JAMESTOWN – The Jamestown Jammers collegiate league baseball team won’t be taking the field in 2019.

That was the news delivered Wednesday during a press conference at Russell E. Diethrick Jr. Park as the owners of the collegiate team – ROC Ventures – announced the team would be going dark next year, with a plan to transfer ownership as a donation to a soon-to-be-created nonprofit group called Jamestown Community Baseball LLC in time for the start of the 2020 season.

Officials and community members announced on Wednesday, Oct. 25 that the Jamestown Jammers would be transitioning to new ownership and as a result the team would go dark iin 2019 to reorganize.

Jamestown Jammers Manager and community relation representative for ROC Ventures Anthony Barone said the decision had nothing to do with finances as the team had strong community support through sponsorship and attendance. Instead, the decision was because the Milwaukee-based owners wanted to focus on another baseball team closer to its home base.

“ROC Ventures and its other sports and entertainment interests are based in the Milwaukee area. We’ve created a new professional baseball team called the Milwaukee Milkmen. They’ll begin playing in the legendary American Association, a professional baseball league during the 2019 season,” Barone said. “It’s a great opportunity for ROC to take aim at a new venture in a professional atmosphere.”

The Jammers play in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League – a summer league intended to help college players hone their skills while they are out of school. Led by Barone, the Jammers won the league pennant this past summer.

PGCBL president Robert Julian said that while local interests were hoping to have the ownership transfer in time for the 2019 season, his suggestion was to let the team go dark for one year in order to allow for the development of a sound business plan to ensure success in future years.

“The prudent thing for this community would be to go dark in 2010, which is not uncommon in our league. It is an important component built into our league bylaws,” Julian explained. “It is a tactic that allows communities and teams to reorganize and do so under a circumstance where they’re not under tremendous financial and management pressure to field a team immediately when the circumstances are not fully in place.”

Julian said the annual operating budget for a team in the league is about $150,000 to $200,000. He said because a nonprofit group would be taking over, it may be easier to run the team because the drive for profit is taken out of the equation.

“We will work with the city and the local group on the timing and the transition to ensure the new owners have every chance to build a successful team and product here at Diethrick Park,” Barone said.

Barone and Julian were joined by Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi, baseball enthusiast and local attorney Greg Peterson, Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame director Randy Anderson, and retired city parks director and long-time baseball supporters Russ Diethrick, who the stadium is named after.

The stadium is owned by the city and Mayor Teresi said his executive budget released earlier this month already accounted for the Jammers going dark in 2019, although those details were never brought up in his budget presentation on Oct. 9, nor when the city parks department met with the city council to go over the budget numbers on Oct. 15.

Peterson also said that anyone who wants to assist with the new nonprofit group should reach out, adding that their help will be needed and appreciated since it will be a community-wide effort to make the new ownership group a success.

The group is expected to be created and a new business plan in place by the middle of next spring.

“The process is already under way to create the appropriate structure. Conversations are under way with folks to add to the group on both counsel and also on an investor basis,” Teresi said.

Jamestown native and Jammers head coach Anthony Barone will start his second year with the team, which is now playing in the Perfect Game League after spending 2015 in the Prospect League. Just like last year the team will be comprised of college players looking to sharpen and hone their skills during the summer months.

Jamestown will play a 51-game schedule this season and will be members of the Perfect Game League’s west division, joining the Adirondack Trail Blazers, Elmira Pioneers, Geneva Red Wings, Newark Pilots, Utica Brewers and Victor RailRiders.

The league’s east division will feature the Oneonta Yellow Jackets, the Albany Dutchmen, Amsterdam Mohawks, Glens Falls Dragons, Mohawk Valley and the Saugerties Stallions.

Wednesday’s home opener will begin at 7 p.m. when Jamestown hosts the Newark. The Jammers will also play at home on Thursday and Friday this week.

For more information on the Jammers and a complete season schedule visit jamestownbaseball.com.

The all new Jamestown Jammers of the Prospect League opens its season tonight at Russell Diethrick Park.

The Jammers’ team is owned by Milwaukee-based MKE Sports & Entertainment and will play 60 regular-season games in 70 days – starting Wednesday and continuing to the first week in August.

The All new Jammers replaces the former Jammers team, which played in the New York-Penn League and relocated to Morgantown, West Virginia at the end of the 2014 season. That team is now known as the West Virginia Black Bears.

The 12 team prospect league will feature college baseball players from throughout the country, mostly from the Midwest.

The Jammers will open the season at home tonight with the first pitch set for 6:35 p.m. against the Butler BlueSox. Ticket prices for all Jammers games will range from $8-12.

Season ticket packages are also available. For more information, JamestownBaseball.com.

“This is an excellent opportunity for anyone interested in starting a professional career in sports,” said MKE Sports & Entertainment VP of Operations Dan Kuenzi. “Qualified candidates will become a part of the fun and excitement at Russell E. Diethrick Jr. Park all season long.”

Positions we are hiring for:

• Food & Beverage
  • Concessions
  • Bartenders
  • General Cook
  • Wait Staff
• Ticketing
  • Ushers
  • Box Office
• Game Day Operations
  • Merchandise
  • Official Stats
  • Official Scorekeepers
  • Security
  • Get Outrageous/Entertainment
• Team
  • Public Address Announcer
  • In-Game Host /Hostess
  • DJ
  • Scoreboard
  • Club House Attendant
  • Game Ops Coordinator/Director
  • Cleaning/Maintenance
  • Mascot

Educational Internships are also available.

Applicants must be 18 or older.

