Chillicothe Paints Unveil 2021 Baseball Schedule

Presented by Hometown-Motors, Inc.

CHILLICOTHE, Ohio – In conjunction with the Prospect League, the Chillicothe Paints, presented by Adena Health System, announced their 2021 schedule Monday morning. The defending champions open the season Thursday, May 27, against the Lafayette Aviators at VA Memorial Stadium with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Along with $1 draft beer for Thirsty Thursday, there will also be a postgame fireworks display to celebrate the opening of the new season.

Once again, the schedule features 60 regular-season games with the Paints playing 30 at home and 30 on the road. This season, Chillicothe will play the Champion City Kings, Danville Dans, Johnstown Mill Rats, Lafayette Aviators, REX and West Virginia Miners. The Paints will play more than half its schedule against Johnstown and West Virginia with 18 matchups scheduled against each.

“The Paints are looking forward to a fantastic 28th season and competing for a second-straight Prospect League Championship! We certainly don’t know at this point how COVID 19 will affect the season, but we, as a League, are excited to provide our towns first-class collegiate baseball once again,” said President Bryan Wickline. “This year, maybe more important than ever, we will need the support of our business community and season ticket holders after last year’s cancellation. If you or your business would like to partner with us this season, please give us a call or send me an email to paints@bright.net. The Paints are set up with a great home schedule and we are working on many giveaways and promotions throughout the summer.”

The Prospect League schedule is designed to give players a taste of life in the minor leagues with charter bus travel, night games in front of enthusiastic crowds, and numerous overnight series in opponent cities. 

Having last played in 2019, the Prospect League lineup looks a bit different in 2021 with the addition of four new members and six new markets with the Alton River Dragons (Alton, Ill.), Johnstown Mill Rats (Johnstown, Pa.), Burlington Bees (Burlington, Iowa), and Clinton LumberKings (Clinton, Iowa). The O’Fallon Hoots will get to play their first season in the Prospect League after moving to O’Fallon, Mo., following the 2019 season. Additionally, the DuPage Pistol Shrimp will play in Peru, Ill., as the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp.

For the purposes of playoffs, Prospect League teams are divided into two conferences with two divisions within each conference. The Eastern Conference includes the Champion City Kings (Springfield, Ohio), Chillicothe Paints (Chillicothe, Ohio), Johnstown Mill Rats, and West Virginia Miners (Beckley, W.Va.) in one division and the Danville Dans (Danville, Ill.), Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp (Peru, Ill.), Lafayette Aviators (Lafayette, Ind.), and REX Baseball (Terre Haute, Ind.) in the other. The Western Conference includes the Burlington Bees, Clinton LumberKings, Normal CornBelters (Normal, Ill.), and Quincy Gems (Quincy, Ill.) in one division and the Alton River Dragons, Cape Catfish (Cape Girardeau, Mo.),O’Fallon Hoots, and Springfield Sliders (Springfield, Ill.) in the other.
 
The 2021 season also brings a return to split-season play, with division winners at the end of the first half of the season advancing to a one-game divisional championship August 5. Divisional champions advance to play a one-game conference championship August 7. Both conference champions advance to play one another in the best-of-three Prospect League Championship Series. Game one is August 9 and, after a travel day, game two and, if necessary, game three are August 11 and 12.

To advertise at VA Memorial Stadium or to schedule company outings, birthdays, team picnics or to receive group discounts, call the Paints Office at (740) 773-8326. Season tickets are also available online at www.ChillicothePaints.com, the Paints Office & Gift Shop at 11 East 2nd Street in Chillicothe, or by calling (740) 773-8326.