New Wind Surge owners slash prices to better the fan experience at Riverfront Stadium

After the Wichita Wind Surge finished last in the Texas League in attendance last season, new team president Jay Miller believes a worst-to-first turnaround is not only possible, but likely.

More affordable ticket prices, cheaper beer, no hidden fees and a better overall fan experience are among the things being promised by Miller ahead of the Wind Surge’s 2023 home opener at Riverfront Stadium: Wichita plays Northwest Arkansas there at 7 p.m. Tuesday.

Nearly 7,000 tickets have already been sold for the home opener and team officials are optimistic the Wind Surge could see the largest crowd in franchise history Tuesday, surpassing an August record of 7,709 in attendance.

“I promise you the rest of the league knows we’re not going to finish last in attendance again,” Miller said. “We’re either going to be top two or three and I’ll stake my reputation on that because the market is here to do it.”

Miller was hired as the club’s first president but left Wichita before the team ever played a game when ownership changed hands following the death of owner Lou Schwechheimer in 2020.

When Diamond Baseball Holdings became the new owner of the Wind Surge in December, Miller was their first call. He didn’t hesitate to return to the job. Three years later, he still believes the vision he shared with Schwechheimer is possible in Wichita.

“I’m bringing back some of the promises that Lou and I made,” Miller said. “I always felt that it was possible here and now coming back, I feel even more that way.”

The first order of business was slashing ticket prices. Miller restored his original season-ticket plan, which saved season-ticket holders as much as $300, depending on their seat. He also dropped ticket prices down the first- and third-base lines from $15 to $10. But he thinks the biggest sellers will be the stadium’s berm seating, where tickets for adults have dropped from $10 to $8 and tickets for kids are now $4.

Under the new pricing model, it’s possible for a family of four to go to the ballpark for $24 — more than $12 cheaper than last summer.

“I’m about butts in seats,” Miller said. “I don’t want to see 2,000 people there. That’s depressing to me. When the place is full and it’s hopping, the players love it, the fans love it, everybody loves it. That hot dog tastes a little better, the beer tastes better.

“I’m about making it much more affordable and having more people in the stands that can afford to come back more than three times a year.”

Another common gripe from Wichitans: additional fees at the ballpark. Even after the Wind Surge’s previous ownership scrapped fees that included an extra 8% charge on all purchases, fans still had to pay taxes at the concession stands.

Miller has lowered the concession-stand prices and factored any taxes into the pricing. Every Tuesday will also feature a $1 hot dog sale.

“So if it says it’s a $5 cheeseburger, then there’s not going to be any tax on top of that. It’s going to be a $5 cheeseburger,” Miller said. “I think that irritated a lot of people when they were getting taxed maybe even twice.”

Perhaps the most popular addition made by Miller will be a “happy hour” implemented from the time the gates open (90 minutes before first pitch) until first pitch Tuesday-Saturday. Select 16-ounce beers will be $5.

Thirsty Thursdays will continue, too, and those prices have also been lowered: 12-ounce cans of beer will now be $2. Beer prices for all other occasions have been lowered from $9 plus tax to $7 for 16 ounces.

“We would rather have more people come out to the ballpark than worry about profit margin on what we’re selling beer for and those types of things,” Wind Surge general manager Bob Moullette said. “I think stuff like that is really going to make a difference, and we’re already seeing a ton of positive feedback from the ticket sales. The pricing is definitely the first thing we were able to do to get that positive momentum going.”

Even though the momentum has been built before the games begin, Miller and Moullette know it will be up to club officials to follow through on their promises and keep fans coming back to Riverfront Stadium throughout the summer.

One way they’ve tried to make the family experience better at games is by installing two half-court basketball courts in the outfield, so kids can play hoops during the game. They also plan to open up the Wichita baseball museum for fans to visit before and during games.

“The real job comes once they get to the ballpark, now we have to fulfill all of the things we said we were going to do,” Moullette said. “Even though the prices are lower, we still have a job on the fan experience side to make sure they think that coming to a game is worth their investment.

“Getting those speedy lines through there, making sure concession prices are what they need to be, we’re excited about doing the real work come Tuesday when the gates open.”

Moullette, who has been with the organization since moving to Wichita, said the pairing with Miller has given the team some serious momentum in the community. Even though Miller had been gone for a few years, many in the Wichita baseball community still liked him from the relationships he built in 2019 and 2020, according to Moullette.

For the past few months, Miller and Moullette have been out in the community engaging with fans, listening to feedback and working with Kylee Sorrells, director of marketing, to incorporate what they’re hearing into the changes they want to make this summer.

They want to fulfill Schwechheimer’s vision of Riverfront Stadium being the “front porch” of Wichita, with as many high school sporting events, local sporting events and concerts as possible there.

“We’ve tried to work backwards from ‘yes,’” Moullette said. “We’re willing to make anything work and we’re going to figure out how to do it. Not every event we do has to be a mega-revenue generator. What they do need to be is a marketing generator to attract people to the ballpark. A high school game is not going to yield a ton of revenue for us, but what it does do is get people to come out to the ballpark who haven’t before.”

Giveaways have already been scheduled throughout the season, starting with the first 2,500 fans receiving scarves and magnet schedules at Tuesday’s opening night game. The first 3,000 fans at Saturday’s game will receive a Wichita skyline replica jersey; hats, bobbleheads and drawstring bags are among the other giveaways this summer.

There will be fireworks display scheduled after every Friday night game and the front office is working on booking bands to give fans a concert on the field immediately following the game.

At the end of this season, Miller believes a difference will have been made in Wichita.

“People are going to think, ‘Now this is what we were promised,’” Miller said. “Really in my heart of hearts, I believe that.”