The Chatham-Kent Barnstormers are an

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nort ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

team based in Chatham,

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, playing in the

Intercounty Baseball League The Intercounty Baseball League (IBL) is a Canadian baseball league, comprising teams of college players and others from North America and beyond. The teams are located in Southern Ontario. The league was formed in 1919 and has enjoyed much succ ...

(IBL). The team was founded in 2024 and play their home games at the 1,400 seat

Fergie Jenkins Field Fergie Jenkins Field is a baseball stadium located in Chatham, Ontario, Canada. It is home to the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers of the Intercounty Baseball League. The stadium is named after National Baseball Hall of Fame member and Chatham nativ ...

. The team played its first game in franchise history on May 18, 2024, a 5-3 win over the

Kitchener Panthers The Kitchener Panthers are an independent, minor league baseball team of the Intercounty Baseball League based in Kitchener, Ontario. They play their home games at Jack Couch Baseball Park. The Panthers used to play at a ballpark in Victoria ...

History

On November 23, 2022, the Intercounty Baseball League announced that it had approved an expansion application for Chatham Ontario for admittance into the league starting with the 2024 IBL season. The team's name was initially unveiled as the "Chatham-Kent Blackbirds" on January 27, 2023, but was dropped only three days later after team officials learned the term held historical derogatory use. The team later stated that they would change the name to “better reflect the diverse cultural history of the community.” On July 6, 2023, the new team name was officially unveiled as the "Chatham-Kent Barnstormers" (a reference to

barnstorming Barnstorming was a form of entertainment in which stunt pilots performed tricks individually or in groups that were called flying circuses. Devised to "impress people with the skill of pilots and the sturdiness of planes," it became popular in t ...

Season-by-season results

References

{{Ontario Sports Chatham-Kent Intercounty Baseball League Baseball teams in Ontario