It’s Opening Day for the Dayton Dragons: Here’s what you need to know

The Dayton Dragons experience

The experience of attending a baseball game starts as soon as fans walk across the plaza. They are met with local cheer, dance or musical groups showing off their skills and abilities through Dayton Dragons Presents. On the select nights of May 3, June 14 and August 23, the Water Street District has partnered with the Dayton Dragons to present “Party at the Plaza,” a free community event featuring games, performances, goodies and more.

From there, it’s all scripted out. There are nearly 30 people from the entertainment crew tasked with making sure everyone has a fun time from when they walk into the ballpark to when they head home, said Dayton Dragons President Bob Murphy.

The entertainment crew has been planning for the 2024 season since the middle of last year. There will be national acts like the ZOOperstars or BirdZerk!, dog frisbee teams, photo opportunities with characters from “Star Wars” and much more this season.

“It is a baseball game, but we add a lot of fun and entertainment,” Murphy said.

Every inning break, fans will experience something different. Murphy said the entertainment crew probably has around 300 different skits and video programs to be used through the course of the game. Fans can expect anything from the playing of “Baby Shark” to music by Glenn Miller.

During the game if kids need to stretch their legs and burn off some energy, there is a Kids Zone behind the batter’s eye with inflatables and carnival games.

Other activities to create a memorable experience include a player autographing at the end of the each game and kids being able to run the bases after Sunday games.

New food at the ballpark

Another important aspect of the Dayton Dragons experience is the ballpark food.

Fans can expect returning favorites such as Gourmet Burgers, the Smokey Stand featuring footlong brats, hot dogs, and Italian sausage, Monument Street BBQ featuring pulled pork sandwiches and brisket, a Coney Cart, Donato’s Pizza, burrito bowls, nachos, sloppy joes, chicken tenders and fries, Dippin’ Dots, Graeter’s Ice Cream and Bill’s Lemonade Stand.

An exciting new addition this year is a create-your-own mac and cheese cart with toppings such as BBQ meatballs, buffalo chicken, bacon, ham, shredded pepper jack cheese, chopped Doritos or Fritos, diced onions, tomatoes, peas, and black and green olives.

Murphy said fans love the mac and cheese that is typically served in the suites and picnic areas. He’s pleased to offer it to all ballpark guests this season.

Another new addition is Sweet & Boozy Ice Cream, which will offer a variety of ice cream flavors and alcohol-infused ice cream for adults.

Fans can also expect Grippo’s Chips in a variety of flavors such as Sour Cream & Onion or Sweet Maui Onion. Other brands offered at the stadium include Sweet P’s Handcrafted Ice Pops, Mar-Chele Pretzels, Moeller Brew Barn and Kona Ice.

Improvements to the ballpark

A major improvement to the ballpark for the 2024 season includes the reconstruction of the baseball field. A field typically has a lifespan of 10 to 12 years and the Dayton Dragons had already replaced the field once, Murphy said.

“The new field will not only have a major league look but will also feature greatly improved drainage capacity to shorten or in some cases eliminate rain delays going forward,” Murphy said. “The design changes will meet all the MLB compliance requirements for professional baseball standards.”

As it was time for a new playing field, MLB was coincidentally reviewing field requirements and the Dayton Dragons were able to go ahead and make those improvements.

Gary Mayse, who is overseeing all of the ballpark improvements, said the goal of the field reconstructions was to start from scratch and put in the latest and greatest technology from a drainage standpoint. The Dayton Dragons spent more time on design and more money on materials with the hope the infrastructure will last another 20 to 30 years.

“We were between a rock and a hard place with an older stadium, new requirements and being financially hit through the pandemic,” Murphy said. “Not only are our owners stepping up and putting money into the stadium by making a commitment for the next 10 years, but the city of Dayton, Montgomery County and the State of Ohio also have stepped up to help us... making these changes even possible.”

Reconstruction of the field began in October 2023. The Motz Group, a Southwest Ohio company that previously completed field renovations for the Cincinnati Reds, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Ravens, FC Cincinnati and the Jacksonville Jaguars, removed over 7,000 tons of sand, clay and sod as part of the reconstruction. They installed 92,000 square feet of new HGT Kentucky Bluegrass grown at a sod farm in Maryland, 768 tons of infield mix, 325 tons of warning track material and 4,352 tons of Rootzone sand underneath the sod.

Fans and players alike will notice a nice, clean look to the field. Mayse said the infield is pretty much on a flat grade and there is more of a slight grade to the outfield.

Other improvements to Day Air Ballpark include a sound system with 500 new speakers to distribute sound better, an energy-efficient heating and air system, a new roof and a 240-foot LED outfield wall.

Ticket options

As of earlier this week, there were still general admission lawn seating available for Opening Day. Tickets for the 6,830 stadium seats had been sold.

In the summer of 2022 when the Dayton Dragons were planning for the 2023 season, they completed a refresh on ticket packages, said Dragons Executive Vice President Eric Deutsch. They now offer a Dragons Family Club and Business Club for Season Ticket Holders.

Deutsch said the Family Club has been popular. Fans can choose from eight or 16 game plans. Four seats for eight games costs $520. Four seats for 16 games costs $910. The Family Club includes a gift card to concessions or the Dragons Den Team Store, three exclusive events and specialty gifts.

“We have sold more of these season ticket packages than we have had probably in the last 10 years,” Murphy said. ”That’s how popular this has become.”

Deutsch said “programmed time with family” is sometimes hard when you have kids in several different activities. Having various game plans allows families to fit in family time such as attending a Dayton Dragons game into their schedule.

Other ticket options include single game tickets, barstool seating, group outings or suite rental.

Dragons Den offers merch

If you’re planning to go to a Dayton Dragons game, don’t forget to wear green! The Dragons Den has a variety of merchandise for all ages and price points in-store and online. From hats, jerseys, hoodies and T-shirts to keychains, baseball beads, magnets and bobbleheads, there’s something for every fan.

This will be the Dayton Dragons 24th season in the Midwest League.

Day Air Ballpark is located at 220 N. Patterson Blvd. For more information about the Dayton Dragons, visit milb.com/dayton or call 937-228-2287.