Want to get in the know about independent and summer collegiate baseball teams but don’t know where to start? 

FloBaseball has you covered, broadcasting some of the best of the best independent baseball leagues across North America, all season long.

Some especially unique ballclubs around the scene need their own introductions, however. 

That’s where FloBaseball’s team profile series comes into play to help out, explaining and breaking down some of the quirks and features that make each club tick.

Here’s a breakdown of the Lancaster Barnstormers of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.

What Year Were The Lancaster Barnstormers Founded?

Located is a city rich with baseball history – Lancaster, Pennsylvania, which has hosted organized baseball since as far back as the 1800s – the Barnstormers were founded in 2003 as an expansion club and began play in the Atlantic League two years later. They’ve been there ever since. 

Lancaster has been in the Atlantic League longer than all other current clubs but one (the Long Island Ducks). Lancaster plays in the North Division. 

Who Owns The Lancaster Barnstormers?

Opening Day Partners, a Maryland-based company that has started, owned and operated multiple independent baseball teams, was the first string-puller for the Barnstormers upon their inception, before moving ownership in 2014 to Dakota Baseball, transferring operations to a group of local residents in the process. 

The four-strong group – Ian Ruzow, Bob Liss, Steve and Bob Zuckerman – were minority owners of the club from the very beginning, with all having also held senior roles at Clipper Magazine, an advertising company based locally that also holds naming rights to the Barnstormers’ stadium.

What Is The History Of The Lancaster Barnstormers Team Name And Mascot?

A fan vote led to the selection of the Barnstormers’ nickname ahead of the club’s first season, of which Lancaster’s local newspaper reported at the time that it beat out several challengers, including the Red Roses, the name of the city’s minor-league team that competed in several iterations from 1884-1961. 

The eventual moniker is in reference to barnstorming, or the act of sports teams traveling to towns to perform in exhibitions, and is a term closely tied to the early days of baseball but still practiced today by some teams in various sports, such as with the Harlem Globetrotters in basketball. 

Cylo, a 7-foot-2 red cow whose team bio notes “is a distant cousin of the Phillie Phanatic,” is the Barnstormers’ mascot. 

Tonight’s highlights are brought to you by Pennsylvania Lottery,

LANCASTER BRINGS HOME THE ATLANTIC LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP. 6-1 ‘STORMERS.

You could be a winner too! Play the PA Lottery online here (18 & older): https://t.co/dfUt1CfP39 pic.twitter.com/Qsxp9lQo3s

— Lancaster Barnstormers (@gobarnstormers) October 1, 2022

Have The Lancaster Barnstormers Ever Won An Atlantic League Championship?

The reigning Atlantic League champion, Lancaster won its third league title last season after taking down the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs in the ALPB playoff semifinals, then sweeping the High Point Rockers 3-0 to clinch the Barnstormers’ first championship since 2014. 

The club’s other title came in its second season in 2006 while managed by Lancaster native and former major-league All-Star Tom Herr, who played over a decade in the big leagues and won the World Series as a player with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982.

Where Do The Lancaster Barnstormers Play?

Built with the Barnstormers’ formation, the 6,000-capacity Clipper Magazine Stadium was opened for business in 2005 and also acts as the Atlantic League’s corporate headquarters, having hosted the league’s All-Star Game twice in 2007 and 2016. 

Succeeding Stumpf Field, the former home of the Red Roses, as the city’s main baseball stadium, the facility (located in Lancaster’s Northwest Corridor) features include a retro-style arcade, an outdoor area with yard games and a kid-friendly area that includes a carousel. 

It additionally hosted an exhibition soccer match in 2009 between the now-defunct Harrisburg City Islanders and English club Crystal Palace, and acted as a temporary home ground for the Islanders in 2016. 

Heading into the second half of the season like 😎🤠 pic.twitter.com/6ommVMyoNE

— Lancaster Barnstormers (@gobarnstormers) July 9, 2023

Lancaster Barnstormers Notable Alumni

Per the team’s website, 14 ex-Barnstormers have played in the major leagues – either using their time with the team to help them catch the eye of MLB organizations or former big-leaguers making late-career stops in Lancaster. 

Notable former Barnstormers who made it to the highest level include pitcher Jerome Williams, who threw over 1,000 MLB innings and utilized a spell with Lancaster in 2011 to get back to the majors after four years, pitcher Phil Coke, a World Series winner with the Detroit Tigers who played for the Barnstormers in 2016 and pitcher Andrew Albers, a Canadian national team player who played for three MLB teams and was named an All-Star while playing in Japan in 2018.

How To Watch The Lancaster Barnstormers

Atlantic, Frontier, Pioneer and the Coastal Summer Plain League, as well as the Florida Collegiate Summer League, all are streaming on FloBaseball and the FloSports app. 

Replays, highlights and more news can be found on the site.