Myrtle Beach Pelicans release schedule for 2016 season

Baseball fans across the Grand Strand and tourists visiting the area will have more ample opportunities to see the Myrtle Beach Pelicans play at TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark next season.

The Pelicans, the Class A-Advanced Affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, released their schedule Thursday for the 2016 season and it will feature shorter homestands and road trips, allowing the club to have at least one home game for every calendar week between Opening Day on April 7 and Sept. 1.

Pelicans president and general manager Andy Milovich said he didn’t want Cubs fans and casual baseball fans who visit the Myrtle Beach area for only a short period of time to miss out on Pelicans action because of extended road trips.

“What we’re doing from a schedule standpoint is what we did the past two years and that’s make sure we’re home every single week during the summer months,” Milovich said. “To miss an entire week costs you the opportunity to show the ballpark and the Pelicans’ experience to everyone that’s in town for only a week or a little under a week. It’s really been an instrumental move for us to help drive attendance and fit better with what we’re trying to do with sports tourism and everybody from a tourism standpoint that we want to showcase the ballpark to.”

To start the season, Myrtle Beach hosts the Frederick Keys for a four-game series beginning April 7 that is part of a seven-game homestand that will also include a three-game set with the Winston-Salem Dash.

The Pelicans will be playing their eighth straight Opening Day game at home, but their first against the Keys since the inaugural 1999 season when the Pelicans opened on the road at Frederick.

Meanwhile, fans can expect some traditional promotions to return in the Pelicans’ 18th year in franchise history. There will be more fireworks, 11 Thirsty Thursdays (dollar beers) and nine Wiener Wednesdays (buy one get, one free hot dogs).

Milovich said the club has many more promotions in the works.

“What we’ll do is sit down at the end of this year and take a look at all the new promotions and some that we brought back and see what worked best and come up with some ideas for new things to do,” Milovich said. “Our front office staff is always on the lookout for new promotions and are always coming up with better and better ideas, so fans can definitely expect some new promotions as well as the return of our popular weekly promotions like Thirsty Thursdays and Wiener Wednesdays.”

Fans can also celebrate a few holidays with the Pelicans. Myrtle Beach plays at home on Armed Forced Day (May 21 vs. Lynchburg) and Memorial Day (May 30 vs. Wilmington). The club also will celebrate Independence Day on July 2 and 3 as part of a four-game set with the Potomac Nationals.

​Season tickets for 2016 are on sale now. For more information, contact the Pelicans’ front office at 843-918-6000.

This story was originally published August 28, 2015 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Myrtle Beach Pelicans release schedule for 2016 season."