YAKIMA, Washington — Opening and closing the regular season at home for the first time in several years, the 10th anniversary season of Yakima Valley Pippins baseball gets under way May 31.

The Pippins will host the Springfield Drifters in a three-game series at Yakima County Stadium the first weekend after Memorial Day, then travel to Springfield, Oregon, to face the Drifters at their ballpark. Opening Night on May 31, presented by Legends Casino Hotel, will again feature a collectible giveaway for the first 1,000 fans and postgame fireworks. First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m., with gates opening at 6.

The Pippins also will close the regular season at home against the Kamloops NorthPaws on Aug. 6-8. It’s the first time since the mid-2010s that the team has finished the season at home.

Yakima Valley will play 27 West Coast League home games at “The Orchard,” and augment the home slate with five nonleague games against the Northwest Star Nighthawks and the Cascade Collegiate League Showcase team.

The first of those nonleague contests is Monday, June 3, when the Pippins will host CCL in the second School Spirit Day. In 2023, more than 1,700 students from around the Yakima Valley attended the contest.

The Pippins’ complete promotional schedule, including giveaway and fireworks nights, will be announced in March, Pippins general manager Jeff Garretson said.

Group ticket sales begin today, and discount pricing is available through the end of the year, Garretson said. Groups of 20 or more booked before Dec. 31 also will receive a free souvenir cap celebrating the team’s 10th season.

Ticket inquiries can be emailed to info@pippinsbaseball.com, or call 509-575-HITS.

Opening-night tickets will go on sale in December, Garretson said.

The Pippins 2024 schedule (home games in bold):

MAY: 31 — vs. Springfield.

JUNE: 1-2 — vs. Springfield; 3 — vs. CCL Showcase; 4-6 — at Springfield; 7-9 — vs. Corvallis; 11-13 — at Ridgefield; 15-17 — vs. Walla Walla; 18-20 — vs. Wenatchee; 21-23 — at Cowlitz; 25-27 — vs. Portland; 28-30 — at Kelowna.

JULY: 2-4 — vs. Cowlitz; 5-7 — at Bend; 10-11 — at Corvallis; 12 — CCL Showcase; 13-14 — vs. NW Star; 15 — vs. CCL Showcase; 19-21 — at Wenatchee; 23-25 — at Walla Walla; 26-28 — vs. Bend; 30-31 — vs. Ridgefield.

AUGUST: 1 — vs. Ridgefield; 2-4 — at Portland; 6-8 vs. Kamloops.

A printable schedule can be downloaded here.