It'll have been more than 600 days since the last time the Arkansas Travelers took to the field at Dickey-Stephens Ballpark, but come May 4, professional baseball will return to North Little Rock.
After the entire 2020 season was canceled due to covid-19, the Travelers announced their 2021 schedule Thursday as they'll play 120 games in a restructured Class AA Central League as part of Major League Baseball's new minor-league system. The Travs will open their campaign with a six-game home series against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, and it's a format that minor-league fans will have to get used to this season. With the goal of reducing travel, teams will play 20 six-game series, each running from Tuesday through Sunday with an off-day on Monday.
For the Travelers, it's an opportunity to return to some semblance of normal as they'll remain the Class AA affiliate of the Seattle Mariners for a fourth season.
"It's extremely exciting to have [baseball] back," said Travelers Executive Vice President and CEO Rusty Meeks. "We're just looking forward to having a season. ... Just to have a schedule in front of us and to be able to get it out there is super exciting for us and our fans."
Although the Class AA Central will feature a total of 10 teams including the Travs, they will face off against just six of those other nine -- the Amarillo Sod Poodles and Midland RockHounds, as well as the newly-added San Antonio Missions, will not be on the Travelers' 120-game slate.
They'll play 30 times against the Springfield Cardinals, 24 games versus the Naturals and Wichita Wind Surge -- another new Class AA team side -- 18 times against the Tulsa Drillers and a dozen apiece versus the Corpus Christi Hooks and Frisco RoughRiders.
And even with the temporary schedule format, the Travelers will never go more than 15 days without a home game, meaning there will be plenty of opportunities for locals to see their team.
Dickey-Stephens Ballpark, however, will look a little bit different this season with covid restrictions in place. Meeks said he expects the state to allow about 2,700 fans per game -- although the Travelers' final plans have yet to be approved by the Arkansas Department of Health.
That will be an important source of revenue for the club, which survived a year that was tough for minor-league franchises all over the country.
"We didn't furlough anyone, we kept every single person there," Meeks said. "Certainly, it was a tough year for everyone, of course, but we definitely needed a season this year and some sort of fans, so we're just excited to have everyone back and I think everyone feels this way in this new partnership with Major League Baseball."
Another new element in 2021 will be the faces running the show for the Travelers. Former major-league outfielder Collin Cowgill will make his managerial debut after logging a .234 average over six seasons with five different clubs. Cowgill will be joined by pitching coach Alon Leichman, who is entering his fifth season with the Mariners, hitting coach Joe Thurston and assistant coach Ryan McLaughin.
The Travelers have started to contact season-ticket holders and will soon have more information about single-game tickets as well as game times and promotions for the upcoming season.