With two division titles in three years and 40,000 or more fans in each of the team’s first three seasons, the Yakima Valley Pippins have set a new standard for expansion success in the West Coast League.

The Pippins enter their fourth season with a 58-game schedule, including 31 home games at The Orchard (Yakima County Stadium). The highlight of the calendar is the 2017 WCL All-Star Game, which the Pippins will host on July 18.

“In addition to a balanced home schedule that we feel fans will really enjoy, we’re excited to host the All-Star Game and the opportunity to not only showcase the top players and prospects in the league to our fans, but to celebrate the baseball heritage of the Yakima Valley to those across the league,” general manager Jeff Garretson said.

2017 marks the 80th anniversary of the founding in 1937 of the original Yakima Pippins, the area’s first professional baseball team.

The All-Star Game will take on a format of a futures game. Many of the nation’s top college prospects are featured each season in the WCL, and after feedback from Major League Baseball scouts, the new format will allow many of these prospects to be featured in Yakima at this showcase event.

The two-day All-Star break will also feature a Fan Fest on Monday, July 17. A full schedule of events will be announced at a later date.

The Pippins’ 31-game home schedule begins Friday, June 2, with a six-game, season-opening homestand. In addition to the All-Star Game, promotions will include fireworks, best-in-class giveaways, and new ticket options that will keep The Orchard at the forefront of fan experience in the WCL.

The 11-team league has been slightly realigned for the 2017 season. The Port Angeles Lefties will join the North Division next summer, replacing the South Division’s Kitsap BlueJackets. Joining Yakima Valley, the South’s second-half winner last year, are Corvallis, Bend, Gresham and Cowlitz in that division. In addition to Port Angeles, the North includes Walla Walla, Bellingham, Wenatchee, Kelowna, B.C., and Victoria, B.C.

Fans can purchase season tickets by calling the Pippins office at 509-575-4487, or by emailing Andy Jones at andy@pippinsbaseball.com. Season-ticket purchases also can be made at https://yp1.glitnirticketing.com/ypticket/webplan/webplan.php.

Courtesy: PippinsBaseball.com
Courtesy: PippinsBaseball.com
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Courtesy: PippinsBaseball.com
Courtesy: PippinsBaseball.com
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Courtesy: PippinsBaseball.com
Courtesy: PippinsBaseball.com
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