Moosic, PA -
An announced crowd of 11,515, a Yankees-era record, watched the RailRiders defeat Lehigh Valley on April 10 in the 2017 home opener.
It was the start of a good season for ticket sales at PNC Field.
The team drew 439,412 fans during the regular season - an average of 6,462 in 68 home dates - for the third-highest total since the Yankees affiliation with the franchise began in 2007.
It is also the third straight year attendance has increased.
“Obviously, to continually increase our attendance is important,” said Josh Olerud, RailRiders team president and chief operating officer. “It's big. It shows that we're doing the right things and our fans are letting us know that. They're coming back for more than just baseball.”
SWB posted its best attendance in the RailRiders era (since 2013), topping the first year of the renovated PNC Field (435,839).
The franchise record for attendance came in that first Yankees season (580,908), followed by 485,999 in 2008. The Red Barons' best season was 1992, when they drew 560,454.
The RailRiders stayed consistent with the rest of the 176 minor league teams. Minor League Baseball welcomed 41,832,364 fans to stadiums this season, the fifth most in its history.
“I think it's just the value of the ticket,” Olerud said. “I think that we work hard on, not just putting on a good show, (but) that there's a lot of family affordable entertainment going on from the time you pull up to the stadium, to the free program, to the bobbleheads, to getting the intimate experience with meeting players and getting kids on the field and all that kind of stuff.
“Cumulatively, (that) is, I think, why Minor League Baseball continues to grow.”
Olerud pointed to the RailRiders' expanded ticket sales staff as a possible reason for this season's increase, with the team making its way into markets it might not have in the past. Olerud also said the show rate for the season - that is, how much of the paid attendance actually walks through the gates on game day - was up about 3 percent from last year.
“To sell more tickets is one thing, but to have them show is as important, if not more,” he said.
2018 schedule
The RailRiders begin next season at home, when they welcome Syracuse to PNC Field on April 6. SWB plays the Chiefs three times that homestand, then takes on rival Lehigh Valley for three more.
The team is home for 15 games in May, the most for any month, and gets its first shot at Governors' Cup champion Durham on June 5-7 in Moosic.
For the first time since 2010, SWB will play at PNC Field on Memorial Day, with the final game of a short homestand against Syraucse on tap. Olerud said that's a “double-edged sword,” because since 2013, that date has been set aside for the District 2 baseball championships. Under the league's new scheduling system, the RailRiders can no longer request to be on the road for specific days. Olerud said the team is still trying to work out something with District 2, and that their interest in hosting the games hasn't wavered.
The RailRiders are also home July 4, the beginning of a two-game homestand against Buffalo.
Contact the writer: cfoley@timesshamrock.com;
