BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – Baseball season is in full swing. Many fans celebrated opening night for the Birmingham Barons at Regions Field with a ballpark hot dog, some ice cream and a nice cold drink.

“Amazing, awesome, fun thing to do, no matter what day of the week it is,” said Barons fan Chris Lanphere.

Lanphere and his wife have come to opening night for the Barons every year since they got married in 2013.

“We usually go to Gatlinburg, and then the second gift is usually a Barons game,” Lanphere said. “We love coming to Barons games every year. We come now, we come over the summer, we come at the end of the year, we try to come as much as we can.”

Beyond celebrating their anniversary at the Regions Field, being a Barons fan holds a special place in the Lanphere’s hearts.

“One of the players that used to play here, before our daughter passed away, he would see her every game, and when she passed away, he actually hit a home run for her and gave us the bat,” he said. “So, we’ve been Barons fans ever since, and just love coming out and watching the team play.”

Like the Lanpheres, the atmosphere at Regions Field is what keeps many families coming back time and time again.

“My husband is from the Dominican Republic, and there, the most popular sport is baseball, so ever since he moved here, we’ve come. We’ve started to become pretty much people who come to games throughout the season, and we really enjoy. We like Barons more than we like watching Major League Baseball, like this is our favorite,” said Barons fan Rebecca Guerrero. “We get more of a personal experience like we can sit behind the dugout, and we can interact with the players, and then the Barons have really improved the theme nights. Everything is just really fun.”

Coming off a championship run, the Barons’ coaches, players and staff are just as ready as fans to see what this season brings.

“The last time the Barons played here was when we clinched the Southern League Championship in 2024, so it’s always very special,” said Barons’ general manager Jonathan Nelson. “The Barons have been around since 1885 and it’s part of the culture here in Birmingham so to be able to do that once again at Regions Field, we’re just very excited.”

“It’s awesome to play, definitely with a lot of fans in the stands. You know, you come from Arizona where there’s nobody out there, so it’s definitely exciting to be back,” Barons’ manager Guillermo Quiroz said.

The Birmingham Barons’ series against the Knoxville Smokies will continue through Sunday. You can find more information on the website here.