Sussex County Miners to host Japan’s Shikoku Island All-Stars
AUGUSTA — The Sussex County Miners, New Jersey’s newest independent professional baseball team, announced that as part of its inaugural season, the team will face off against the Shikoku Island All-Stars, a select group of players from the Shikoku Island League, Japan’s top independent baseball league. The games against the Shikoku Island All-Stars will take place on June 15, 16 and 17 at the MINERS’ home field, Skylands Stadium, 94 Championship Place, Augusta. Game time on all three nights is 7:05 p.m.
The three-game series is part of an international showcase for the Can-Am Association of Professional Baseball, the Miners’ league. In addition to the three games against the Sussex County Miners, the Shikoku Island team will play 14 games against other Can-Am league teams: the New Jersey Jackals of Montclair; the Rockland Boulders of Pomona, N.Y.; the Ottawa Champions of Ottawa, Ontario; the Quebec Capitales of Quebec City, Quebec; and the Trois-Rivieres Aigles of Trois-Rivieres, Quebec.
“We are delighted that in our very first year, the Miners will have the opportunity to host an international baseball series,” said Dave Chase, general manager of the Sussex County Miners. “Our fans are going to love cheering on the Miners as they go head to head with some of the best players in Japanese independent baseball.”
Steve Shirley, the Miners’ manager, added “We’re looking forward to showcasing our own talent, as well as seeing some of Japan’s most promising new players. I, myself, played professional baseball in Japan for two years, so it will be a pleasure to welcome the Shikoku Island All-Stars to Sussex County this season.”
The Miners also announced that in addition to the Shikoku Island All-Stars, it will also play three sets of games this season against the Garden State Grays, a road team that will take on the Miners at Skylands Stadium, July 6 to 9, Aug. 1 to 3 and Aug. 14 to 16. Both the Shikoku All-Stars’ and Garden State Grays’ records will count separately in the Can-Am League’s standings, and their statistics will be part of league records.
Separately, the Can-Am league announced its plans for Interleague play with two teams from the American Association, an independent baseball league: The Sussex County Miners will face the Gary Southshore Railcats, of Gary Ind., at home on June 8, 9 and 10, and the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks of Fargo, N.D., at home on July 15, 16, 17 and 18.
To view a schedule for the 2015 Sussex County Miners’ season, visit skylandsstadium.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Sussex-County-Miners-2015-Schedule.pdf.
Baseball fans can visit www.skylandsstadium.com and click on the Events Calendar Bar to get deals on season tickets.