The Jammers open the 2015 home season Wednesday, May 27th against the Butler Blue Sox at 6:35pm. They will play 30 home games during the season, with the last regular season home game scheduled for Monday, August 3.

The home game schedule for the 2015 Jamestown Jammers season can be found online at JamestownBaseball.com.

• VIEW/DOWNLOAD APPLICATION

Anyone planning to attend the job fair should fill out the application ahead of time and bring it with them to the stadium the day of the job fair.

Those in attendance will receive first consideration for employment.

For more information, contact Jamestown Jammers Business Manager Anthony Barone at anthonyb@jamestownbaseball.com.

Jamestown Jammers field and business manager Anthony Barone during the March 17 Jammers press conference at City Hall.

JAMESTOWN, NY – It’s promising to be an exciting inaugural year for the All New Jamestown Jammers of the Prospect Collegiate Baseball League.

That’s according to team officials and city leaders, who joined with more than 30 community members on Tuesday afternoon at Jamestown City Hall to officially introduce the team’s field and business manager, Jamestown native Anthony Barone.

Barone said the roster for the new Jammers Team is nearly rounded out and will feature at least one local player – Austin Alonge, a native of Westfield who’s currently playing for Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pa. He added that there may be some other opportunities for local players to join the team.

“We’re always looking for guys locally that can come in and do the job. We do have five roster spots left,” Barone said. “A lot of it is determined based on what we need. It’s not necessarily that we want to give a local guy an opportunity – that can’t always be the case. It’s what we need. But if a guy locally can do it, we’re going to sign him. Ideally, you want to keep kids from your own back yard.”

Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi (right) stands with Jeff Kroon from the Boys and Girls Club (left) and Max Martin from the Eastside YMCA (center). Teresi made the first purchase of season tickets for the 2015 Jamestown Jammers and donated a pair of those tickets to the two local youth organizations.

Barone also said the team will feature what he thinks will be the fastest and most athletic summer collegiate team in the country. He said that because summer collegiate baseball leagues are so popular, a key component of recruiting is convincing prospective players why its important they should come to Jamestown.

“We have to sell Jamestown to a lot of these kids, we have to sell them the ball park, the club house, the location.” Barone said. “Because we’re competing for players not only with other teams in our league, we’re competing with other leagues in the country. Summer collegiate baseball has become huge. So we try to pitch the ballpark, the schedule, the competition, the scouts that come. Even though their amateur athletes still, they want the experience of being treated professionally.”

In addition to comments from Barone, team officials Tuesday also revealed several of the promotions that will be taking place during the season. They include a “Throwback to the 50s” home stand, “Beer Garden Tour,” and a “Princess and Superheroes” week – among others.

Also during the press conference, Jamestown Mayor Sam Teresi helped to kick off the start of ticket sales by making the first purchase of season tickets. The mayor purchased five season tickets and plans to donate a pair to the Jamestown Boys and Girls Club and the Eastside YMCA.

Jammers officials reveal the team T-shirt, several of which were given away to attendees of the press conference and will also be for sale throughout the 2015 season.

The Jammers team is owned by Milwaukee-based MKE Sports & Entertainment and will play 60 regular-season games in 70 days from the end of May to the first week in August. It replaces the former Jammers team, which played in the New York-Penn League and relocated to Morgantown, West Virginia at the end of the 2014 season. That team is now known as the West Virginia Black Bears.

The 12 team prospect league will feature college baseball players from throughout the country, mostly from the Midwest. The Jammers will open up the season at home on Wednesday, May 27 at 6:35 p.m. against the Butler BlueSox. Ticket prices for all Jammers games will range from $8-12.

Season ticket packages are also available. For more information, JamestownBaseball.com.

To celebrate the anticipated arrival of another season of baseball, Mayor Sam Teresi will purchase the first season tickets to to the all new Jamestown Jammers on Tuesday. The team will be playing Prospect League baseball this summer at Russell E. Diethrick Jr. Park on Falconer St.

The ticket purchase will take place at Jamestown City hall and the public is invited to stop by for a press conference and opportunity to meet Jammers Field Manager Anthony Barone, who will unveil some of the 2015 team and talk about the upcoming season.

The new Jamestown Jammers will feature high-level baseball played by college players from thoughout the country looking to keep their skills sharp during summer break. The team will open up their inaugural Prospect League season at home on Wednesday, May 27 at 6:35 p.m. against the Butler BlueSox.

The 2015 Jammers schedule features a number of weeknight and weekend games including four Tuesday (6:35pm*) home games, five Wednesday (6:35pm) home games, five Thursday (6:35pm) home games, five Friday (7:05pm) home games, five Saturday (7:05pm) home games and five Sunday (3:05pm) home games.

The Jammers will be on the road every week of the Prospect League season with the longest road trip being five games between Tuesday, May 9 and Sunday, May 14. Jamestown will wrap up the regular season on the road against the Champion City Kings, Thursday, Aug 6.

Season tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at http://JamestownBaseball.com.

Barone served as head coach of Jamestown (N.Y.) Community College from 2007 to 2012, where he led the Jayhawks to 207 victories and a 101-62 regional record.

Barone was named National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 3 Coach of the Year in 2008 as Jamestown qualified for five consecutive NJCAA Regional Tournaments.

From 2012 to 2014, Barone was an Assistant Coach at California State University – Bakersfield, where the team garnered a Western Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship.

He has coached 8 players that are currently playing professional baseball.

More information about the Jamestown Jammers, including game schedule and ticket prices, can be found online at JamestownBaseball.com.