How is Wichita Wind Surge keeping fans happy in Year 2 at Riverfront? We asked them

The Wichita Wind Surge won their division and reached the playoffs in their inaugural season of minor-league baseball.

So how are they trying to top that in 2022?

Bob Moullette, Director of Fan Experience for the team, said it’s about keeping fans at Riverfront Stadium consistently happy so they’ll want to come back. With so many moving parts in minor-league baseball — the Wind Surge are the Minnesota Twins’ Double-A affiliate — players will come and go, and you can’t expect the team to be good all the time.

“Listen, I mean we always take the baseball fan because it’s baseball, but we don’t really care if it’s baseball fans,” Moullette said.

But the baseball is helping. Entering Friday’s series opener in Tulsa, the Wind Surge lead the second-half Double-A Texas League standings. They’ve averaged 3,213 fans through 45 home games, which is down from an average of 4,021 for 60 home games in their inaugural season.

Moullette said keeping fans in the stadium is a simple concept with a lot of work behind the scenes.

“Our responsibility is to entertain them and do everything outside the lines of baseball, so great promotions, great food, great customer service,” Moullette said.

Why do fans keep coming back?

Second-year season ticket holder Craig Plank doesn’t consider himself much of a sports fan but feels connected to Riverfront Stadium, which is where Lawrence Dumont Stadium stood as Wichita’s baseball stadium from 1934-2018. It was home to the Wichita Wingnuts, an independent team, and the Wranglers, the Kansas City Royals’ Double-A affiliate that is now a Wind Surge rival, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

“I have a generational connection to this hallowed ground,” Plank said. “My dad brought me here some when I was a kid. I brought both my son and daughter here when they were youngsters and then my daughter came with me, and we would watch the Wingnuts.”

He said he feels at peace at Riverfront Stadium.

“I can have a bad day and if I know that I get to go to the ballpark it can turn into a good day,” Plank said.

Matt Corr has been a baseball fan since he remembers going to Wranglers games at Lawrence Dumont Stadium when he was four or five years old. He said games at Riverfront Stadium are an upgraded experience to Wingnuts games.

“I watch baseball all day and I was jumping for joy when I heard that Wichita was getting a real baseball team back,” Corr said.

Corr said he enjoys getting connected to the players, even with the known aspect of them leaving the team eventually.

“The thing about Minor League Baseball is always you root for the players to be good, and then obviously if they are great, they move on and you hopefully never see them again, because you want them to be (in the) majors,” Corr said.

What can the team do better?

Corr said he feels like the club could do a better job of making sure fans know about the Wind Surge’s affiliation with the Twins.

“I wish the stadium maybe sold Minnesota Twins gear or at least sold (jerseys) of players that are now with the Minnesota Twins who were on the Wind Surge last year,” Corr said.

David Canter was the 35th person to buy season tickets during the Wind Surge’s inaugural season. Since then, he’s hardly missed a game.

“My parents said they knew I was a baseball junkie because they would sit me in front of the TV when I was nine months old and watch a whole nine inning game,” Canter said. “This is my dream come true to actually own season tickets to a baseball team and be able to watch all the time.”

Despite having a good time at games, Canter wishes the stadium would be more accommodating with parking for season ticket holders and for dietary needs, such as gluten-free concession options.

“They only have a couple of choices that I can eat,” Canter said. “Last year they had almost none so I would just have a bag of chips or something.”

Season ticket holder parking was originally promised where the rock pavement is at on Sycamore Street. However, it is now set up for paid parking.

“A lot of us that are season ticket holders were upset because they promised us that there would be season ticket parking but it hasn’t happened, so I can just park on the street,” Canter said.