Having a (base)ball!

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During their run to the 2022 Atlantic League of Professional Baseball championship, the Lancaster Barnstormers more than once overcame adversity to claim the third title in franchise history. 

Their success on the scoreboard reflected the triumphs the minor league team is working to achieve in business.  

On Sept. 26, two days prior to Game One of the league championship series against the High Point (North Carolina) Rockers, the Barnstormers were awarded Promotion of the Year for two initiatives – “War of the Roses” and “Lebanon County Weekend.” The Promotion of the Year is part of the Atlantic League Postseason Administrative Awards and speaks to the Barnstormers’ reaching beyond county borders and having their brand resonate outside of Lancaster. 

The War of the Roses involves the season series between the Barnstormers of Red Rose City Lancaster, and the Revolution of White Rose City York. The team that wins the season series is awarded the Community Cup. This past season Lancaster reclaimed the Cup by winning 18 of its 32 games with York. 

Along with promoting their team west to York, the Barnstormers also looked north, to another county neighbor, Lebanon. Fans were given the opportunity to vote for a temporary team name and “Lebanon Ironmasters” was selected. The renamed team wore special uniforms for the Independence Day weekend series at Lancaster’s Clipper Magazine Stadium and Lebanon County officials and dignitaries took part in the proceedings. 

Team President and General Manager Mike Reynolds said the efforts involving York and Lebanon were the result of the Barnstormers’ organization challenging itself to “bring unique ideas to the table and to extend our relationships as far as possible in the region.” 

Businesses of all sizes faced unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Barnstormers, a small market team, did as well. Reynolds said that on March 19, 2020, the pandemic caused the organization to reduce its staff from 31 employees to 10, and that the organization didn’t begin to ramp up again until Spring 2021. 

“We like to have a full staff here,” said Reynolds, “partly because we like to stay aggressive as a minor league franchise. Coming out of 2020 and going into 2021, we began to feel confident about bringing back employees.” 

Reynolds described the organization as “a community center,” one focused both on baseball and on non-sporting events. Clipper Magazine Stadium, voted “Independent Ballpark of the Year” by Ballpark Digest, is first and foremost home of the Barnstormers, but the venue hosts more non-baseball events during the year. 

“It’s a great place to make memories,” said Reynolds, speaking not only of baseball fans but also the thousands who attend community events held within its walls. There is a challenge, he said, in matching up the team’s regular season with non-Barnstormers’ events, but the club’s commitment to the community and the multi-purpose value of their venue are among the reasons Reynolds sees the stadium serving as an asset to the area. 

The organization’s impact reaches beyond Central Pennsylvania. Reynold said as many as 26 states have been represented by their vehicle license plates at Clipper Magazine Stadium events. He estimated that while at least 85 percent of attendees at Barnstormers’ home games are Pennsylvania residents, the split is 50-50 for non-baseball events. 

Building a bond with the community and crossing county boundaries has helped extend the brand of both the Barnstormers and Clipper Magazine Stadium. That, in turn, has helped the organization survive and thrive despite the challenges of operating a small market team, challenges made more difficult by the pandemic. 

“The Barnstormers are the reason we exist,” Reynolds said. “But not everyone wants to come to a game. But if a fan comes to even one game a year, that helps us do other things in the community.” 

In the process, the Barnstormers are having a (base)ball, winning on and off the field.