It’s *officially* baseball season in GVL, and you know what’s on our minds: Craft beer, hot dogs 🌭(yes, plural), fireworks 🎆+ warm nights – everything we love about Minor League ball.
Tonight is the Drive’s Opening Night against the Rome Braves at 7:05 p.m. at Fluor Field. Be sure to get there early for a celebration of the 2017 season (when the Drive won their first South Atlantic League Championship in franchise history) including pre-game fireworks, presentation of Championship Rings to the 9 returning players and staff + more.
Click below for your guide to *allllll* things Greenville Drive baseball. ⚾
What’s New for 2018?
🏓Playground: The Drive’s playground has been completely redone featuring new equipment. In addition, there’s also a new giant baseball glove + two giant baseballs for kids to climb on.
🍉Furman On Deck Picnic Pavilion: The Drive has redone their picnic area, bringing more of Furman’s accolades + history front and center. New furniture has also been added to the area.
🗝Safety Policy: The Drive has instituted a new clear bag policy for 2018. The full policy is available here and is very similar to the policies in place at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena, the NCAA and the NFL.
🧢Greenville Energia: The Drive is one of 33 teams across Minor League Baseball participating in their inaugural “Copa de la Diversion” initiative, an all-new Hispanic fan engagement. For select games during the Summer, the Drive will play as the “Greenville Energia”, which features its own separate logo and uniforms. Those games will be on June 23, July 13, August 4 and August 31.
A guide to the drinks:
Dollar Drink Night: Fans can enjoy $1 cans of Keystone Light at all Thursday games + a new special – at the start of each month, fans can vote via Twitter and Instagram on the $2 Beer of the Month, featuring different breweries. For April, fans chose Sweetwater 420.
Not into cheap beer? The 500 Club also has a full bar for the fancy bourbon drinkers. 🥃
Friday + Saturday nights: $2 Budweiser products during the first inning
😋 But let’s talk about the food:
Hot dog of the month (April is a Mac & Cheese hot dog)
Que BBQ: fried okra
Chick-fil-A
Pretzels
Make it a real experience:
Celebrate your birthday or your company’s anniversary with group outing packages. Enjoy the Champions Club, the Mountain Dew Dugout, luxury rental suites or our personal fave, the Rooftop at Fluor Field (because killer views, that’s why).
There are also so many community-minded games + events during the Drive’s first homestand:
- Friday, April 13th – Post-Game Fireworks
- Sunday, April 15th – Safe Kids Upstate Day
- Complimentary bike helmet giveaway to the first 400 kids
- 14 interactive safety exhibits along the concourse, that kids can win prizes by completing
- Recognition of “Safety School” award winners across Greenville, Pickens, and Oconee Counties
- Monday, April 16th – CESA Night
- Recognition of all CESA athletes and coaches, including a pre-game parade at 6:30 PM
- Recognition of the Southern Conference Champions Furman women’s soccer team
- Tuesday, April 17th – #Teach864 Night
- A celebration of the teaching profession, and all teachers across Greenville County Schools
- Pre-game reception in the 500 Club for first-year teachers and their mentors
- Complimentary #Teach864 t-shirt for all GCS teachers in attendance
- Recognition of the GCS Teacher of the Year and more
- Wednesday, April 18th – Health Careers Night
- In partnership with Greenville Health System and Greenville County Schools
- Night geared to middle and high school students, exposing them to careers in the healthcare industry
- Interactive exhibits from Greenville County Schools, Greenville Tech, Greenville Health System, and more.
- Pre-game student health expo begins at 6 p.m.
Even more tips:
You can purchase season tickets here or single-game tickets here.
Don’t forget to bring your clear bag (or just a small one). Check here for guidelines.
❄ Because this weather isn’t exactly stable: snag a blanket from the gift shop for those chilly nights under the lights (they are actually warm + cozy).
Bonus: If you can’t make a game but already purchased your season tickets, you can exchange them prior to the game to get future Drive tickets. You can also exchange them online via your ticket account.
🎟 If you don’t have time to exchange in advance, simply turn in any unused tickets for Lawn + Deck tickets for any other game (or you can donate them to a Greenville Drive charity).
Other games you won’t want to miss:
- Reading All-Stars Celebrations presented by Michelin – Monday, April 23rd and Sunday, April 29th
- Drive Business Downtown – Tuesday, April 24th
- Drive For Excellence (celebration of student-athletes, in-the-classroom achievements) – Wednesday, May 9th
- Bark in the Park – Sunday, June 3rd
- Synnex Share the Magic – Sunday, June 10th
- Military Appreciation – Sunday, July 1st
- First Responders Day – Sunday, July 5th
- Advanced Manufacturing & Engineering Night – Monday, July 30th
- Greenville Chamber of Commerce Night – Tuesday, July 31st
- Green Day (Greenville’s Birthday) – Wednesday, August 1st
- Boy Scouts Day – Sunday, August 5th
- Construction Industry Night – Monday, August 20th
I’m ready for warmer days, cold drinks, a Chick-fil-A sandwich + some good baseball – starting tonight.
P.S.: Be sure to snag a Green Monster seat for the best views + baseball vibes.
Catch y’all there,
– Heather
