TinCaps Game Information: Opening Day April 3
Published on April 3, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
Fort Wayne TinCaps News Release
Fort Wayne TinCaps (0-0) @ Great Lakes Loons (0-0)
Friday, April 3 | Dow Diamond | 6:05 PM | Game 1 of 132
LHP Kash Mayfield (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Sterling Patrick (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
WATCH: Bally Sports Live, MLB.TV, MLB+ | LISTEN: 1380 The Fan & 100.9 FM & TinCaps.com/Listen Game Notes | 2026 TinCaps Media Guide | TinCaps.com/Pressbox
OPENING DAY: Friday marks the beginning of the 17th season of TinCaps baseball and the 33rd of affiliated professional baseball in the city of Fort Wayne. The TinCaps are 8-8 on Opening Day, while Fort Wayne as an organization is 19-13 all-time. Fort Wayne has not won on Opening Day on the road since 2017, having dropped their last four. The Fort Wayne Wizards won seven-straight Opening Day games from 1993-1999.
WELCOME BACK: The 2026 roster features 13 players who have appeared at Parkview Field in the past. Jack Costello, Rosman Verdugo, Clark Candiotti, Luis German, and Isaiah Lowe spent all of 2025 in Fort Wayne. End-of-season call-ups include Kasen Wells, Jonathan Vastine, Zach Evans, Maikel Miralles, Braian Salazar, and Lamar King Jr.
AN OLD FRIEND BACK AT THE HELM: Manager Jonathan Mathews returns for his third stint in Fort Wayne and second as manager. The 53-year-old acted as the 'Caps manager in 2023, bringing Fort Wayne to the postseason behind a second-half Midwest League East Division title. Mathews' first stint in Fort Wayne spanned from 2018-2021 as the team's hitting coach. He spent the past two years as the Padres Minor League Hitting Coordinator.
KASH THAT CHECK: The TinCaps' Opening Day roster features left-handed pitcher Kash Mayfield, the No. 4 Padres' prospect according to MLB Pipeline. The 21-year-old was the 25th overall pick in the 2024 draft out of Elk City High School in Edmond, OK. Mayfield made 19 starts with Single-A Lake Elsinore in 2025 and led the Padres organization with a 13.05 K/9 among arms with at least 50 IP. In his final 14 starts with the Storm, Mayfield held a 1.96 ERA across 41.1 IP, striking out 64.
GLORY TO THE BRAVE: The 2026 Opening Day roster for Fort Wayne features 7 players from Venezuela, the most of any international country to begin the year. Six of which are pitchers, with Igor Gil and Maikel Miralles both being from Maracay. Catcher Carlos Rodriguez is the lone position player from Venezuela, hailing from Cumana.
260 TO THE SHOW: 33 former TinCaps were listed on MLB Opening Day rosters in 2026. Since Fort Wayne's Minor League Baseball franchise was established in 1993, there have been 235 players who've ascended from playing in the Summit City to the big leagues. Former TinCaps are listed on 15 of MLB's 30 teams heading into 2026, seven of which are a part of the San Diego Padres. Seven former TinCaps made their MLB debuts in 2025, including August's National League Rookie of the Month, Jakob Marsee (2023).
CAPS IN THE TOP 30: Entering 2026, Fort Wayne has 6 of the Padres' Top 30 prospects according to MLB Pipeline. Kash Mayfield leads the crop as the No. 4 prospect, with C/1B Lamar King Jr. (No. 16), RHP Kannon Kemp (No. 19), OF Alex McCoy (No. 21), OF Kavares Tears (No. 27), and Jaxon Dalena (No. 30) rounding out the group.
2025 IN REVIEW: In 2025, 327,542 fans attended TinCap home games at Parkview Field, averaging 5,118 per game. Parkview Field was awarded by Stadium Journey as Minor League Baseball's No. 1 High-A Ballpark experience, with it having higher average attendance than 11 of 30 Triple-A teams and 24 of 30 Double-A teams.
EXPERIENCE IS KEY: The TinCaps Break Camp Roster heads into Opening Day with an average age of 23.0. It is the second-oldest Opening Day roster in TinCaps history, behind the 2024 team. The average age jumped nearly two years (20.6 to 22.5) when the TinCaps and Midwest League moved from Low-A to High-A in 2021.
THE CHAMP IS HERE: TinCaps outfielder and Padres No. 27 prospect Kavares Tears brought the University of Tennessee its first national championship in 2024. Tears drove in the eventual game-winning run with an RBI double in the seventh inning of Tennessee's 6-5 win over #3 Texas A&M (6/24) in Game 3 of the MCWS Finals, and in six games, ended with a .923 OPS. The 2024 fourth-round pick led Single-A Lake Elsinore in four offensive categories, including 13 home runs.
Midwest League Stories from April 3, 2026
- 'Caps Big Seventh Highlights Friday Rally, 6-4 - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Fish Fry's Suffer Second Straight Loss to Begin 2026 Season, Fall to Whitecaps, 6-4 - Lake County Captains
- Six-Run Fourth Powers Peoria to 8-2 Opening Night Win over Cedar Rapids - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Peete, Rodriguez Homer; Franklin Punches out Nine in Season Opening Win - Peoria Chiefs
- Patick K's Seven in Loons 2-1 Opening Day Win - Great Lakes Loons
- Mayfield Dazzles on Opening Day - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Taylor, Sixth-Inning Offense Propel Nuts to First Win - Lansing Lugnuts
- Lugnuts Score 4 in 6th, Top Dragons 5-1 - Dayton Dragons
- River Bandits' Season-Opener in South Bend Postponed - Quad Cities River Bandits
- South Bend Cubs Opening Day Postponed Due to Infield Conditions - South Bend Cubs
- Wisconsin Timber Rattlers 2026 Home Opener Postponed...Again - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Dragons Announce New Suite Level Naming Rights Partnership with Craftsmen Home Improvements - Dayton Dragons
- TinCaps Game Information: Opening Day April 3 - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Dayton Dragons GameDay for Friday, April 3 (At Lansing, 6:05 PM) - Dayton Dragons
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