Local touchpoints multiply appeal of Springfield Cardinals

Dan Reiter: New stadium name draws interest from Route 66 travelers.

Route 66 Stadium was launched with an announcement on April 23, and Springfield Cardinals officials say the rebranding of the former Hammons Field has been a draw for the baseball faithful as well as for Route 66 travelers.

Dan Reiter, Springfield Cardinals general manager, said the enthusiasm shows up in fans’ social media posts.

“We’ve seen more fans stop and take photos of the Route 66 Stadium marquee than ever before,” he said. “In many ways we feel that the new name is already becoming a tourist attraction in addition to being the baseball attraction we’ve always been.”

Steve Granado, manager of public relations and digital marketing for the Springfield Cardinals, agreed that the public has been enthusiastic about the stadium name change.

“We’ve seen fans excited about the stadium name, 100%,” said Granado, who runs the Cardinals’ social media accounts. “We’ve all noticed the amount of fan photos has definitely increased both outside the gates in the stadium.”

Reiter described the Cardinals organization as leaning into the new stadium name, through merchandising, public art and ballpark features.

“With this early success, we will continue to add signage, photos ops, experiences and dining options, such as the newly opened Louie’s Route 66 Grille,” he said.

Regina Hess, director of marketing for the Springfield Cardinals, explained that Louie’s Route 66 Grille opened at the end of June.

“You feel like you’re sitting at a diner,” she said. “It’s blue and pink – not the typical Cardinal red – so it’s very fun to see.”

Hess declined to disclose attendance figures – it’s not something the Cardinals organization likes to share, she said – but she expressed excitement in what she’s seeing.

“What I can tell you is that the reach that we are receiving outside of just Springfield has been in a positive trajectory,” she said.

To help maintain that momentum, Hess said the organization is getting very strategic in its promotions, whether that’s for ticket sales or for merchandise, available at the ballpark or in its online team store.

“I think people just get captivated when they see things that they don’t have a chance of seeing unless they come to a game,” she said. “It creates a sense of FOMO.”

FOMO factor
Of course, FOMO, or “fear of missing out,” is a powerful incentive to get to the ballpark, according to Hess.

“Our way of strategically getting people into the ballpark and having them want to come back again has changed over the years,” she said. “It’s helped to get that community buy-in and seeing that increase in the trajectory.”

There is interest in Route 66 Stadium gear, Hess said, and that shows that tourists enjoying this year’s centennial celebration for the Mother Road are dovetailing with baseball enthusiasts.

In the team store, fans can buy a T-shirt featuring a map of Route 66. It is emblazoned with the slogan “Get your hits on Route 66,” and it marks all of the Minor League Baseball stadiums on the route, from Springfield to Tulsa and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; to Amarillo, Texas; to Albuquerque, New Mexico; and on to Rancho Cucamonga and San Bernadino, California.

Hospitality and group sales continue to rise, Hess said, and there’s also a rise in RED Access Membership sales. RED Access includes tickets for a set number of games – between 10 and 69, depending on category – plus perks like team store discounts and theme ticket presales.

“RED Access Memberships continue to be our bread and butter,” she said. adding that they are equally appealing to older fans and young families.

Hess was upbeat about attendance.

“We’re continuing to provide a group vibe at Route 66 Stadium, from live music when entering the gates to cool promotions,” she said.

An example is GM karaoke, with Reiter singing along with the crowd, or having kids run through sprinklers, not just bases, after games.

Alternate identities
Springfield Cardinals fans were introduced to the team’s alternate identity, the Springfield Cashew Chickens, in April 2023. A red jersey featured a font with an Asian vibe declaring “Cashew Chickens,” with the initial Cs formed by a pair of fortune cookies. The hat depicted a familiar Chinese wire-handled takeout box with two chopsticks poking out.

This year, a second alternate identity has been added: The Ozarks Snipe Hunters. The new Jersey abandons Cardinal red in favor of black accented in bright sherbet green. A bearded hunter – Hess says his name is Grandpa Clyde – holds forth a white cloth sack with odd angles trying to poke through, suggestive of elbows or knees of the elusive snipe.

Snipe hunting is at once a folk tradition, a rural marker and a practical joke that directs unsuspecting people into the woods with a sack and instructions to bring back a snipe. Generally, the hapless hunter comes home emptyhanded, since there’s no such thing as a snipe, and that makes the depiction of Grandpa Clyde almost magical.

Hess said the team alternates between the two alternate identities, usually on Thursdays, and sales of both jerseys are brisk.

She said she hails from San Diego and had no idea what a snipe was before she came to Springfield.

Interest is broader than just the Ozarks, though. Hess said online purchases of Snipe Hunters gear have been shipped to 32 states and counting. When the Snipe Hunters debuted, an actual snipe hunt was held on the field before a drone show.

“It was really fun,” she said. “Minor League Baseball is so quirky and so community oriented. It’s not just about baseball; it’s about getting fans to feel something.”

Now that she’s in on the joke, Hess said she is thoroughly enjoying it.

“It’s cool to see all of that come to life,” she said.

Granado said interest in the Snipe Hunters alternate identity has been growing steadily.

“We obviously saw a big spike once we announced, but as more people have found out about it, the more people seem to get in on the joke,” he said.

Part of embracing the Snipe Hunters identity is keeping the secret that fuels the tradition.

“We’ve seen people gaslighting other fans online in comments when they ask what a snipe is, keeping the tradition alive,” Granado said. “It’s been fun and funny to watch from afar. I’ve been letting fans just do their thing with it.”