The Chatham-Kent Barnstormers' first-ever season will be a tough act to follow, but several upgrades both on and off the field are aiming to set the team up for success.
The Barnstormers will open their 2025 season at home on Saturday, May 17 against the Kitchener Panthers.
Before that, the team will wrap up its exhibition schedule with a game on Thursday followed by the final roster cuts.
Barnstormers majority owner Dom Dinelle knows they have a lot to live up to after placing fifth in the Intercounty Baseball League in 2024 in the team's inaugural season.
"It's as exciting as it was last year, obviously, but we know what to expect now," said Dinelle. "But it's still stressful because you want to do better than you did the year before."
The Barnstormers finished the 2024 season in fifth place before they were swept out of the playoffs by Guelph.
The team will be missing a key piece of its offence with last year's league MVP, Seth Strong, signing with the Lake Erie Crushers in the Frontier League.
Strong led the IBL with 16 home runs and 37 RBIs in 42 games.
The Barnstormers will still have plenty of depth at the plate, though, bringing back outfielder Spencer Marcus who was second in the IBL with a .365 batting average.
Dinelle said they should have some solid pitching on their roster, too.
"Especially the young kids from last year who did really well like Brock Whitson and Aden Ryan who was at the all-star game, now they have a year of experience and so this year, they should have some pretty good outings when they get out on the mound for sure," sayd Dinelle.
The Barnstormers' roster will also feature a unique asset -- a switch pitcher.
Mitzuki Akatsuka, who can pitch both as a right-hander and left-hander, was announced as an addition to the team in February after playing the 2024 season with the Hamilton Cardinals.
Off the field, the team has also been busy working on improving the experience for fans.
Some new permanent black fencing will replace the temporary orange fencing that lined the perimeter of Fergie Jenkins Field last summer. New bleachers are also on the way, expanding the seating capacity for the field.
Dinelle said one of the things the team is hoping to continue from last season is its focus on making the games a fun event for the whole family.
"Obviously I'm a baseball guy... I don't know anything else but baseball, but I like to have fun and that was the goal -- to bring the community and families together," said Dinelle. "People said to me, 'I didn't care about baseball, but I had a lot of fun, so I'm coming back to another game.'"
The first pitch for the Barnstormers' season-opening game against the Kitchener Panthers is set for 7:05 p.m. at Fergie Jenkins Field in Chatham on Saturday.
The team will hit the road for an afternoon game against Kitchener on Sunday, May 18 at 2 p.m.
You can find the team's full schedule by clicking here.