Kalamazoo, Michigan will finally be getting a new baseball team for the first time since 2011. The team will be competing in the Northwoods League, which is a summer college wooden bat league. This is the same league that the neighboring Battle Creek Bombers play in. Home games will be played at Homer Stryker Field, same as the prior tenant the Kalamazoo Kings of the Frontier League (same as the Traverse City Beach Bums). The Kings suspended operations after the 2011 season, and never were able to get the team running again. Fans in the Kalamazoo area have submitted their ideas for a team name, and the finalists are: Cabbies, Clutch, Growlers, Kangaroos (K-Roos), and Krakens. My pick would be the Kalamazoo Kangaroos, but the franchise will announce the winner at an Opening Night Event on November 15th. This free event will feature the un-veiling of the new team name and logo, along with the manager and coaches. Fans will also be able to receive free ballpark food and nonalcoholic beverages, participate in a free raffle, and their will be free kids games as well. Fans will also be able to interact with the team owners and front office staff. I’ll definitely be following this team, and hope to be able to attend a game next season. I’m pretty familiar the the city also, as I grew up on minor league hockey watching the Kalamazoo Wings of the old International Hockey League when I lived in that area.

Photo courtesy of Kalamazoo Baseball/Northwoods League