Against a backdrop of freezing rain, baseball fans gathered last week to talk about the smell of glove oil, fresh-cut grass, and dream of spring as the Chatham Barnstormers gathered for their first networking event of 2025.
Before a packed house at Dog Days Southern BBQ, team owner Dom Dinelle said the support shown for the team during its inaugural Inter-County Baseball League (IBL) season has grown during the winter.
“It’s February but I can already feel the excitement,” he said. “Chatham-Kent has been a perfect choice for an IBL franchise and these fans deserve a winner.”
The Barnstormers closed the regular season with a three-game winning streak to earn a playoff spot with a 20-22 record. The team lost in the first round to the Guelph Royals, who made it to the league finals.
Dinelle said the team has signed 14 players for the coming season and is in the process of adding to a roster that he believes can contend in the nine-team loop. “We’re negotiating with several players and our coaching staff is rounding into shape. We’re in a good spot.”
The team has a waiting list for season tickets at Fergie Jenkins Field where the 42-game season will begin May 17 against the Kitchener Panthers.
Dinelle said this year, all IBL games will be live streamed, offering fans the chance to follow the team on the road.
“We had 72,000 views for our home games online last year and 1,000 subscribers,” he said.
Emphasizing the community nature of the franchise, Dinelle said the team will again sponsor baseball camps in communities across Chatham-Kent.
The club will host an exhibition game on May 8 against Kitchener with free attendance.
“We have some students from local schools coming out and we expect a great opening to our year.”
Aden Ryan, a 23-year-old right-handed pitcher from Tecumseh who started eight games for the Barnstormers last year, said there was no doubt he was coming back to the team.
“I’ve never seen so much fan support,” he said. “I couldn’t get over how they were in our corner no matter what. It just gave a boost every game.”
Ryan, who was named IBL pitcher of the week after winning the first game in club history, told of how as a child baseball helped him deal with his mother’s illness.
“Playing catch gave me an outlet when things got too hard at the hospital,” he said. “When my mom passed away, I drew a heart on a baseball and put it in her casket. Baseball is part of who I am now.”
Dinelle said baseball forges a connection in families and communities. “We have more than 40 volunteers at each game and we have more than 150 sponsors in the community,” he said. “We’re Chatham-Kent’s team and proud of it.”
