Baseball New Zealand chief executive Ryan Flynn said while the organisation initially thought there was a realistic chance of playing at QBE Stadium from the outset, laying the foundations for the club to build on was their priority.
"It's a big process," Flynn said. "It changes the game overnight, in our opinion, here."
"I think 12 games is a good, manageable first season for us in what will be temporary, start-up kind of grounds to get to season number two.
"We knew we had to jump in now, and we are, and we're pushing forward and laying a foundation. A lot of us are very excited about having a stable model 12 months after the season starts."
While they won't have a home base for their first season, the side will be a competitive one with a number of high-level talents on the organisation's radar.
There is no import cap on teams for the upcoming ABL season, however rosters will be limited by a $100,000 salary cap. On game day, a points system will dictate how sides line up, with each team being able to use 150 points to use across the 10-week season.
Local players attract negative points, while imports accumulate points. Each team can have two "marquee players" who do not count towards their points total. Current Major League Baseball, Chinese Professional Baseball League, Nippon Professional Baseball or Korean League players - or those with at least five years' service or an All-Star Game appearance in those four leagues - class as marquee talents.
The team are planning to hold an open day in the coming weeks to reveal the team name, colour scheme, logo as well as more members of the coaching and playing staff.
The full ABL schedule for the 2018/19 season will be released on Friday.
