WAPPINGERS FALLS – The 2023 Hudson Valley Renegades, the High-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, arrived at their home stadium, Heritage Financial Park on Wednesday to meet staffers and members of the media. Eerily similar to the inaugural 1994 season, construction workers were busy putting finishing some of the remodelings just hours before Friday night’s home opener.
Members of the team, according to Renegades Vice-president of Entertainment Rick “Zolz” Zolzer, are “A great group of kids that play the game.” In between pre-season filming with individual members of the 40-man roster, Zolzer, a fixture at the stadium since 1994 told Mid-Hudson News that the focus has always been for the players to provide entertainment for the fans. “Usually,” Zolzer said, “all we care about is being nice to the children who come to the games; sign autographs, make them feel special, and just go out and be competitive.” With pre-season excitement, he stated: “It looks like this team will do both of those things nicely,”
Renegades baseball, according to Zolzer, has an impact on the regional economy and it is going to be better with the longer season and fans coming “to see the future of the Yankees.” One of the most recent Renegades, Anthony Volpe, is now the starting shortstop for the major league New York Yankees.
Regarding the construction, The Hudson Valley Renegades and their parent company, Diamond Baseball Holdings, and Dutchess County are in the midst of a multi-year, $25 million renovation project of Heritage Financial Credit Union Park. The project began in 2019 with the renovation of the seating bowl, with all-new seats being installed along with the re-surfacing of the parking lots outside of the stadium.
New, energy-efficient LED lighting was installed prior to the 2021 season.
Following the 2022 season, the most expansive phase of the renovation began. The original outfield wall was demolished and replaced with a new, padded fence. The old clubhouse building was completely gutted and refurbished to house one expanded clubhouse and weight room, for use by the Renegades in 2023 and visiting teams from 2024 on. Visiting teams will use a temporary clubhouse structure for the 2023 season. Additionally, the outdoor batting cages have been enclosed so they may be used in all weather.
MHNN video from Media Day on Wednesday at Heritage Financial Park:
