Friday night is the official Meet the Hoppers night at Casey Jones Distillery, but most of the team was in town Monday morning for media day activities and other team functions.
New head coach Chris Benne said he was excited to see the players and is ready to get the season started.
Benne, who is the head coach at Clarksville Northwest High School, has been an assistant for the Hoppers for the last two seasons. He was promoted to head coach last week when Head Coach Andrew Hernandez was promoted to recruiter at Wharton Junior College.
With the season set to begin Saturday night at Henderson, Benne said he wasn’t worried about a late start, as he is familiar with most of the players.
Carson Tucker, a Murray native, is returning to the Hoppers after player here last season. He said playing for Hoptown helped him prepare for what college baseball is like.
Meanwhile, Heath Henley, a Douglasville, Ga., native, said his college teammate John Kiebler, who played for the Hoppers last summer, recommended he join the Hoppers this season.
Henley, who pitches for Auburn University at Montgomery, said he was hoping to improve his pitching mechanics this summer with the Hoppers.
The schedule gets going quick for the team as “Meet the Hoppers” is set for 5:30 p.m. Friday at Casey Jones Distillery. On Saturday, Hoptown goes to Henderson and then plays at Madisonville on Sunday night.
The home opener, which will be a “White Out” with fans urged to wear white shirts, will be at 6:30 p.m. June 2 against the Full Count Rhythm, which is making a return to the Ohio Valley League this year.
Former Hopkinsville High School and Heritage Christian Academy pitcher J.J. Thompson will play for the team this season after Wright State’s season ends in the NCAA Tournament. Trigg County graduating senior Aidon Butts and Hopkinsville High School graduating senior Gavin Powell also will play for the Hoppers this summer.
All home games will be at Christian County High School’s Colonel Field.
Photos by Joe Wilson