Team GM: Catfish fans will see some future major leaguers; ticket sales going well

This story has been edited to correct the spelling of Laurel Adkisson's name.

The inaugural season for the Cape Catfish doesn’t start for several more weeks, but the Prospect League baseball team already appears to be a hit with sponsors and fans.

“You’re going to see some gifted players and future major leaguers,” said Catfish general manager Mark Hogan, who, along with team president Jim Limbaugh and assistant general manager Cindy Gannon, gave a team update to the Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce at the chamber’s First Friday Coffee on Friday morning.

The team will open its 60-game season May 30 with road games in Quincy, Illinois, and Terre Haute, Indiana, before its home debut June 4 at Capaha Field. The schedule calls for 30 home games and 30 road contests over the 70-day season.

The Catfish will be comprised of collegiate players from some of the nation’s top college baseball programs, such as the University of Arkansas, the University of Missouri, Purdue, Belmont, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale, Eastern Illinois University, Southeast Missouri State University and several others.

“As long as they’re college eligible and are going back to their universities in the fall, then they’re eligible to play in the Prospect League,” Hogan said.

Prospect League games will differ from collegiate games because players will use wood bats instead of metal.

Ticket sales are going well, according to Gannon, who reported grandstand season tickets have sold out, but individual game tickets and some general admission season tickets are still available. More than half the available tickets for the home opener have been sold to date.

As for improvements to the grandstands and new seating areas at Capaha Field, Gannon said they are on schedule and should be complete in time for the home opener. The changes include the addition of chairback seats in the grandstands and new fan areas such as the SoutheastHEALTH Home Run Deck beyond the right-field wall that can accommodate groups ranging in size from 50 to 150 and the Dugout Club along the first base-line with seating for up to 36 fans.

“We’re also going to have a summer band series sponsored by American Family Insurance Laurel Adkisson featuring entertainment before several home games in Capaha Field’s new Plaza Tire Plaza,” she said. Among the bands scheduled to perform during the season are Mike Renick on June 4, Dragoness on June 8, Sugar Daddy on June 21, Song Bandits on July 2, Ivas Johns on July 11, Diamond Farm on July 19, Greg Pursley on Aug. 3 and Greg Clutts on Aug. 4.

Limbaugh told the chamber group a decision was made early on that Catfish games “needed to be a fun, family-friendly environment” and will be affordable enough a family of four can enjoy a game, food and beverages for under $50. He said several food trucks will be on hand at each home game and Chick-fil-A will sponsor a Kid Zone while Best Buy will show either Cardinals baseball games or family-friendly movies on a big screen during games.

Team officials are confident Catfish games will be well attended, and some of the attendees will be scouts from various professional baseball teams.

“The Prospect League is a very watched and viewed league by professional scouts, and we’ll see a number of scouts coming in,” Hogan said.

The 12-team Prospect League currently has two teams in Missouri, in Cape Girardeau and Hannibal. Other teams are in Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and West Virginia.

“We’re hoping to pick up some more teams for 2020,” Hogan said, adding that any additional teams will probably be south or west of Cape Girardeau since existing teams are generally north and east of here.

jwolz@semissourian.com

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