Chatham-Kent Barnstormers hit the ground running in debut season

The Chatham-Kent Barnstormers have been swinging for the fences in their debut season – and the community appears to be behind them.

“It’s going great overall,” said the team’s general manager Harry Muir.

“I think we’re surprising a lot of people at how competitive we are.”

After debuting on May 18, the team sits at seventh in the Intercounty Baseball League (8-13).Chatham-Kent Barnstormers. (Source: Chatham-Kent Barnstormers/Facebook)

Muir says, win or lose, they’re drawing sizable crowds to every home game.

Fergie Jenkins Field, the team’s home turf, boasts about 900 seats after a $200,000 upgrade by the municipality.

Muir said they’ve averaged about 800 fans at every home game.

“The fans have been fantastic,” he said.

“From the beginning, Chatham has been unbelievable.”

He added that those home games come with a charm unique to Chatham.

“We have some interesting fans,” he joked.

“They like to get on the umpires; they like to get on the guys on the other team.”

He noted that the stands at Fergie Jenkins Field are much closer to the diamond than at other venues.The Chatham Barnstormers will make their IBL debut May 18, 2024, at Fergie Jenkins Field in Chatham, Ont. (Source: Chatham Barnstormers)

“So a comment that may not have been heard in Hamilton or in London is definitely heard at Fergie Jenkins Field,” he said.

For team owner Dom Dinelle, the Barnstormers mark the realization of a years-long dream.

He said he started working on bringing a new team to the IBL in 2007 – and had good momentum going with the league and municipality of Chatham-Kent before COVID-19 hit.

Now, that dream is a reality.

“When you start something like this, you have a lot of things to think about, but you never expect to see people walking around with a Barnstormers t-shirt or hat,” Dinelle said.

“It's awesome.”

A month-and-a-half into the inaugural season, 19 Barnstormers are vying for spots on the league’s South all-star team, including Chatham’s own Spencer Marcus, who ranks fifth in the league for batting.

“He was our first signing. He was the first Barnstormer ever,” Muir said. “He hasn’t played baseball in two years, so the fact that he’s so outstanding is a little mind-boggling.”

Pitcher Aden Ryan, who threw the first pitch back in May and earned the title of IBL’s Pitcher of the Week, is also a contender.

An online all-star vote is open until Friday.

The Barnstormers stream all their games live on YouTube and tickets for in-person attendance, along with team info, are available on their website.