‘Tis the season for season attendance records going down, as evidenced by the news coming from the South Bend Cubs (Low A; Midwest League) and the Gastonia Grizzlies (summer collegiate; Coastal Plain League).
We’ve been writing about the SB Cubs and Four Winds Field (shown above) a lot this season, so the latest news is no surprise: the team set a record for season attendance in South Bend, as a record set last season during the final game of the season. This record, 259,530, comes with a month to go in the season.
“Amazing. Just amazing,” said team president Joe Hart. “Everyone on the team is thrilled that fans love it here so much. It’s hard to believe that we still have 16 home games to go.”
The South Bend team broke its own record for a single season, which was set in the final game of the 2014 season at 258,836 fans. Before that, the previous record had been set by the 1994 team.
“When you think about it, South Bend is going to set 16 new attendance records for the next 16 consecutive home games,” Hart said. “Every time we play from this point forward, we’ll be setting a new attendance record. That’s just a great feeling. And we owe it all to the amazing fans throughout the region. They love the Cubs. They love the South Bend Cubs. And now, our next milestone is that 300,000-fan attendance level, so we’re asking everyone to help us set the highest record possible.”
In Gastonia, the Grizzlies set a season attendance record on the final game of the season, as 60,255 fans were at hand at Sims Legion Park. That breaks the record of 59,543 set last season during the playoffs. The team is still alive in the hunt for the Petitt Cup, so the final number should be higher.