Following a three-year break during World War II, the Hornets returned to competition now in the Tri-State League (Class B) through the 1953 season when it rejoined the Class-A South Atlantic League.
The mainstay of the Hornets through the years was Phillip "Phil" Howser, who became Charlotte General Manager in 1935 and except for three years in the early 1940s when he worked in the Washington Senator's front office, ran the Charlotte operation until January 1970.