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Courtesy of Richmond Flying Squirrels
If you were to walk up the aging steps of The Diamond, Richmond, Virginia’s 40-year-old baseball stadium, locals would be quick to remind you not to judge a team by its home plate. While the city’s hub for America’s favorite pastime has seen better days, there’s never been a more exciting time to be a fan of the Richmond Flying Squirrels. This San Francisco Giants affiliate continues to top the attendance chart for AA baseball teams and once you go to a game, it’s easy to feel the energy that keeps Richmonders flocking to the ballpark every spring and summer.
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“What’s always blown me away is how well the Flying Squirrels blend the entertainment, the community engagement, and the baseball,” says Trey Wilson, Director of Communications and Broadcasting for The Flying Squirrels. Wilson, who previously worked with other teams around the country, says coming to work for trendsetters like the Squirrels was a dream come true. “If you’re a hardcore baseball fan and you want to watch nine innings of baseball, this is a great place for you to come. If you just want to have a social outing and be entertained with your friends and family, this is a great place to come for that, too.”
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While the entire organization looks forward to CarMax Park, the brand-new stadium that’s on track to open for the 2026 season, they haven’t let their fading facility stifle their imagination for in-game entertainment. “We created an environment inside that was more like a county fair,” says President and Managing General Partner Lou DiBella. “Minor league baseball is all about families making memories.”
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Courtesy of Richmond Flying Squirrels
Fans show up to see Flingo the stuffed Flamingo, ridden by a wacky hot dog vendor that tosses snacks into the crowd, and the seventh-inning Mixed Nut Race that challenges the costume-clad Almond Brothers, Johnny Cashew, John Walnut, and Peanut to a speed contest around the field. Lucky visitors might have their tickets for a night that includes an in-stadium pep band or after-game fireworks, Squirrels additions that capture all the nostalgia of sports in the South.
For this baseball team, engaging the city doesn’t stop at the ninth inning or even the close of the season. “They’ve established themselves as a community asset first, that’s also a baseball team in the summer,” Wilson says. “The organization is involved in Richmond all year long and that’s really resonated with the people here.”
The Go Nuts For Reading program encourages elementary and middle school students to participate in an eight-book reading challenge at the beginning of the year, leading to free game tickets and a visit from the squirrel mascots, Nutzy and Nutasha.
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Courtesy of the Flying Squirrels
Flying Squirrels pitcher John Michael Bertrand signs autographs for one of the ASK Kourageous Kids from the ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation
During the season, the team hosts themed games to spread awareness for causes that are important to the players and the organization itself. In partnership with the ASK Childhood Cancer Foundation, the team wears jerseys decorated with the handprints of active treatment patients, survivors, and their siblings. Attendees and Richmonders can then bid on these one-night-only uniforms to raise funds for the Virginia non-profit that supports children and their families during their journeys with cancer.
The team also hosts a military appreciation game where the players trade in their own names on the back of their uniforms for the names of service members nominated by their loved ones. “They will present the jerseys to the family and it’s a super touching night,” Wilson says.
If you really think about it, even the team’s name began as a group project with the greater community. In 2009, the league moved the Conneticut Defenders down to Richmond, filling the hole of the AAA team that left the city. The Richmond Times Dispatch hosted a reader contest to find a moniker for the new mascot and several front runners were considered including Rock Hoppers, Rhinos, and Hush Puppies. Brad Mead of nearby Prince George County submitted the name that eventually stuck, securing him tickets for life. Today the team’s signature phrase is “Go Nuts!” and it’s nearly impossible to imagine this quirky city hosting a baseball team by any other name.
“Richmond’s deserved a great ballpark forever,” DiBella says. “Sometimes things are worth waiting for.” After more than 15 years of discussions, the new stadium is finally under construction just across the street from The Diamond. The team hopes that the facility will not only be a cornerstone of its neighborhood during the season, but a destination for year-round entertainment. “I don’t really know if Richmond is fully aware of what they haven’t had at their ballpark for the last couple decades,” Wilson says. “The technology and the amenities that we’re going to have in CarMax Park are going to allow us to take our stadium experience to a different level.” Judging by the enthusiasm that Squirrels fans have already brought to their less-than-perfect setting, 2026 is sure to be an exciting year for the most attended team in AA baseball.
To plan your visit, see the 2025 schedule, and buy game tickets, visit milb.com/richmond.
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