Reds to Close Spring Training Schedule with Game in Dayton

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MWL Dayton Dragons

Reds to Close Spring Training Schedule with Game in Dayton

January 16, 2025 - Midwest League (MWL)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Dayton, Ohio - In conjunction with the 25th season of Dayton Dragons Professional Baseball in 2025, the Dragons and their Major League affiliate, the Cincinnati Reds, will say thank you to Dragons fans when the Reds close out their spring training schedule with a game at Day Air Ballpark in Dayton.

The 25th Season Celebration Game with the Reds presented by Winsupply will be played on Tuesday, March 25 at 6:10 pm as the Reds play their final 2025 spring contest against a team consisting of Reds minor league prospects. The Reds will open their 2025 season two days later, on Thursday, March 27 against the San Francisco Giants at Great American Ball Park at 4:10 pm.

Dragons season ticket holders, suite lease holders, and sponsors will be contacted by the Dragons for first buying opportunities. Fans wanting ticket information for the 25th Season Celebration Game with the Reds presented by Winsupply may click here to be contacted once tickets become available for the general public.

"As the Dragons celebrate our 25th season in Dayton, we are thrilled to be able to say thank you to our fans by partnering with the Reds with this great event at Day Air Ballpark," said Robert Murphy, Dragons President. "This game, presented by Winsupply, will be the first of many events as we celebrate our 25th season. Dragons baseball has become a great tradition since we played our first game in 2000, and many of our players have gone on to become key members of the Reds in Cincinnati."

The list of Dragons players who became famous Reds players over the last quarter century is an extremely impressive one, headed by former National League Most Valuable Player Joey Votto, who spent two seasons with the Dragons. The list also includes many other legendary names such as Jay Bruce, Adam Dunn, Johnny Cueto, Todd Frazier, and Billy Hamilton.

The current Reds 40-man roster includes 22 former Dragons including premier players like infielders Elly De La Cruz, and Matt McLain, catcher Tyler Stephenson, outfielders TJ Friedl and Stuart Fairchild, and pitchers Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Alexis Diaz, Nick Lodolo, Graham Ashcraft, Rhett Lowder, and Tony Santillan. The list of former Dragons currently with the Reds also includes pitchers Julian Aguiar, Connor Phillips, Lyon Richardson, and Carson Spiers; infielder Noelvi Marte, and outfielders Blake Dunn, Rece Hinds, and Jacob Hurtubise.

On March 25 at Day Air Ballpark, fans will get the chance to see many of those players, as well as other key players acquired by the Reds after they had reached the Major Leagues or high levels of the Minor Leagues such as Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Jeimer Candelario, and recently added big leaguers Brady Singer and Gavin Lux.

The Reds opponent in the game will be a team of prospects from the Cincinnati farm system, some of whom will open the 2025 season with the Dragons. This will give Dragons fans another opportunity to see former Dayton players who have advanced beyond Dayton within the Reds farm system. Current Minor League players frequently ranked among the Reds top prospects who played in Dayton include infielders Edwin Arroyo, Sal Stewart, and Cam Collier; starting pitcher Chase Petty, and outfielders Hector Rodriguez, Ethan O'Donnell, Jay Allen II, and Carlos Jorge. Some of these players may potentially play in the 25th Season Celebration Game with the Reds presented by Winsupply on March 25.

The game will also feature new Reds manager Terry Francona, a future hall of famer who has won two World Series championships and been victorious in nearly 2,000 career games over 23 seasons in the dugout.

This game will mark the fourth visit by the Reds to Day Air Ballpark. The Reds first visited in 2007 when they battled the Marlins in a spring training game. They also visited for exhibition games in 2009 and 2017 when the Reds met teams of Minor League prospects. Many of the players who played on the "Reds Futures" teams in those two games eventually became key members of the Reds at the big league level.

The Dayton Dragons open the 2025 season, their 25th season, on April 4 at West Michigan, with their home opener scheduled for April 8 at 7:05 pm against Fort Wayne at Day Air Ballpark.

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