LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Las Vegas Aviators are gearing up for another season in Downtown Summerlin. The A's AAA affiliate will kick off their 41st all-time campaign by hosting a three-game series against their interstate rival Reno Aces from Friday-Sunday.
It will be the team's fifth season playing in the Las Vegas Ballpark. Since opening in 2019, the state of the art venue has been recognized as one of the top minor league ballparks in the nation.
The team held their annual media day on Tuesday. Channel 13 sports reporter was on the diamond to chat with the team before bringing Minor League Baseball back to the Valley for another year.
Fran Riordan, Pacific Coast League manager of the year in 2019 and in 2023, returns to lead the Aviators' dugout for his fifth season.
"It's a great time of year," Riordan said. "We just finished a great spring training and saw a lot of good things from our guys. We get opening day on Friday. The guys are excited, I'm excited to be back in Vegas for another year to see the support we continually get through the years here."
"We're itching to get back out there," infielder Logan Davidson said. "We've been working hard all offseason so we're excited to get back out there and show what we can do. The expectation year in and year out is to win baseball games. So we're here to win, catch a sweep over the weekend against Reno so that's just what we're here for."
With newcomers and returners across the Aviators roster, players got to share their first impressions on the drastic difference between Vegas and the Las Vegas Ballpark compared to many other Minor League towns.
"Coming from a few cities," shortstop and former A's first round pick Max Muncy said. "Stockton, Midland, great places, I love the fans, but it's definitely a quicker pace out here is what I've realized so far. A lot more people want to come visit me now, I'll say that."
"You get here and it's like, whoa, this place is amazing," Davidson said. "It's pretty neat, playing even minor league baseball, Most of the time you're thinking middle of nowhere, no fans, all that stuff. We're bringing in 10-thousand fans in any given night if not more. It's pretty awesome to play here."
"Growing up there's really nothing in Vegas," pitcher Joey Estes said. "I have family out here so I've been living out here for the last few years. This place is amazing so we look forward to just playing in a place like this. We're slowly but surely adding more teams so Vegas is turning into something really cool."
Once named the 51s and the Stars, the Aviators are excited to attract more Las Vegas baseball fans than ever before now that the Oakland A's are destined to move and become Vegas' first Major League team in 2028.
The Aviators face the Aces in their home opener on Friday night at the Las Vegas Ballpark. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. and fireworks will take place afterwards to ring in another baseball season.
