Wichita Wind Surge slated for 60 home games this season starting in May
After more than a year of delays and a change in affiliation, Wichita’s Double-A baseball team finally has an opening day set at Riverfront Stadium.
The Wichita Wind Surge will play the inaugural game at the new $75 million downtown ballpark on Tuesday, May 11 in a game against the Amarillo Sod Poodles. The Surge will make its debut as the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins a week earlier in a road series against the Springfield Cardinals starting on Tuesday, May 4.
Minor League Baseball released the full 2021 schedule for the Wichita Wind Surge on Thursday. Wichita is slated for 60 home games this season and will play a 120-game schedule between May and September.
Seating will be limited at Riverfront Stadium because of the COVID-19 pandemic and following rules set by local health officials and Major League Baseball.
Wichita will compete in the newly formed 10-team Double-A Central League. The Surge are in the North Division, which also includes the Arkansas Travelers (Mariners), Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals), Springfield Cardinals (Cardinals) and Tulsa Drillers (Dodgers).
The condensed season will feature a new format in the schedule, as teams will play a six-game series in six days Tuesday through Sunday with every Monday being a league-wide off day.
For example, Wichita will open the season at Springfield on a Tuesday and play the Cardinals every day until Sunday. After an off day on Monday, the Surge will return to Wichita and host Amarillo for another six-game series lasting from Tuesday until Sunday. The cycle repeats for 21 straight weeks.
The five teams in the South Division are the Amarillo Sod Poodles (Diamondbacks), Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros), Frisco Roughriders (Rangers), Midland Rockhounds (Athletics) and San Antonio Missions (Padres).
The Surge announced their coaching staff last month, naming Ramon Borrego as their first manager. He will be joined on staff by hitting coach Ryan Smith, pitching coaches Virgil Vasquez and Luis Ramirez, catching coach Joe Mangiameli, athletic trainer Chris McNeely and strength and conditioning coach Travis Koon.
Wichita’s City Council approved tearing down Lawrence-Dumont Stadium and building a new one in late 2018 to lure the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins from New Orleans. The team was on track to begin play in Wichita last spring until the COVID-19 pandemic forced Minor League Baseball to cancel the season.
During the complete reshuffling of the minor league baseball system this winter, Wichita was knocked down a peg to Double-A and cast as the new affiliate for the Minnesota Twins.
This story was originally published February 18, 2021 at 11:53 AM.