Moniker pays homage to Stateline’s manufacturing legacy                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

LOVES PARK, Ill. – Rockford’s new baseball club has an answer to the oft-asked question of the team nickname – it’s the Rivets.

 

Rockford Baseball Properties, which owns and operates the Northwoods League franchise, unveiled the name Thursday at the Women of Today’s Manufacturing scholarship fundraiser at the Maun-Nah-Tee-See Club.

 

Rockford, once known as the Screw Capital of the World, at its peak produced thousands of rivets, screws and other fasteners. Rockford’s own National Lock was one of the many companies nationwide that employed women who became popularized as “Rosie the Riveters” during World War II.

 

“We felt strongly that the name we chose needed to be unique and reflect the character and the history of the area,” Rivets general manager Chad Bauer said. “The Rockford area has a rich history and strong ties currently to manufacturing, and we wanted to recognize that with our name.”

 

The name was selected by the team following a period of public input in partnership with the Rockford IceHogs professional hockey team, the Northeast Branch of the Rock River Valley YMCA, and the Rockford Baseball website.

 

“The ‘Rivets’ name allows for a lot of flexibility with sub-branding various parts of the stadium and entertainment components of the game,” Bauer said. “We also wanted colors that gave an industrial feel and are unique in our League.  With the black and old gold colors, we feel we have accomplished that.”

 

Standard gametimes will be 6:35 p.m. on weeknights and Saturdays and 5:05 p.m. on Sundays, ideal for fans who work early in the morning.

 

Full-season and partial-season packages are available. Full-season Infield Box plans are $400 and include a game ticket, a parking pass and a beverage for each game ($540 value). The Rockford Five Pack is $50 and includes an Infield Box ticket for five select games. Also included with the Five Pack is a parking pass and a $10 food voucher for each of the five games ($125 value). Both ticket packages include a ticket exchange for policy for games you are unable to attend, as well as a guaranteed item on giveaway nights. In addition, both ticket packages earn admission to the to-be-named VIP bar behind home plate. 

 

Single-game tickets are $10 for Infield Box and $8 for Outfield Box, but the team is selling only ticket packages and group outings at this time. For Full-season, Five Pack or group information, call Rockford Baseball Properties at (815) 240-4159.

 

Rockford is a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League, which will play its 23rd season of summer collegiate baseball in 2016. The Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 140 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (Washington Nationals) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (Chicago White Sox), Jordan Zimmermann (Detroit Tigers), Curtis Granderson (New York Mets), Lucas Duda (Mets) and Ben Zobrist (Kansas City Royals). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League Website, NorthwoodsLeague.com.