We have the three teams playing out of Utica’s Jimmy John’s Field during the inaugural United Shore Professional Baseball League (USPBL) season in 2016: the Utica Unicorns, Eastside Diamond Hoppers and Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers.
The team names were chosen after a fan vote. The Utica Unicorns led the pack in terms of total votes, by the way. Here’s a league’s description for each:
Utica Unicorns
One of the league’s two home teams to play at Jimmy John’s Field, the Utica Unicorns were developed to be lovable yet fierce.
Eastside Diamond Hoppers
Named to represent a “fly” ball catching frog one might see capturing fish flies along Lake St. Clair, the league’s other home team playing at Jimmy John’s Field features the first-ever use of an orange and green color scheme in professional sports.
Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers
The Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers were conceived to be the cross-town rival to the league’s two home teams, also to play at Jimmy John’s Field.
“This league and these teams will bring a professional baseball experience like no other to this region,” said Andy Appleby, league founder, president and chief executive officer of Rochester, Michigan-based General Sports and Entertainment. “The USPBL will be competitive, affordable, community-focused and tremendous fun for fans of every age.”
The United Shore Professional Baseball League is launching with a unique business model: a three-team independent league will be playing out of a single facility, Jimmy John’s Field, for a 50-game season. The player base will be recent graduates who went undrafted and are looking to showcase their talents.
Some specs on the ballpark: it will seat approximately 4,000 people and include a grandstand, five dugout suites, five penthouse suites, 12 private patio suites, a grass berm and four picnic areas.
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