TRI-CITIES, Wash. – The Tri-City Dust Devils are set to start their regular season on Friday, April 5 in Eugene, OR against the Eugene Emeralds.
But before making the trip, the players are in town meeting with the media and fans.
The community is excited for this year’s Dust Devils team, as there are more top 30 Los Angeles Angels prospects on the roster than in recent memory, but the players are just excited to start the season.
“I think we have a really good mix of guys,” said outfielder Joe Stewart. “We have some good arms, some good starting pitching and some good relief arms. And I think we’re going to have a lot more success offensively as well. So I think we’re a pretty balanced team and I know a lot of us are excited to get out there and start playing and I think we all feel pretty good about the group we have.”
In the 2023 season, the Dust Devils started over .500 for the first half of the season, however struggled in the second half.
Along with new players, Willie Romero joins the Dust Devils in his first year as the team’s manager. He has played a long time in multiple levels of baseball and has been a part of coaching staffs across the league.
“We’re going to be in the right spot to learn how to hit and how to play, but especially execution is going to be the key for us to evolve throughout the season,” said Romero. “But we’re doing good. We’re doing good. I feel great. I feel happy with these guys, young guys, and it’s exciting to start the season.”
To build up hype for the season, the team is hosting a fan fest night on Wed., April 3 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Gesa Stadium in Pasco.