Bulls excited for buzz around annual Canada Day doubleheader

By Lethbridge Herald on June 30, 2023.

Herald File photo

The Swift Current 57’s are this year’s opponent for the Lethbridge Bulls in their  annual Canada Day doubleheader today at Spitz Stadium in what is always an energetic feeling around the ball park.

“Like I said, it’s an exciting day just having that many people and the buzz around the stadium,”  said head coach Chance Wheatley.

“You know, it’s different than what we get most of the other games. So it’s exciting and looking forward to it.”

Wheatley said it’s night and day, when asked about the energy level of the players in the games on Canada Day.

“Just the players don’t have to manufacture their own energy,” said Wheatley.

“ It’s just, you know, the crowd creates it and they can feed off of that, where some other days, they got to, you know, kind of create that themselves.”

Pitcher Aidan Newton will be participating in his second straight Canada Day doubleheader.

“I think it’s going to be awesome,” Newton.

“You know the fans are always loud and  all the guys are super excited to get to do that. And yeah, it’s just always super fun to be in the park when there’s that many people behind you rooting for you to win.”

Newton thinks the Canada Day doubleheader brings a different level of compete.

“Because you know you’re playing the same team for two games,” he said.

“It’s a long day at the ball diamond for everyone but the fans are loud the whole time and the guys, you know, they’re bringing the different level of compete for every game.”

 Thsi will be First -year American player Michael McGinnis’ first Canada Day game experience.

“But first Canada Day, I’m super excited,” said McGinnis.

“I think it’s a big two games that we’re going to win and pull off against Swift. So we’ll see, hopefully it’s a fun one.”

Ross Jacobs, Bulls business development manager, said, It’s definitely looking like we’re going to sell out the evening game for sure.

“You know we’re probably down to about  25 per cent (as of Thursday) tickets for the evening game,” said Jacobs.

“We’ve got a bit more available for the day time game. But, you know, we’re selling at a very rapid pace as Lethbridge remembers that Canada Day is coming up on Saturday. So, you know, it’s a fun game, it’s a great day to come out with family into the park. You know, it is the best seats for the fireworks, I don’t care what anyone says, this is the best place to come and watch those fireworks, especially off the tail end of the trees there. And you know with the atmosphere of the baseball game happening at the same time it leads to some really great opportunities.”

If the game ends by the time fireworks start, fans will be allowed out into the outfield to watch the show.

The Bulls are honoured to have these games every year.

“You know, for us, with our baseball season being so short, to have institutional games, you know things that people are used to, (and) to always have the double header here and to be blessed with the league giving us  the ability to have that schedule, and to be here, it’s an honour for us,” said Jacobs.

“You know we’re going to do everything to put on great baseball on the field and off the field, but you know it means something to have something that’s just for us. You know and that double header on Canada Day is something that’s uniquely for the Bulls and you know we’re really proud of that.”

The team, according to Jacobs, is doing 10 times their daily sales and activity with this day.

Tickets will also be on sale from 10 a.m. today right up until the fifth inning of the second game.

The day game starts at 2:05 p.m. and the night game is at 7:35 p.m.