Lansing Lugnuts will return to Capital City for a new season

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - Lansing City Council approved a contract extension with the Lansing Lugnuts. And not only are the Lansing Lugnuts here to stay, but they’ll return this season with some major improvements.

On Friday, the Lansing Lugnuts will officially emerge into a team affiliate of the Oakland Athletics. This under the control of the MLB, but not without first meeting certain requirements.

“We were able to negotiate a deal that’s good for the city, that’s good for the team, that will extend their time here in Lansing to 2038,” said Mayor Schor.

Lansing mayor Andy Schor along with City Council member Kathie Dunbar, worked with Lugnut managers on a 17-year contract extension that works for everyone.

“Part of that Capital Improvement is gonna be to swap out everything for high-efficiency lights and it’s gonna cut our utility bills in more than half,” said Dunbar.

And bright LED lights are just one of the many upgrades you’ll see next time you step foot into the stadium.

“In the next three years, we are going to see another set of batting cages, a new batting tunnel, there’s going to be a women’s locker room. Can you believe that there is no women’s locker room?” said Dunbar.

And while Dunbar says the upgrades were anticipated to be needed outside of the COVID-19 pandemic, guidelines will certainly still be enforced when fans return.

“When we come back to baseball, they’re going to be seating folks every so many seat,” she said.

And with the proper guidelines in place, Mayor Schor says the pandemic won’t stop one of the cities main attractions.

“The Lugnuts are huge for Lansing. It brings people from out of town, which is great. It’s a wonderful activity, single baseball is so much fun to watch,” said Schor.

And with many more seasons to play ball, the Lugnuts are far from a strikeout.