Gwinnett Stripers Continued Attendance Growth in Successful 2023 Season
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The Gwinnett Stripers continued a trend of growth at the gates in 2023, the club’s 14th season as the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The Stripers welcomed 231,044 fans to 71 home dates at Coolray Field, the ballpark’s largest single-season attendance since 2015. With an increase
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The Gwinnett Stripers continued a trend of growth at the gates in 2023, the club’s 14th season as the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The Stripers welcomed 231,044 fans to 71 home dates at Coolray Field, the ballpark’s largest single-season attendance since 2015. With an increase of 14,867 fans over the 2022 campaign, Gwinnett has raised its attendance in consecutive seasons for the first time in history.
Overall ticket sales increased over 14% in 2023, with the surge highlighted by a sell-out crowd of 10,067 for the July 4 game against Omaha. It was the eighth-largest attendance for a game in Coolray Field history, the largest since July 4, 2014.
The Stripers have now increased their year-over-year attendance in three of the past four seasons dating back to 2019, with the only outlier happening during the reduced-capacity 2021 campaign.
“The 2023 season was a resounding success in so many ways for the Stripers,” said General Manager Erin McCormick. “The increases we saw this year are not only a testament to our hardworking staff, but also to the unending support of all Gwinnecians and our neighbors across the state. We are so proud to be the community gathering place for so many and look forward to seeing even more fans at Coolray Field for our 15th season in 2024.”
Additional highlights from the Stripers’ 2023 season:
Non-Game Events
In addition to 71 Stripers games, Coolray Field also hosted 46 events throughout the year, a total double that of 2022.
Baseball events included the annual Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Spring Classic for Kids (University of Georgia vs. Georgia Tech on March 5), the Georgia High School State Championships (6A, 5A, and 4A classification championship games from May 18-20), and the Minority Baseball Prospects HBCU All-Star Weekend (June 2-3).
The most notable non-baseball events included Coolray Field’s first-ever parking lot carnival hosted by Dreamland Amusements (March 18-24), the 26th Annual EGGtoberfest hosted by Big Green Egg® (October 7), the National Professional Fishing League Weigh-Ins (October 24-28), and the Glow Light Show (November 17-December 31).
The Stripers also created and hosted two new events, Touch-A-Truck on August 12 (hands-on event that allowed kids to see, touch, and explore their favorite public service vehicles, trucks, heavy equipment, and more), and Brewfest at the Ballpark on October 21 (featuring local craft breweries lined up for on-field tastings).
Community and Fan Engagement
The Stripers raised nearly $25,000 for non-profit groups in 2023 through various ticket donations and four specialty jersey auctions. Beneficiaries of the auctions included:
- Memorial Day Camo Jersey: Valor, an organization helping Latino veterans
- July 4 Patriotic Jersey: Make-a-Wish Foundation
- Marvel’s Defenders of the Diamond Jersey: Way to Battle’s “Battle Pups” program
- Pink in the Park Jersey: Northside Hospital Foundation
In the community, members of the Stripers staff and mascot Chopper the Groundhog made over 70 appearances to area schools, businesses, and organizations.
Gwinnett’s digital marketing and engagement around the team’s third-annual Pride Night earned a nomination for Minor League Baseball’s Golden Bobblehead Award for “Best Digital Campaign” of 2023. The team saw 10% growth in followers on all social platforms for the year, raising total followers across Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok to over 217,000.
Live broadcast of Stripers’ games on MiLB.TV also generated impressive viewership numbers in 2023, as Gwinnett finished near the top of the 120 MiLB teams in unique users per game (fourth, 256), total unique users (fifth, 19,218), and average users per game (sixth, 443).
Partners
The Stripers enhanced the fan experience at Coolray Field with the help of a new premiere partner in SoFi®, which became the sponsor of the SoFi Super Suite. The 100-person space was updated with SoFi’s vibrant turquoise colorway and sleek, modern furniture.
The team also extended its partnership with Coca-Cola® in 2023, ensuring the Atlanta-based refreshment giant will be available in all Coolray Field concession stands for the next decade.
On the Field
The Stripers made plenty of history under third-year manager Matt Tuiasosopo in 2023. As a team, Gwinnett set single-season records for on-base percentage (.350), walks (714), stolen bases (190), stolen base percentage (.848), and fielding percentage (.984).
Individually, Allan Winans became the third Gwinnett pitcher all-time to claim a league ERA title, finishing with a 2.85 mark that was fifth lowest in team history. Winans was the lone Striper to earn selection to the IL Postseason All-Star Team as he also set team records for lowest WHIP (1.08) and lowest BAA (.218).
Vaughn Grissom set team records for on-base percentage (.419) and doubles (36) and compiled a 45-game on-base streak from June 28 through September 19 that was second-longest in Gwinnett history. The Stripers’ lineup also saw records set by Forrest Wall in stolen bases (52) and Yolmer Sanchez in walks (89), and Braden Shewmake became the first Gwinnett player ever to hit for the cycle on June 28 at St. Paul.
Gwinnett set a record for most players used in a season with 83, including 35 who also saw time with the National League East Division champion Atlanta Braves. That group included eight making their Major League debuts: Shewmake, Wall, Winans, Dylan Dodd, Daysbel Hernandez, Jared Shuster, AJ Smith-Shawver, and Darius Vines.
In case you missed it, history was made this afternoon as Braden Shewmake became the first Gwinnett player to hit for the cycle.
— Gwinnett Stripers (@GoStripers) June 28, 2023
See all four hits with our own @DaveLezotte on the call. pic.twitter.com/OyWzCGK1XE
Looking Ahead to 2024
Gwinnett Stripers’ Opening Night at Coolray Field is set for Tuesday, April 2 vs. Louisville. Memberships for 2024 are on sale now by calling the Coolray Field Ticket Office at 678-277-0340. For more information, visit GoStripers.com/memberships.