TRI-STATE AREA -- Warm weather and baseball go hand in hand, and tonight is a big night for both prospect teams in the area. The Quincy Gems and Hannibal Cavemen are gearing up for opening night.
Grounds crews were hard at work Thursday preparing for opening night at Quincy Stadium. They were laying new dirt, and drying up the old. As flags wave in the wind, the tradition in Quincy continues on.
"Baseball has been a part of Quincy for 80 some years, and we'd hate to see the day that baseball wouldn't be a part of Quincy. We're excited to have the Gems alive and a team that Quincy can call their own," said Gem's General Manager Rob Ebbing.
And some of the Gems are familiar faces...
Ebbing said, "we're excited that we have 8 returning plays from last year's team, which is very unusual for collegiate baseball."
Much of the same preparation work was going on across the Mississippi in Hannibal. Crews were watering the field and chalking the dirt. Getting ready to start off season two.
"Obviously last year was our first season so we learned a lot. The league is very competitive the prospect league has now expanded to 15 teams so we're going to see some real good talent. We're very prepared this year. We know our ballpark a lot better than we did last year since it was our first season. So we're pretty optimistic. The players are just in a great frame of mind. Really excited to be here, " said Cavemen co-owner Bob Hemond.
Clemens Field has more to offer than it did last year. Including a new birthday tent, and an "adult deck". The historic park has a feel of tradition, with some newer renovations.
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