But the season unofficially opened Tuesday at Diethrick Stadium with a meet and greet for area youth.

“Our players are all fan-friendly. They will sign balls after games, interact with the fans and are involved with our community – we just marched in the city’s Memorial Day Parade,” said Christian Dolce, Tarp Skunks general manager. “We’re really excited about the team we’ve put together. They’re really great ball players and love the game.”

Baseball has deep roots in Jamestown. The Jamestown Falcons date back to the late 1930s, and many professional baseball clubs have used Diethrick Park as a development ground for their farm systems. The Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Montreal Expos, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Miami Marlins have all developed professional ball players in Jamestown, New York. Jamestown baseball has evolved from the days of the New York-Penn League to the New York Prospect League, and now to the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League.

For some of the team’s fanbase, the lineage of baseball in Jamestown and its history is something of which they can be proud.

Baseball players with the Jamestown Tarp Skunks got up-close-and-personal with several youthful baseball fans, during the team’s meet-and-greet program, Tuesday, held at Russell E. Diethrick, Jr. Park. P-J photo by Christiopher Blakeslee

“Baseball has always had long-standing support in Jamestown,” said Allen MacKown, a retiree and resident of Jamestown. “I remember when the team was called the Jamestown Expos, and we had a bunch of different mascots like J.J. Jammer and Dingy the Duck. … Going to the park, watching some baseball with a hotdog and cold drink, you can’t get much better than that.”

However, for the team’s general manager, keeping things affordable for the community residents is still a main focal point on his agenda.

“We have several sponsored and free nights here at the park. We always strive to give customer satisfaction, reasonable pricing and the best baseball experience possible,” he said. “We have an amazing Kid’s Club program where our youthful fans get a T-shirt, free grandstand tickets to Friday home games, 10 percent off merchandise from the Tarp Skunks Team Store and a mid-season ice-cream social with select players and Wiffy the Skunk.

The Tarp Skunks and Wiffy will host the season opener Thursday at Diethrick Park against the Batavia Muckdogs starting at 6:30 p.m.

For more information visit tarpskunks.com, the team’s Facebook page.

Jamestown Tarp Skunk team members lined up Tuesday as part of a community meet-and-greet, held at Russell E. Diethrick, Jr. Park. Each player was introduced to the crowd and answered a series of pre-written questions. P-J photo by Christiopher Blakeslee