” Dan said. “It doesn’t matter how perfect your board is, things happen. But what matters is that it gets fixed quickly and professionally.”

That dedication to doing things right, from the installation to day-to-day operations, is helping the Knights deliver a game-day experience that feels anything but minor league.

Hear the Full Story

From project planning and ownership buy-in to real-time game control and creative flexibility, Dan and Chris share a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to bring major-league presentation to a Triple-A ballpark.