SALT LAKE CITY — The crack of a bat and the sight of a double play being turned were on full display inside Smith's Ballpark on Saturday.
The Salt Lake Bees opened their 2023 season with a doubleheader against the Sacramento River Cats. Their opening day game on Friday was postponed due to inclement weather.
The cheers, chants and claps could be heard loud and clear across the ballpark on Saturday for the team's 29th opening day.
"It is the experience, the crowd, the team," said Joe Ellett, a longtime Bees fan.
Ellett braved the wind to attend opening day, something he's done regularly since 1995.
FOX 13 News asked Ellett how many times he had missed the Bees opening day in that time frame.
"Maybe four or five," he said.
It was an exciting time for Ellett, in his bumblebee attire, with his mom, sister and friends by his side to watch the game.
"I wouldn't be anywhere else than here at the ballpark all day long," he said.
That feeling was shared by nine-year-old Jax Cline.
"I love baseball and I've always loved it," he said.
It was a special occasion for this young Bees fan, who snagged the first home run ball of the day.
"It hit the foul pole and a player got it and threw it up, and I basically had to like... tackle someone basically," said Cline. "I'm really happy because that was my first home run ball ever in my entire life."
Despite it officially being spring on the calendar, winter weather caused the Bees' scheduled season opener on Friday to be postponed.
"If you saw yesterday, we had the rolling tarp, they were rolling it over just to try and get the snow broken out to see if they could melt it," said Kraig Williams, the team's communications director.
Williams says it has been all hands on deck to try and get everything ready.
"Probably 10, 20 people when we do tarp pulls," he said. "The whole front office staff came, we pulled off the tarp about five o'clock, we were able to let the grass breathe and get the dirt, just some sunshine and fresh air to get it ready for the day."
While the action on the diamond provided those in the stands plenty of entertainment, it also allowed for some father-and-son bonding time between Jax Cline and his dad, Kurt.
"Me and my dad really like playing catch, and we don't really get it very often other than at the Bees game," Jax Cline said. "It's kind of snowing where we live."
With another dose of winter weather expected here in the Beehive State in the coming days, fans were enjoying the brief glimpse of spring while they can.
"Not excited about the snow coming again, but these two today and tomorrow is very exciting for us," said Ellett.
The Bees would win the first game of their doubleheader against the River Cats, 2-0, before falling in the final game of the day, 7-4.
They will wrap up their home opening series against Sacramento on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
Following that game, the Bees will be on the road for two weeks, returning to Smith's Ballpark to take on the Reno Aces on April 18.
