The 2019 schedule for the Hoptown Hoppers has been released in the new-look Ohio Valley Summer Collegiate Baseball League.
The addition of Franklin gives the OVL nine teams, which means teams will get an extra day off during the week.
The Hoppers open the 2019 season Friday, May 31 at home against Madisonville. They will host Franklin two days later on Sunday, June 2.
A rematch of the 2018 OVL championship will be Friday, June 7 when Owensboro visits Hopkinsville.
An interesting quirk in the schedule sees the Hoppers with only one home game during the nine-day run of the Western Kentucky State Fair. Attendance at the five Hopper games played during the fair averaged less than 300.
The Hoppers will also be out of town on July 4 when they play at Dubois County. The largest crowd to watch an OVL game in 2018 was on June 23 when the Hoppers played the Bombers. The Hoppers will host Henderson July 3 and host Franklin on July 5.
The OVL will use Mondays as mandatory off days unless games lost to weather are rescheduled. There will also be no OVL all-star game in 2019.
The Hoppers are expected to start announcing their roster additions in the coming weeks.
Hopper games in 2019 will be played at Hopkinsville High School. Despite advancing to the OVL championship series, attendance for Hopper home games were at a seven-year low (318). The schedule changes plus the extra days off limiting the number of doubleheaders should see attendance rise across the league.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL OVL SCHEDULE
