HARRISBURG, Pa. — Harrisburg Senators baseball is officially back after the team's home opener at FNB Field in Harrisburg kicked off the season on a cold Friday evening. It's a day that fans and the team have had marked on their calendar for months.
"I waited since September of last year," said Mike Daly, a Harrisburg Senators fan from Carlisle. "This is the only sport I love. I love the minor leagues, this is where they give 100 percent."
"This is the best day of the year, this is Christmas day for us," said Harrisburg Senators President Kevin Kulp. "Opening the gates, seeing the fans come back and enjoying the ballpark again, it doesn’t get any better for us.
Friday night's temperatures hovered around 45 degrees and even had periods of flurries and hail. However, the cold conditions did not stop the Senators faithful from showing their support for a team they had waited all off-season for.
"I've been waiting for months. I wouldn’t care if it’s 20 degrees out I would still be here," said Jerry Hall, a Harrisburg Senators fan from Camp Hill.
"We always have a good time here at the stadium," said Hitchings. "We'll brave the elements and root on the team."
From a fresh new slate after a challenging 2023 season to getting a glimpse of a handful of big-league hopefuls on the roster like Dylan Crews, the Washington National's number-one prospect, it's a season that's hard not to be excited about.
Hot or cold, rain or shine, it's a season full of baseball nights like Friday evening that Harrisburg Senators fans have to look forward to.
"Got a lot of good prospects, got Dylan, got Brady, Yohandy," said Hall. "So I think it’ll be a good year for us, [I] can’t wait."