AHOME RUN

Minor-League Franchise Is A Hit In An Area Hungry For Baseball

BY DAVID FAWCETT | PHOTOS BY BILL KAMENJAR

It’s a quiet, rainy morning in midFebruary outside Virginia Credit Union Stadium in Fredericksburg. The temperature hovers around 50 degrees. About 20 cars fill the parking lot.

But inside the Fredericksburg Nationals executive offices, there’s plenty of activity. Team employees are the move, dealing with everything from fielding inquiries about tickets to closing sponsorship deals.

Now that football season is officially over and Opening Day is less than two months away for the Washington Nationals’ Low-A minor-league baseball affiliate, preparations for the upcoming season enter overdrive.

It’s that time of year. And for the next two months, it’s the norm.

“With the end of the Super Bowl, it’s a passing of the torch,” said Nick Hall, the Fredericksburg Nationals’ executive vice president and general manager. “It’s baseball’s turn.”

For Hall and his 25-member staff, that means fulfilling their usual preseason checklist, while finding ways to expand on a fan base that has grown since the franchise moved from Woodbridge after the 2019 season.

COVID wiped out the entire season in 2020. And restrictions kept interaction limited during the FredNats’ first season in 2021. But with fewer restrictions in place last year, the FredNats saw improved changes inside the stadium as fans and players could mingle more through a friendly conversation or an autograph.

The turnout reflected the uptick in interest. There is, for example, a waiting list for sponsorship deals on outfield billboards. Those who did have billboards are increasing their reach through other marketing opportunities the FredNats

The fans are coming out as well.

Fredericksburg finished second overall last year in attendance among all 60 Single-A franchises. The only team that drew more fans was fellow Carolina League member Augusta (Ga.) –by an average of just 25 fans per game (4,096 to 4,071). Overall, Fredericksburg drew 260,546 fans last season, which ranked No. 54 out of the 120 Major League-affiliated franchises. “There’s no bitterness about that,” the 32-year-old Hall said as he smiled about narrowly losing out

“It is what it is. It gives us a great

A New Start

Three-quarters of Fredericksburg’s fan base comes from Fredericksburg and neighboring Stafford and Spotsylvania counties. But season-ticket holders come from as far east as King George County, as far west as Orange and Culpeper counties, as far south as Caroline County and as far as north as Prince William County.

“This community had the makings of a minor league market,” Hall said. “They are showing that was right. They craved a hometown team.”

Once in a while, fans will even attend games wearing Potomac Nationals’ gear, an ode to the franchise’s past. Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge had hosted a minor-league team since 1984 before current owner Art Silber moved the team south.

For years, Silber had tried to find a new stadium in Prince William. He eventually

Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center and Sentara Northern Virginia Medical Center. But questions arose about funding, and the Prince William Board of County Supervisors rejected the proposal. Instead, Silber found a new home in Fredericksburg, where a $35 million stadium was built near Central Park off Interstate 95. The Fredericksburg City Council helped underwrite the deal by agreeing to pay $1.05 million to the team for 30 years, an amount that covered about 40% of the park’s financing. In return, the city can use the stadium for events. The city also has a suite to entertain and network, as well as a billboard ad in the outfield and kiosk in the stadium.

Bill Freehling, director of economic development and tourism for the city of Fredericksburg, said the partnership is working well. The city is recouping its investment through sales, meals and admission taxes,

“They are essentially hitting the numbers we expected them to,”

The 5,000-seat stadium is helping the area attract other

In August, the stadium hosted the final rounds of the 13- to 15-year-old Babe

With pandemic restrictions lifted last season, fans were able to obtain players’ autographs, explore the FredNats’ team store and enjoy the antics of the mascot, Gus.

Ruth National Tournament. That in itself brought enough people to fill 1,000 hotel rooms in the city and around 1,200 overall for the area. Stafford County hosted the first rounds of the tournament. The Babe Ruth organization was so pleased with the results they are coming back this summer.

“We want to attract more of these types of things,” Freehling said.

Other Attractions

In addition to the stadium, Hall noted other selling points that bolster interest in the team. One is the part-time jobs the FredNats provide for those looking to make extra money over the summer. Hall said their primary part-timers are teachers. The team held a job fair in February. Anyone 16 and older can apply.

Themed nights on Saturdays are big hits. This season, Fredericksburg will have 10 immersive theme nights, including fan favorites like Star Wars Night.

Affordability helps as well, with singlegame tickets ranging from $10 to $22.

“Even if you are not into baseball, you can still have the time of your life here for two to three hours,” Hall said.

Fredericksburg’s affiliation with the Washington Nationals is a big draw as well. Starting in 2021, all minor-league clubs signed 10-year player development licenses

TALKIN’ BASEBALL WHO?

The Fredericksburg Nationals are a minorleague affiliate team of Major League Baseball’s Washington Nationals. They play in the Low-A Carolina League (minor league baseball goes from Low-A to Single-A to Double-A to Triple-A).

WHERE?

The FredNats play their home games at Virginia Credit Union Stadium, 42 Jackie Robinson Way, next to the Fredericksburg Expo & Convention Center in Fredericksburg.

WHEN?

The team was scheduled to open its season Friday, April 7, at home against the Lynchburg Hillcats. Games continue throughout the spring and summer, with the last regular-season home game scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 3.

MORE DETAILS: For a complete schedule and ticket information visit frednats.com.

with major-league clubs.

Of Washington’s four full-season affiliates, Fredericksburg is by far the closest to the capital. The 47-mile distance is a big reason why Fredericksburg’s stadium served as the alternate site during 2020 for players not on Washington’s active major-league roster as well as some minor leaguers, because there was no minorleague season.

Not surprisingly, Fredericksburg’s two highest attended games last season were rehab appearances by pitcher Stephen Strasburg, the MVP of the Washington

Nationals 2019 World Series championship. “They trust us,” Hall said. The chance to see future big leaguers is appealing.

James Wood, the top prospect in the Nationals’ organization, according to Baseball America, came through Fredericksburg late last season as part of the Juan Soto trade with San Diego, as did right-hander Jarlin Susana. Susana generated enough interest that Nationals’ principal owner Mark Lerner and Mike Rizzo, the team’s president of baseball operations and general manager, came down Aug. 31 to see Susana hit 103 mph on the radar gun.

Wood and Susana, along with others, helped Fredericksburg become the only one of the Nationals’ four full-season affiliates to have a winning record (75-55) and reach the playoffs.

“Those types of things make an immediate impact,” Hall said.

With players unable to interact with fans outside the stadium due to COVID restrictions, the FredNats’ mascot, Gus, has become the main attraction for outreach events. Hall said Gus does at least four appearances each week and over 200 altogether in 2022. It helps that Gus has more flexibility in his schedule. Even if players could do it, they are still limited with their own schedules.

“He’s the main focus of our branding,” Hall said.

To build rapport with the incoming coaching staff, Hall spent a week this March at the Nationals’ spring training facility in West Palm Beach, Fla.

It gave him a chance to connect with the coaching staff and see what they are interested in and available to do inside the stadium when the season starts. The return of Jake Lowery as manager will provide a familiar face as Fredericksburg establishes a broader footprint in the region.

“You can’t walk through downtown Fredericksburg without seeing merchandise,” Hall said. “That tells a huge picture.”

David Fawcett is Sports Editor of InsideNoVa and lives in Stafford County. You can reach him at dfawcett@insidenova.com.