Pippins and Sweets Make Top 50 Attendance List
Published on August 19, 2014 under West Coast League (WCL)
Yakima Valley Pippins News Release
YAKIMA, Wash. - Ballpark Business, one of the leading industry sites for professional and professionally-operated baseball teams, released their annual attendance numbers of summer collegiate teams in North America. For the fifth season in a row, the Walla Walla Sweets, despite playing in one of the continent's smallest markets, finished in the Top 50 (#45), while the Yakima Valley Pippins joined the rankings in their inaugural season, ranking number 35.
"I'm excited for our fans, our partners, and our employees," said Zachary Fraser, president and chief operating officer of Pacific Baseball Ventures, the holding company that owns and operates both the Sweets and the Pippins. "Both markets (Walla Walla and Yakima) are important to each other's success, and we look forward to continuing to build the best baseball and entertainment product for our fans in the Columbia valley."
According to the Ballpark Business release, the Sweets averaged 1,220 fans per game for West Coast League games. The Sweets, who joined the WCL and started play in the 2010 season, played 26 home dates in 2014 and finished seventh among all WCL teams in average attendance. The Walla Walla club has been listed in the rankings since the team's inception and has just completed its fifth anniversary season.
"Walla Walla was a grand experiment that has been embraced by the community," said Fraser. "We look forward to making changes and improvements this off-season to continue to improve our place among the nation's best summer collegiate franchises."
Included in those 26 home games were six matchups against the Sweets' new WCL East division rivals, the Pippins.
Yakima Valley averaged 1,372 fans per game, placing the expansion club at second place in the WCL attendance rankings behind the Victoria HarbourCats, who play in the WCL's largest market. The Pippins drew a season-best 3,209 fans on opening night, and topped 2,000 twice more over the course of the season.
"To see the city of Yakima turn out like it did in our first year was exciting for us to see," said Fraser. "We hope this is just the beginning of many great summers at Yakima County Stadium.
Both the Sweets and the Pippins return to action for the 2015 season next June. Season tickets are now on sale for both teams.
West Coast League Stories from August 19, 2014
- Pippins and Sweets Make Top 50 Attendance List - Yakima Valley Pippins
- Sweets Again Make Top 50 List in Collegiate Summer Attendance - Walla Walla Sweets
- Post from the Coast: The WCL on OSC - OSC Original by Bruce Baskin
- Post from the Coast: The WCL on OSC - OSC Original by Bruce Baskin
- Post from the Coast: The WCL on OSC - OSC Original by Bruce Baskin
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