Wingnuts Release 2016 Schedule; Will Open at Home
Published on November 24, 2015 under American Association (AA)
Wichita Wingnuts News Release
WICHITA, KS - The Wichita Wingnuts have won a division title in each of the last five seasons. The path to a sixth consecutive title, and third straight in the South, has been laid. The American Association and the Wichita Wingnuts released the team's 2016 schedule on Friday.
The Wingnuts ninth season will get underway at home on Thursday, May 19th as the Lincoln Saltdogs travel to Lawrence-Dumont Stadium for the first of a four-game series. Following the season-opening series, the Nuts will take their first road trip of the campaign, a six-day trek to Joplin and Fargo-Moorhead.Â
The league's eleventh season will feature 12 teams, and for the first time since 2011, interleague match-ups with the Can-Am League will not be necessary. Wichita will face all 11 league members at least once and nine different clubs will journey to Wichita. Winnipeg and St. Paul are the only teams who do not visit Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, while the Wingnuts will not play at Sioux City or Sioux Falls.
The Grand Prairie AirHogs and Amarillo Thunderheads, formerly separate league members, will operate as one entity in 2016. The "Texas" team will play 25 home games at The Ballpark in Grand Prairie and 25 at Potter County Memorial Stadium in Amarillo. Once again, the American Association playoffs will feature three division winners and one wild card entry.
Joplin, Laredo, and the new Texas collaboration will join Wichita in the South Division. The Wingnuts will play 47 of their 100 regular season games against their division rivals. For the second consecutive season, the Nuts will meet the Laredo Lemurs 17 times, more than any other opponent. The teams have also met in the Divisional Round of the postseason in back-to-back years. The first meeting is a four-game series in Wichita from May 30th-June 2nd.
Fans planning their summer around the Wingnuts schedule will want to keep the months June and July wide open. 34 of the team's 50 home games will occur in those two months and 40 of the home games will take place prior to the August 2nd All-Star Game in St. Paul. The annual road trip made necessary because of the NBC World Series at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium will run from July 29th-August 14th this season. This year's adventure will take the Nuts to four cities (Laredo, Lincoln, Fargo-Moorhead, and Winnipeg) and a total of 3,469 miles.
This year's slate features seven weekends at home and will come to a conclusion on Labor Day in Laredo. Standard start times for home games are 7:05 p.m. Monday-Saturday and 1:05 p.m. on Sunday. Exceptions include a 6:05 p.m. start on Friday, June 3rd and Monday, July 4th and an 11:05 a.m. first pitch on Thursday, June 16th.
The exhibition season will get underway at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium on Monday, May 9th against an opponent to be determined. A full schedule of exhibition games will be released at a later date.
The ninth season of Wichita Wingnuts baseball begins on Thursday, May 19th against the Lincoln Saltdogs. For information on season tickets, group outings, and party packages, call the Wingnuts' main office at (316) 264-NUTS, or visit the Wingnuts' official website at www.wichitawingnuts.com.
American Association Stories from November 24, 2015
- Wingnuts Release 2016 Schedule; Will Open at Home - Wichita Wingnuts
- 'Dogs Add Arms, Including Former MLBer Reed - Lincoln Saltdogs
- T-Bones Re-Sign '15 MVP and KC Native Tenbrink - Kansas City Monarchs
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