Oakland Ballers to Play First Home Game

Jason Burke | Jun 4, 2024

The Oakland Ballers are finally ready to play their first game at home this evening when they welcome the Yolo High Wheelers to Raimondi Park. The club has already announced a sell-out crowd, which will make this the largest crowd (yes, a large crowd in Oakland) that the B's have played in front of in their brief two-week history. The previous high was the series-opener last week against the Rocky Mountain Vibes, which drew 3,096 fans.

With 4,000 fans set to decend upon Raimondi tonight, and many more over the course of the season, we thought it would be important to note some of the key performers for the club over the first two weeks of the season.

As a team, the Ballers have scored 118 runs in 12 games, good for just under 10 runs per game. They have also allowed 122, so when you come to a B's game, expect some runs to be scored. It should be noted that since one of the first two series was played at altitude, the offensive numbers may be a little skewed to begin the season. Last week the B's put up 20 and 21 runs in two wins, and allowed 27 in their lone loss of the series. The Ballers are 7-5 on the season.

Dondrei Hubbard is the team's "franchise player" and he is tied for the team lead with two home runs and 14 RBI with Trevor Halsema. Hubbard is batting .380 with a .467 OBP, while Halsema is hitting .378 with a .477 on-base.

Austin Davis leads the team in stolen bases with nine, and both Myles Jefferson and Payton Harden rank second on the club with five apiece. The Ballers don't have as much power in their lineup as their opponents in the early going, being out-homered 19-10, but they appear to have a lot more speed than their competition. Thus far the Ballers have 28 steals compared to 13 from their opposition.

Abraham De Leon has started both of the Tuesday games this season, but in his last Tuesday outing he was unable to record an out, allowing seven runs (three earned). He ended up pitching out of the bullpen on Thursday and Friday, so it's unclear if he'll get the nod to throw the first pitch at home in Ballers history.

Tyler Davis is listed as a two-way player, but has garnered just three at-bats so far, collecting one hit. He has also started one game and saved a game, earning a 1.29 ERA in seven innings to go along with an 11.57 strikeouts per nine.

Derrick Cherry has appeared in three games spanning nine innings of work, and is the only other pitcher with a sub-5.58 ERA. The right-hander has a 2.00 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP.

The Ballers as a team strike out more batters than their opponents, holding a collective 9.72 K/9, compared to an 8.08 per nine from the other dugout.

Kelsie Whitmore struggled in her last outing, allowing six runs in an inning of work in Colorado, but that was on Wednesday. The hope for many in attendance tonight is that she will take the mound in front of the home crowd.

These are just a few of the standout performers from the Ballers this season, but there will be plenty more as the season continues. One exciting factor with this team is that they're brand new and relatively unknown, so everyone in attendance on Tuesday night will fall in love with a different player on the field. A stolen base may catch one person's eye, while a diving catch may do it for someone else.

While other baseball team owners previously touted how intimate their experience will be in a minor league ballpark, there won't be an experience quite like going to Raimondi for the first home game in Ballers history. It should be quite the experience.