General Manager Kevin McGuire said the team is excited about the new five-year lease on Wahconah Park to become the longest tenant since the Pittsfield Mets.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Friday night, the Suns will throw out their first pitch of season and become Wahconah Park's longest tenant since the Mets.

 

The Future's Collegiate Baseball League team signed a new five-year lease with the city for Wahconah Park after growing in attendance over its first three years. 

 

"On opening night in 2012, when we asked the community to give us a shot, they did. Our attendance has increased every year since year one and last year we set the Future's League attendance record. The credit goes to our fans and our corporate family," General Manager Kevin McGuire said. 

 

"We showed people that we can blend baseball and entertainment and make it a great, affordable night out."

 

The use of Wahconah Park went through a turbulent period since affiliated baseball left the city in 2001. Over the following decade, four different teams called the historic ballfield home. In 2012, the Suns, owned by the Goldklang Group, signed a three-year lease to bring the team to Pittsfield as part of a five-team expansion of the Future's League.

 

"This is a great baseball market and the fact that the city has the faith in us to be here and be the longest tenant since affiliated baseball is a great confidence boost for us," McGuire said.

 

The team averages 1,804 fans per game, which ranked it 16th nationally for collegiate teams. Entering this season, McGuire said both ticket sales and corporate sponsorship is trending upward. 

 

"I would love to average 2,000 fans per game this summer. That's my personal goal," McGuire said.

 

The city has been upgrading the aging park to help accommodate the team; it installed a new sound system two years ago and new lights this past winter.

 

"We've got new lights down here at Wahconah Park and that's exciting. There has been some upgrades to the infrastructure and we don't have to worry about the lighting going out during the game anymore," McGuire said.

 

The team, meanwhile, has continued to revamp and improve its offerings. Brian Flagg has been brought in this year to run the food and beverage operations. Flagg formerly worked for the Orchards Hotel in Williamstown and Spice Dragon, which closed last year to make way for Hotel on North.

 

"We brought in some specialty hot dogs that we think the fans are just going to love," McGuire said of the slightly changed menu.

 

Those new hot dogs include a Reuben dog and a taco dog. The organization is also putting the same menu in both main concession stands to alleviate an issue of lines being longer in one than the other. 

 

"The beershakes are definitely back. That was a big crowd favorite last year," McGuire said. "We'll add some throughout the summer. We'll have a beershake of the week so fans can try different ones."

 

They've added new promotional nights this season and a number of new on-field games for the fans. New promotional night additions include a Star Wars night with characters from the series at the park and a "battle of the brews" with local breweries giving tasting for fans to vote on. There will be seven nights of fireworks and four giveaway nights this season. 

 

"We came up with about 30 new games we will be rolling out this year. We want to make sure that if you come on a Wednesday night you won't see the same show if you come back on Thursday night," McGuire said.

 

On the field, the team has continued to attract more talent and McGuire says he believes this year's roster is the best so far. Talent across the league has been increasing as college coaches and player begin to trust what the league is doing, he said.

 

Particularly, the league has put in a number of restrictions on plays like pitch counts and mandatory rest days to keep the players from getting injured. Since the league's inception in 2011, there have been about 30 players drafted into professional baseball, McGuire said. 

 

For the Suns, Tom Conley is back as manager for his third season. He is joined by assistant coach Matt Gedman, who played in the Red Sox organization last season and had previously played at the double A level. 

 

The league requires that half the roster consists of players from the Northeast or players from colleges in the Northeast. This year, the Suns have Bobby Kinne, who is a Great Barrington native, on the roster. 

 

"We're really excited not only for his playing ability but for another year in a row we have some Berkshire County talent," McGuire said.

 

The team has their ace, Jamin McCann, returning to the mound and power hitters Brendan Geary and Casey McCone.

 

"I think it is a well-balanced team. One thing Tom Conley, our manager, likes to do is get guys who can run. Tom is real big on getting guys on the bases and making things happen — hit and run, squeeze plays. But we also have guys who can hit the ball out of the yard," McGuire said. 

 

The league has 10 teams in it for the third year in a row. One change is that the team from Old Orchard Beach is no longer in the league. But the Bristol Blues from Connecticut will take their place. 

 

"It is a much easier travel for our guys. It is about three hours less on a bus each way," McGuire said.

 

The Suns open their fourth season Friday night at 7 p.m. The game will be followed by the first fireworks show of the season.