The River City Rascals and CarShield, a national industry leader in vehicle service contracts with headquarters in St.Peters, have formed a long-term partnership in a historic agreement to rename the Rascals ballpark to CarShield Field.
The stadium opened in 1999 for the first season of Rascals baseball as T.R. Hughes Ballpark and has become a well-known and well-loved part of the community. Now, the Rascals are excited to enter into their eighteenth season of play with a new community-based partner dedicated to helping make improvements to the facility for current and future generations of fans.
Improvements will begin during the 2016 season with the opening of a sports bar and lounge inside the stadium, as well as a remodeled Budweiser Party Patio with new amenities. The partnership will allow the Rascals to bring world-class athletes and performers to CarShield Field during the 2016 season, including Tony La Russa, Chris Carpenter, and The Bachelor’s Chris Soules.
CarShield employs over 200 employees in St. Charles County and provides high quality after-market vehicle protection plans to customers nationwide. CarShield and its administrators have helped extend auto repair coverage for millions of vehicle owners.
“The enthusiasm that CarShield has shown throughout this process was nothing short of inspirational,” Rascals President Dan Dial said. “Their passion for this partnership has been apparent throughout, and we are very confident we are bringing on a teammate who will enhance the product for our fans and our community.”
In its seventeen year history, T.R. Hughes Ballpark has been host to many major events such as a presidential rally, the Shaq vs Pujols Home Run Derby, and the MSHSAA Baseball Championships. Over 2.5 million people have visited the stadium, making it the premier destination for minor league sports in St. Louis and the surrounding area.
“We’ve always been huge fans of the Rascals and the ballpark. When the opportunity presented itself to help benefit the team and the community, we knew we couldn’t pass it up,” said Nick Hamilton, part-owner of CarShield. “The entire CarShield family is beyond excited for this partnership and looks forward to further strengthening our ties to the community.”
The new CarShield Field will kick off with an outstanding opening weekend featuring an appearance by long-time Cardinals manager Tony La Russa on Saturday, May 21. Opening night is Friday, May 20 and will center around an escalating jackpot giveaway in which one lucky fan will walk away with thousands of dollars based on the number of tickets sold to the game. The weekend, presented by Mercy, will conclude with the Mega Candy Drop, where a helicopter will fly over the field after the game and drop 20,000 pieces of candy to kids age 3-12. The event is free and only requires a ticket to the game to participate.
Other exciting theme nights this season include Superhero Night on May 28, Star Wars Night on June 12, Chris Carpenter Appearance Night on June 25, Harry Potter Night on July 16, and Willie McGee Bobblehead Night on August 19. The Rascals will host twelve character appearance nights and five on-field movie nights, the most in team history. For more information on promotional and theme nights, visit www.rivercityrascals.com/schedule/2016promotions/.
To purchase tickets to any regular season Rascals game, visithttp://www.rivercityrascals.com/tickets/individual/ or call the Rascals box office at (636) 240-2287. For more information about CarShield and their products and services, visit https://carshield.com/.
