March 29 Game Note: Iowa Cubs @ Omaha Storm Chasers

IOWA CUBS (0-0) @ OMAHA STORM CHASERS (0-0)

Friday, March 29 • 6:05 PM CT • Werner Park • Papillion, NE

LHP Thomas Pannone (0-0 -.--) vs. LHP Daniel Lynch (0-0, -.--)

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Iowa Cubs will begin their 55th season in franchise history tonight vs. the Omaha Storm Chasers at Werner Park...the I-Cubs are coming off a campaign in which they went 82-65 (.558)... Iowa is seeking its first back-to-back winning seasons since 2014-15 when they went 74-70 and 80-64 respectively...tonight’s matchup between the Storm Chasers and the I-Cubs marks the first of 21 games between the clubs, including tonight-March 31, April 30- May 5, July 1-6 and Aug. 6-11...left-hander Thomas Pannone, who is in his first year with the Cubs organization after signing a minor league contract last Dec. 14, will start tonight’s opener vs. Omaha’s Daniel Lynch.

ROSTER RUNDOWN: In conjunction with the Chicago Cubs, the Iowa Cubs today announced their Opening Day roster today... the roster features 14 players with major league service time and 18 players who have past suited up for Iowa...additionally, the roster features seven players on the Cubs’ Top 30 Prospects List according to MLB. com, including OF Pete Crow-Armstrong(No. 1), OF Owen Caissie (No. 3), RHP Ben Brown (No. 10), OF Alexander Canario (No. 11), INF Matt Mervis (No. 14), INF BJ Murray Jr. (No. 17) and INF Luis Vazquez (No. 19)...just three players are making their first Triple-A roster, including right-handed pitcher Walker Powell, Murray Jr. and Caissie.

PLAY BALL!: The I-Cubs are 33-37 all-time on Opening Day and 24-32 on Triple-A Opening Day...Iowa has lost seven of their last 10 games on Opening Day, dating back to 2013 but won a 11-5 decision last season on Opening Day vs. Columbus in which infielder Matt Mervis went 2-for-2 with a double, a home run, two RBI and two walks...the I-Cubs are seeking to win back- to-back Opening Days for the first time since they defeated Round Rock (Texas) in 2011- 12, by scores of 12-9 and 5-3, respectively.

AT THE HELM: Iowa Cubs Manager Marty Pevey returns as Iowa’s manager for the 12th consecutive season in 2024, extending his records of longest tenured and winningest manager in Iowa history...his 82 wins in 2023 were the second most by any team Pevey has managed, trailing the 2000 Advanced-A Dunedin Blue Jays, who went 84-54 (.609)... Pevey has 680 career wins with Iowa, just 20 short of the 700-mark and holds a career managerial record of 1,324-1,354...this season marks the skipper’s 42nd season in pro ball, 13 as a player and 28 as a coach.

2023 RECAP: As the 2023 season came to a close, Iowa placed third place in the International League West standings with a final record of 82-65, 17 games above the .500 mark...the 82 victories that the I-Cubs achieved this season are the most since the 2010 season in which they also won 82 games...the 82 wins was also good for the fifth-most wins among all teams in the International League...for Iowa, it marked the best finish in a division since the 2019 season when it was part of the Pacific Coast League, and claimed the Northern American division title...in total, 76 players donned an I-Cub jersey over the course of the season and 29 of those players spent time both with Iowa and up in the big leagues with Chicago.

STORM CHASIN’: The I-Cubs and Storm Chasers faced off 21 times in 2023, with Iowa going 13-8 overall and 9-2 at Omaha... the I-Cubs outscored the Storm Chasers 160-117 (+43) last season including a 20-1 win here at Werner Park on Aug. 9 in which Iowa outhit Omaha 17-4 and hit seven home runs, four of which came in the first inning.

PETE ROCK: Cubs’ No. 1 prospect and No, 16 prospect in all of baseball (MLB. com), Pete Crow-Armstrong made his first Triple-A Opening Day roster after beginning last season with Double-A Tennessee... he is a two-time Futures Game selection (2022-2023), named the MiLB Defensive Player of the Year (2022), named to the All- MiLB Prospect Second Team (2023) and is a two-time MiLB.com Organizational All-Star (2022-2023)...he batted .283 (124-for-438) with 26 doubles, seven triples, 20 home runs, 82 RBI and 37 stolen bases between Tennessee and Iowa...he was one of eight players in minor league baseball to record at least 20 home runs and 35 steals last season and the first Cubs farmhand to do so since teammate Jake Slaughter did so in 2022... he ranked among all Cubs minor league players in stolen bases (1st), triples (1st), runs (2nd, 98), hits (3rd), RBI (4th), doubles (T-7th), home runs (8th) and batting average (9th).

APRIL SHOWERS: The I-Cubs got off to a strong start last season as they posted a 16-8 record through March/April...Iowa won seven of their first 10 games, including each of their first four, outscoring their opponents 81-69 (+12) during that span...in 23 April games, the I-Cubs hit .292 (226-for-773) with 49 doubles, 6 triples, 39 home runs and 29 stolen bases while pitching to a 5.37 ERA (117 ER in 196.0 IP) with 218 strikeouts.