BELOIT—Hawaiian shirts, tractors and diamonds….oh my!
The Beloit Sky Carp return to ABC Supply Stadium on a three-game winning streak, and fans will find plenty of fun activities happening around the ballpark before and in between the action on the field.
A full week of giveaways, themed events and promotions pack this week’s schedule as Beloit looks to keep up its victorious ways with a six-game series against the Lansing Lugnuts.
The Lugnuts, an affiliate of the Oakland Athletics, are 32-31 and are in third place in the Midwest League East Division. With the end of the first half of the season coming up on Friday, Lansing is eliminated from clinching a spot in the playoffs as the Lake County Captains (38-25) have locked up first place in the division.
Beloit is 28-33 and in third place in the MWL West Division, but clinching a postseason berth is also impossible for the Sky Carp with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in first place at 40-23. Cedar Rapids is in second place at 36-26, but should Wisconsin win and the Kernels lose at all these next three games, the Kernels would be eliminated.
The team with the best record in the first half of the season plays the team in their division that had the most wins in the second half in the first round of the postseason. If the same team were to repeat at the top, it would go to the second-place squad. The winner from each divisional series then plays each other for the MWL championship title.
The Sky Carp certainly hope that they can stay hot heading into the second half of the season and clinch its first playoff appearance since 2013.
After Beloit went on a five-gaming losing skid, it beat the Quad Cities River Bandits in three-straight games to win the series 3-2 after Sunday’s game was canceled due to rain.
The Sky Carp’s six-game series against Lansing kicks off on Tuesday at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday’s games all begin at 6:35 p.m. while Sunday’s series finale begins at 1:05 p.m.
• WHO’S HOT: Catcher Cameron Barstad came into the series against the River Bandits hitting just .213 but a strong week from the plate has him set to begin Tuesday with a considerably raised average of .234. The 2018 sixth-round pick out of Junipero Serra High School in San Mateo, California went 7-for-19 against Quad Cities, and he is hitting .256 in the month of June.
In the past 15 days, Barstad has smacked two homers and scored five runs. He has 22 total RBI on the season, and he has hit seven doubles.
It hasn’t been the hottest start to the season for Osiris Johnson, but he had a strong series against the River Bandits, hitting .385 in 13 at-bats. He is hitting .250 in his past 15 games and has knocked in six runs while stealing three bases.
Johnson’s batting average is still low, hovering at .183, but the 2018 second-round pick got hot last season in the summertime with a .290 average in July and a .265 in August.
On the pitching side, Ignacio Feliz and Josh Ekness both gave Beloit some strong innings out of the bullpen against Quad Cities. Ekness allowed just two hits and struck out three in 4 1-3 scoreless innings while Feliz struck out four and allowed one hit in 3 1-3 scoreless frames.
Jacob Miller had a stellar start for the Sky Carp on Tuesday, allowing just five hits and striking out a career-high 11 in six scoreless innings.
• MEYER AND WHITE WATCH: Thomas White, who is ranked No. 3 in the Miami Marlins’ system, worked around three hits and two walks to strike out six and toss five scoreless innings on Friday. He has only allowed eight total hits and two earned runs while striking out 20 in three starts for Beloit.
Noble Meyer, the top ranked prospect, did not make his scheduled start on Saturday. The Sky Carp have not put him on the injured list but have not issued any statement about the reason.
• PROMOTIONS: First up for the eventful week at ABC Supply Stadium is One-Price Waggin’ Wednesday, where fans can bring their dog to the park and all fans may enter the park for $18, which includes a game ticket, soda, hot dog and chips.
Up next as always is Thirsty Thursday, where fans can purchase 12-ounce drafts of Busch Light for just $2 or 16-ounce cans for $4. But this week, Thursday will also see the Sky Carp play as the Malmö Oat Milkers. Touted as Minor League Baseball’s “121st team”
All of the MiLB teams will don special pink and black jerseys this season after Sweden-based oat milk company Oatly collaborated with minor league baseball to create the idea.
Oatley released a statement at the beginning of the season saying an Oat Miler game will include a “first-pitch ritual complete with oat milk carton throwing, Oat Milkers trivia moments, a chance to ‘sign a contract to be an Oat Milker for a day,’ and more.”
On Friday, the Sky Carp are giving away Hawaiian shirts to the first 1,000 fans through the gates, which open up at 6:35 p.m.
Saturday is Agricultural Night, where kids and adults alike have the opportunity to check out and touch tractors, fire trucks and other big rigs. And each Saturday night game for the rest of the season will feature fireworks.
Sunday is a triple whammy for fans. Before the game, the Sky Carp will celebrate UW-Whitewater baseball head coach John Vodenlich, who just completed his 21st season with the Warhawks.
Vodenlich, who led Whitewater to the NCAA Division III championship game and broke the 700-win mark in April, will be on hand to throw out the first pitch.
It is also Sunday Family Fun Day, so kids 12 and under will get to run the bases after the game and families can play catch in the outfield. But, this Sunday will also feature the diamond dig. Fans can register for the chance to dig up a diamond on the field following the game.
Tickets are available at skycarp.com.
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