Morgantown Abuzz With Excitement For Pirates' New Minor-League Affiliate
MORGANTOWN W. Va. (KDKA) - This year, you won't have too far to travel if you want to see the future of the Pirates. The West Virginia Black Bears are the Bucs' new short-season minor league affiliate.
The team calls Morgantown their home now. This is has been a year in the making, but for Pirates fans in West Virginia, they have been waiting a lifetime for something like this.
"Oh, I was really excited. I've been waiting for this for years. I always thought, 'Why not Morgantown?' You know, because it's so close to Pittsburgh," Jay Roscher said.
The Black Bears were previously known as the Jamestown Jammers. The announcement was made late last summer, but the team didn't arrive until literally hours before the first game.
"I'm excited to see how the community has supported the Black Bears. We sold out opening weekend and we've done great with season tickets. There's a lot of overall excitement and I'm hoping it carries out throughout the season. I hope we have a solid team on the field and we bring north-central West Virginia a championship," General Manager Matthew Drayer said.
With future stars like top draft picks Kevin Newman and Keven Kramer playing there this season, anything is possible.
Drayer, who is also a West Virginia University graduate, says the community and university involvement with the Black Bears has been crucial.
"Morgantown fits in the geographical location of the Penn League, so we'll still be able to do all the travel. And it's Morgantown. It's a great location, it's a growing city and I think the relationship we have with West Virginia University and sharing the complex was a key to bringing us here," Drayer said.
The Mountaineers are still number one, but the Black Bears are the first professional team of any kind to call Morgantown home.
Fans showed their support by crowding into the new Monongalia County Ballpark for opening weekend, trying to see a glimpse of the future now.
"It's very exciting because we might be able to see him in Pittsburgh someday. It's really cool to see the possibility of people who will advance to the Pirates here in our hometown," Janie Howsare said.
Morgantown residents had a lot to say about the team before it even moved there. They voted on the team name, colors and motto over the last ten months.
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