It's hard to think about baseball when we haven't even seen winter yet, but a lot of people in Battle Creek are thinking about baseball:  Battle Creek Bombers Baseball!

The Bombers kick off their eleventh season May 30 at home against the Lakeshore Chinooks, and play a 72-game schedule with 36 home games throughout the summer. The Bombers will play at home six days in a row, from July 3 to July 8.

For five premium nights, the Bombers plan to feature and invest in the best entertainment acts, giveaways and fireworks displays of the year. That schedule will be finalized ithis spring.

The Bombers say some fan-friendly renovations at C.O. Brown Stadium are paying off.  They’ve already surpassed 2016 five-game pack sales for 2017. The team is sold out of box seats, and only a limited number of bleacher packs remain available. The team also made the playoffs last season.

"The release of our schedule is always an exciting time, and this year I believe that even more so,” said Tony Iovieno, general manager of the Bombers. “With multiple stadium upgrades on tap, a fan-friendly schedule filled with great entertainment and a team looking to return to the playoffs in 2017, I believe this could be a very special year here in Battle Creek. Our record preseason ticket sales are certainly indicative of just that as well."

After taking home the I-94 Rivalry Cup last season, presented by the OnStaff Group, the Bombers will look to continue their good fortune against the rival Kalamazoo Growlers in 2017. The rivals will clash early and often this season, with the Bombers hosting the Growlers on June 1 and then playing Kalamazoo on June 2. The rivals will also play home and away doubleheaders on June 20 and July 26, and another home and away series July 27-28.

The League, which plays two halves to determine playoff participants, will end the first half of play on July 4 with the second half beginning the following day. Beginning on August 14, the first and second half divisional champions will have home field advantage on the first day of the one-game elimination divisional playoffs. The two remaining divisional teams with the best overall records will determine their opponents. The winners of those games will play against each other the following day in another one-game elimination division championship. With no off-day in between, the North and South Division Champions will then meet in a best-of-three series for the Summer Collegiate World Series from August 16-18.

The team has made it clear that they will be investing their biggest and best draws on five premium nights. The team does not anticipate many, if any, single-game tickets being available for these premium dates. However – any fan can already guarantee their seat(s) to these five nights through the Bombers 5-Game Pack. Each pack includes the best seats available to these prime matchups, along with all-you-can-eat food and beverage and guaranteed giveaways such as bobble heads, jerseys and hats.  Dates will be released later this month. The team is now taking 5-Game Pack reservations, along with season ticket and group outing deposits, at www.battlecreekbombers.com or by phone at (269)-962-0735 and by emailing info@battlecreekbombers.com

Single-game tickets for all Bombers home games will go on sale Saturday, April 29.

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