The Jamestown Jammers moniker has been retired, as the brand-new Jamestown Tarp Skunks (summer collegiate; Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League) identity was unveiled Wednesday.
Summer-collegiate action will resume at Jamestown’s Russell E. Diethrick Jr. Park this season as the result of new local ownership for the team, which now goes by the Tarp Skunks name. In a rebranding announced on Wednesday, the Tarp Skunks name is being implemented ahead of the 2020 season.
As has been the case with other recent rebrands around baseball, including Tuesday’s unveiling of the Florence Y’alls (independent; Frontier League), the Tarp Skunks name is being touted for its local connections. According to a letter on the team’s website from general manager Frank Fanning, the Tarp Skunks includes nods to both Howard Ehmke–the “Father of the Infield Tarp”–as well as the presence of skunks at Diethrick Park :
‘Tarp’ representing Mr. Howard Ehmke, former Chautauqua County resident, MLB Pitcher, 1929 Philadelphia A’s World Series Champion, 1983 Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame Inductee, and the founder of the Ehmke Manufacturing Company – who produced the original infield tarp. He is proudly our “Father of the Infield Tarp”.
‘Skunks’ to represent a very common creature at Diethrick Park, a creature which has made a habit of pestering and wreaking havoc on baseball team employees for decades at Diethrick Park; specifically living inside the infield tarp, and under the visiting bullpen’s bench. Skunks are also seen wandering the concourse in the evenings.
The Tarp Skunks branding was created by California-based marketing firm Brandiose. The Tarp Skunks will take the field with the launch of the 2020 PGCBL season in late May.