Following in the footsteps of Major League Baseball and the Cincinnati Reds will be no easy task, but Greater Cincinnati’s minor league baseball team will be looking to shine the spotlight on the Tri-State once again for another all-star summer.
In 2016, the Florence Freedom will host the 24th annual Frontier League ‘Y’All-Star’ Game in Florence, Kentucky at UC Health Stadium.
The ‘Y’All-Star’ game, presented by Aire Serv, will take place on Wednesday, July 13. Y’All-Star week kicks off Monday, July 11 and includes events such as a women’s professional fast pitch softball game against the Freedom players, a bourbon fest, Pro-Am home run derby, fireworks, and national entertainers.
Why the name Y’All-Star?
“Getting the chance to host an all-star game is a great way to showcase your region to the rest of the league,” Freedom General Manager Josh Anderson said. “But, we also get to embrace our roots and put on events for Greater Cincinnatians to take pride in that go beyond the game itself. What better way than to have some fun naming the game after our city’s most famous landmark?”
Presenting sponsor Aire Serv, a local residential HVAC company, and their general manager Dave Sharp agrees with the grass roots community feel of the Freedom, “The Florence Freedom, and minor league baseball in general, does such a great job connecting with the community and families. As a company now coming into Northern Kentucky from Cincinnati, we found this opportunity to be a great way to say hello to the fans of Northern Kentucky.”
Events during the Y’All-Star Festivities will include the following:
July 11 – Chicago Bandits vs. Florence Freedom, 6:35 p.m.; Ticket prices – $10
Women’s professional fastpitch softball comes to town as the Chicago Bandits, members of National Pro Fastpitch (NPF) league, will take on the Florence Freedom baseball players. The ‘Battle of the Sexes’ game will be played according to national fastpitch softball rules and the Bandits will provide a pitcher for the Freedom to use. During the event, national entertainer ‘Christopher the Amazing’ will be on hand to entertain between innings.
The Bandits are the defending Cowles Cup Champions and feature 3-time NPF Pitcher of the Year and Team USA Olympic medalist Monica Abbott. Abbott, and the rest of the Bandits, will host a 90-minute softball clinic on the field at UC Health Stadium in Florence from 3pm – 4:30pm on July 11. The clinic will be limited and more details are coming soon.
July 12 – Pro-Am Home Run Derby & Bourbon Fest, 6:35 p.m.; Ticket prices – $10
Fans of all ages will want to come see professional baseball’s first ever Pro-Am Home Run Derby. In addition to a standard home run derby, the Frontier League in partnership with the Northern Kentucky Baseball League (NKB), will have professionals pair up with 12-year olds to compete for the 2016 Frontier League Pro-Am Home Run Derby Championship presented by B45. Two fences; a portable fence for the 12-year olds, and the regular home run fence for the professionals, will be used. Each contestant will be given timed rounds. The home run scores of the paired amateur and professional will be combined and the two will advance as a team.
To accompany the derby, nothing says Kentucky perhaps more than bourbon. On the concourse for adult enjoyment will be a recreated ‘Kentucky Bourbon Trail’ with different Kentucky bourbon distilleries represented; speaking about and pouring their bourbon for fans 21 and over to enjoy.
July 13 – Y’All-Star Game, 7:05 p.m. – Ticket prices – $15
The 24th Annual Frontier League All-Star game will feature the best players from around the league. Twenty-seven Frontier League alumni have gone on to Major League careers, with hundreds more having signed MLB minor league affiliated contracts. In typical years, multiple players participating in the Frontier League All-Star game will be signed to MLB minor league contracts shortly thereafter.
This year’s event will feature two national entertainers and a spectacular fireworks show post-game.
During the game, national entertaining favorite and baseball’s ‘Clown Prince’ Myron Noodleman will mix it up in the stands and between innings. On the field, the bat boy duties will be well taken care of by golden retriever extraordinaire Jake the Diamond Dog.
Individual tickets for Y’All-Star Week events will go on sale in late winter/early spring of 2016. Fans can guarantee Y’All-Star seats to the Home Run Derby/Bourbon Fest and the Y’All-Star Game now through by purchasing a ticket package starting out as low as 8-games.
All season ticket and mini-plan packages can be viewed online at FlorenceFreedom.com or by calling 859-594-HITS (4487) M-F, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m..
The Florence Freedom are members of the 12-team professional Independent Frontier League and play a 96 game schedule, with 48 home games at UC Health Stadium, located at 7950 Freedom Way in Florence, Kentucky. In 2015, the Frontier League recognized the Freedom as the league’s organization of the year and awarded the team with the league’s mid-season showcased event.
From Freedom Communications