The fans have spoken: the Lansing Lugnuts (Low A; Midwest League) will take the field as the Mighty Wombats on Saturday, August 18, as the team pays homage to the popular videogame.
Backyard Baseball Night will feature free admission to all fans who share names with characters from the original Backyard Baseball videogame; a Wiffle Ball field in the front plaza; drink specials in honor of the legendary Pablo Sanchez’s 21st birthday; a Pablo Sanchez bobblehead giveaway to the first 1,000 fans – and now a new fan-chosen identity for the hometown heroes, with special one-night-only Mighty Wombats jerseys now being designed.
“Backyard Baseball has an almost mythical reputation among people who grew up with it,” said Lugnuts General Manager Tyler Parsons. “While we are excited for the Pablo Sanchez Bobblehead, we wanted to keep adding to the night and really tie into the essence of Backyard Baseball. It was amazing to see how many people responded to the fan vote.”
Over 10,000 votes were cast online, with “Mighty Wombats” topping “Humongous Melonheads” and “Super-Duper Rockets.”
“We couldn’t think of a more fitting choice than the Mighty Wombats,” Parsons added. “The Fort Wayne TinCaps don’t stand a chance on August 18th.”