LANCASTER, Pa. — After an 18 month hiatus, we are now just three months away from hearing the crack of a bat around Atlantic League stadiums, that includes the York Revolution and The Lancaster Barnstormers and the excitement to be back on the diamond couldn't be greater.
“We’ve just missed baseball," said Lancaster Barnstormers General Manager Mike Reynolds.
Once the Atlantic League gave the O.K. in early February, the Lancaster Barnstormers didn’t waste anytime signing players to fill their roster.
Wednesday afternoon they had even more excitement behind it, after the league releases the complete 2021 schedule with the Barnstormers, center stage, with the first game of the season at a brand new team. They will play in Gastonia, North Carolina. The team was added last year, but with the current pandemic and the 2020 season cancaled, they never had a chance to take the field. Now, in 2021, they will, for the first time as an Atlantic League team.
“It was exciting,' said Reynolds. 'It was probably the most excitement behind a release of schedule. We’ve always known it was coming. We’ve had drafts. We were waiting for the final teams to get solidified and join the league. To be able to present that to the community and show that, hey, this is real. This is more than an Opening Day, this is a schedule of when we’re playing. It’s helped our community, season ticket holders and sponsors really have comfort knowing that, O.K., they’re not just saying their going to play. Here’s the schedule.”
The Atlantic League lost two teams who’ve transitioned into Major League affiliations. This season will be the first for three teams - Gastonia, the West Virigina Power and the Lexington Legends. The league is now back to eight teams and will spilt the league into two divisions, a north and a south, with travel staying very minimal.
But that's not all, the league is now fully partnered with the MLB until 2023.
“To now be an official partner league, it says a lot. People will really start to see the value of the partnership in our league. See that they are quality teams. Quality athletes. Franchises that mean a lot to the community that Major League Baseball was to be apart of our league and our teams," said Reynolds.
The Barnstormers are just 90 days away from their first game at Gastonia. Reynolds says players should begin to arrive in early to mid-May with the season officially kicking off May 27th. The Barnstormers will have to wait until June 4th for their Opening Day in Lancaster.
The 2021 season for all of the Atlantic League will be shortened by 20 games. Instead of having 140-games, each team will play 120 and host 60-games.