Root for the Home Team, Visalia Rawhide

ROOT FOR THE HOME TEAM, VISALIA RAWHIDE

WHEN THE LIGHTS flipped back on at Valley Strong Ballpark this year to mark the return of the Visalia Rawhide to play minor league baseball, team president Sam Sigel says it was “a very, very special moment.” Sigel and his family had purchased the team in early 2020 only to see the season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The last year was just like it was for anyone,” he says.

However, joy and hope returned in early May, when a first pitch marked the start of a 120-game season for the team, with 60 being at home. “May 4 was a big highlight,” Sigel says of the night the team played the Lake Elsinore Storm. “That was the first game of the year.”

Visalia has had a minor league team in some form since 1946, so the area has come to expect games as part of its summer traditions, whether cheering for The Oaks, as the team was known from the ‘70s to early 2000s, or more recently The Visalia Rawhide. “It was great to see the community enjoy themselves again,” he adds.

The Visalia Rawhide is part of the Low-A West League, which encompasses seven other minor league teams in California, including the Fresno Grizzlies. In February, the team signed a 10-year player development contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Diamondbacks provide coaches and instruction to The Rawhide to develop them into their future major league players. As part of its commitment to the area, the team supports the Central Valley Foundation and sets up special game nights celebrating heritage and young professionals, amongst others. The leadership team members are all active in area service clubs, including Kiwanis, Rotary and Lions. A Rawhide Readers program rewards young people who track their reading habits with free game tickets. There are even book-themed game nights, including nods to Dr. Seuss, Harry Potter and Where’s Waldo.

The familiar refrain, “Take me out to the ball game,” was a little more meaningful this year to the scores of baseball fans who eagerly anticipated the return of their hometown team. Like their namesake ballfield, the Visalia Rawhide have proven that they really are Valley Strong. •

www.milb.com/visalia

Melissa Mendonca is a graduate of San Francisco State and Tulane universities. She’s a lover of airports and road trips and believes in mentoring and service to create communities everyone can enjoy. Her favorite words are rebar, wanderlust and change.