By Shane Phillips
Amarillo Sod Poodles
Major League Baseball announced today the complete Sod Poodles schedule for the 2021 Minor League Baseball season. The season comprises 120 regular-season games, 60 at home and 60 on the road, and will begin on Tuesday, May 4 and run through Sunday, September 19.
The Sod Poodles 2021 campaign begins on the road with a Championship rematch against the Tulsa Drillers, Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The 2021 home opener at HODGETOWN is scheduled for Tuesday, May 18 against the Midland RockHounds, Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.
“We couldn’t be more excited to announce to our community, the best fans in baseball, that the wait is over and Sod Poodles baseball is officially coming back to Hodgetown this May,” said Sod Poodles President and General Manager Tony Ensor. “The 2019 season was the storybook year we all dreamt about and now it’s time to create new memories and see the future Major League stars of our new MLB affiliate team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. The future of baseball and entertainment in Amarillo is bright with the return of the Sod Poodles this summer and our new 10-year partnership with the D-backs!”
In 2021, each team in the Double-A Central will play a total of 20 series, 10 at home and 10 on the road. All series throughout the campaign are six-game series against the same opponent with each Monday serving as the universal league off-day.
The 60-game home slate features exciting holiday dates in downtown Amarillo including Father’s Day weekend (June 19-20) and Independence Day weekend (July 3-4).
The second official season in Amarillo kicks off with one six-game homestand in May against Midland while June is set to host 14 home games with the Houston Astros Double-A affiliate, Corpus Christi, the Midland RockHounds, and league newcomers, the Minnesota Twins Double-A affiliate, the Wichita Wind Surge.
The Soddies will continue the matchup with Wichita heading into Independence Day weekend, where the Hodgetown will host back-to-back fireworks shows.
The team will complete the 15-game month of July in the final two weeks with series against the Texas Rangers Double-A affiliate, the Frisco RoughRiders, and welcome back familiar faces when the San Diego Padres Double-A affiliate, the San Antonio Missions, come to town starting on July 27.
August will host another 13 games, facing Corpus Christi and Frisco, while September will round out Amarillo’s regular season with two consecutive series against Tulsa and Frisco respectively from September 7-19.
The Double-A Central league, which expands from eight to 10 teams with the addition of San Antonio and Wichita from Triple-A, is made up of two divisions – North and South. South Division teams include the Amarillo Sod Poodles (D-backs), Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston Astros), Midland RockHounds (Oakland Athletics), San Antonio Missions (San Diego Padres), and Frisco Roughriders (Texas Rangers). In the North, teams include the Arkansas Travelers (Seattle Mariners), Tulsa Drillers (Los Angeles Dodgers), Wichita Wind Surge (Minnesota Twins), Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals), and Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals).
Group hospitality options including the Pepsi Party Deck, West Texas A&M University and Full Smile Dental picnic patios, Hand Industrial Inc. and B&J Welding concourse suites, Education Credit Union Dugout Club suites, and luxury suites are also on sale for the 2021 season. For more information call 806-803-7762, email [email protected], or visit www.SodPoodles.com.
Individual ticket sales, official game times, theme nights, and promotions for the Sod Poodles 2021 regular season will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information or questions, call 806-803-7762 or visit the team’s official website at SodPoodles.com.
For the most up-to-date news on the Sod Poodles, follow the team on social media @sodpoodles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram or visit www.SodPoodles.com.