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SOUTH BEND – The numbers speak for themselves. The Silver Hawks season is winding down and attendance levels shot through the roof this year compared to last.
At the beginning of this season, the team's new owner – Andrew Berlin – shared his motto with us: Do everything right or don't do it at all.
Fans say Coveleski Stadium has kept its promise.
It was a season of revival, renewal and revitalization.
"It's definitely more lively of a park," said Frank Carczewski of South Bend.
"This is so much nicer, they put a lot of money in it and it's great," said father Brian Rissman.
The stadium was renovated. The fans reenergized.
"It used to be real bland, but now it seems like a real baseball game," Carczewski said.
"We felt if we gave them a good product, great customer service, then they'd want to come back to the ballpark. And we see that," said Joe Hart, president of the Silver Hawks.
The Cove has seen six sellouts this season. As of Monday night's game, attendance is around 177,000 for the season – They hope to reach around 185,000 by the end of the week.
That's a healthy increase from last year, when the team recorded the worst attendance in franchise history at about 113,000 fans.
But the all-time low was short lived.
"From what I see every time I come by, there are more people here,” said mother of two, Kristen Garcia
So what keeps them coming back this year?
"A little bit of something for everyone," said another fan.
From the splash pad to the bounce park, the stadium-style seats to the new food, the stadium is now a destination spot for fun.
"We're from Michigan City. We love to come here," said Karen Durham.
The city invested $9 million into the Cove over the past few years. The new owner of the Silver Hawks, Andrew Berlin, threw in about $3 million of his own.
But since the stadium opened in 1987, the Cove has yet to turn a profit for the city. Some said times are finally changing.
"I think they're going to see a return on their investment," Garcia said.
The team's president is committed to keep this winning streak alive.
"While we're happy, we're never satisfied and we're going to continue to build," Hart said.
And it's not just ticket sales and attendance levels that are seeing movement – Merchandise sales are up 45 percent from last year at this point.
Back by popular demand next year, the Friday night fireworks are back, and the flat screen giveaways on Fridays will be back, plus all the promotions and giveaways.
They're already selling season ticket packages and all of their indoor suites are sold out but one that they rent out on a game-by-game basis.
The record for the Silver Hawks is 258,000 fans back in 1994. At that time, the Silver Hawks were a White Sox affiliate.
Of course, their goal is to get back to those kind of attendance numbers.
Has the newly renovated stadium had an impact on Downtown South Bend? Read Aaron Perri's comment below. He is the director of Downtown South Bend.
"I want to commend Andrew Berlin, Joe Hart and their team on the excellent work they have done promoting and delivering such a high quality product this year. Obviously the fan experience has been dramatically enhanced by their efforts and it has been enjoyed by all demographics – families with children, young professionals, retirees and everyone in between.
“The exterior changes have enlivened a part of downtown that has been has been a little too mundane for quite some time. It’s not too difficult to imagine future development around the Cove – including the Renaissance District projects Kevin Smith is working on near Union Station.
“It’s too soon to measure the tangible increase in business throughout downtown as a whole, but the anecdotal evidence shows the greatest beneficiaries have been the pubs where young professionals may stop before or after games. However, the DoubleTree Hotel has seen an uptick in business from visiting teams and LePeep has excitedly reported that their location has been a popular breakfast or lunch stop for those players and fans.
“The biggest thing I’ve noticed is the new attitude that the Cove is inspiring throughout the town. Coupled with broad new leadership throughout the community, the successes the Cove is experiencing injects a sense of pride, enthusiasm, and perhaps even some rekindled belief in our future."