Boys of Summer are back; Bombers take the field this Saturday

The Dubois County Bombers take the field at League Stadium Saturday.

The Bombers have 30 players on the roster this year with five players returning from the previous season. Three local players were also added to the roster; Jasper graduates Mark Giesler and Nick Gobert and Southridge graduate Chad O’Bryan. Jasper graduate, Dane Giesler of ISU, was originally included on the 2015 roster, but he is currently rehabbing from a torn ACL and will be serving as an assistant coach.

All the players have to be recommended by college coaches to be eligible to play for the team. This year, the roster was quickly filled up by October with a wait-list in case a spot opens up. Filling up that quickly wasn’t always the case.

“So two years ago we were a kind of an unknown franchise, and now we’re, we turn away players now,” said Mike Uebelhor, co-owner of the Bombers.

The work putting a team together has become much easier and the players come from all over the country. The Ohio Valley League, which includes the Bombers, Fulton Railroaders, Hoptown Hoppers, Owensboro Oilers and Madisonville Miners, has players from California, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Texas and Georgia as well as from all over the Midwest.

“I do think the product and the quality of the players each year is getting better,” Uebelhor said.

This is the third year that Uebelhor and 19 other locals have owned the Bombers. The local support came together in 2013 to buy the team and rebuild it. A daunting task with the previous season’s attendance wavering around 370 per game. But, the group nearly tripled attendance the first year of ownership with game attendance jumping to an average of 920 people. It has increased every year since.

The jump came after Uebelhor reached out to different corporations about sponsored nights. Through the corporate sponsorships, employees receive discounted tickets on the night their corporation sponsors.

They have also added appreciation nights. On June 23, the Dubois County Community Foundation is hosting a Nonprofit Appreciation Night celebrating all the local nonprofits.

Additionally, the group has leveraged Facebook and other social media sites to promote the team. This makes it easier for a wider range of people to become exposed to the franchise and drawn in. However, even with the expansion of technology, word of mouth is still the biggest reason for the success of the franchise.

“We have a lot to learn yet and a lot more opportunity,” Uebelhor said. The biggest opportunity he wants to focus on is the promotion of the franchise through the fun and family-friendly events held during the games.

This season includes fun events like College Night; a night featuring games that pit different colleges against each other as well as a discount on the price of the ticket if attendees wear some college prep gear. There will also be other group night specials, such as a Men and Women in Uniform Night in which uniformed services will receive discounted ticket prices.

To up the attendance on Mondays, More For Your Money Monday will feature lower prices on food and tickets.

Of course, there will still be Wet Your Whistle Wednesday and Thirsty Thursday. Both nights feature discounts on beer or soft drinks.

With the Fourth of July Fireworks being such a successful night, Uebelhor wanted to expand on that idea and add two or three different entertainment groups chosen by a committee. This year will feature Bucket Ruckus, a group to entertain the fans by interacting and banging on surfaces such as their own buckets and dugout tops.  Also, Zooperstars, a comical, kid-friendly group of animated characters will entertain.

A new promotion added this year has to be found in the free programs being handed out at the game. Hiding within the advertisements will be a signature from a coach or a player, two different ones each game. This signature will lead to a prize of either Holiday World tickets or a five-pack Bombers game tickets. The trick is, you actually have to look for the signature in the advertisements in order to win.

“I’m looking forward to see what the promotions do,” Uebelhor said.  

You can find the schedule for this year’s Bombers games at dcbombers.com and like their page on Facebook for more information.

The Bombers Home Opener is THIS SATURDAY, May 30th. Gates open at 6:00 p.m. and first pitch is at 7:00 p.m. Dogs will be Flying!