ELMIRA, N.Y. (WETM) – From stocking the concession stands, to prepping the field, and fine tuning the new speakers, there is a lot of teamwork happening at Dunn Field ahead of Friday’s first Opening Day pitch. The Elmira Pioneers are taking on the Batavia Muckdogs. Doors open at 5:35 p.m. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.

“Hours away? You see people running around” said Robbie Nichols, the co-owner of the Elmira Pioneers and the Batavia Muckdogs. “The seats are all being cleaned, all the lipstick that goes into this place. Everything gets painted. It’s done in months prior, but it’s a lot of work. All the signage is up everything’s ready to go.”

“The field crew has done amazing. We really brought in a lot of dirt and repaired the field that we needed to do. A lot of improvements from the city. Our leaning fence has been fixed. New tarps came in. A new sound system has been installed. So, the city has been great. We’re still waiting on a scoreboard. The scoreboard is supposed to be coming in very soon, and a new turtle and a new batting cage. We have no batting cage right now, but all those things will come in. So, we’re excited for the season” Nichols told 18 News reporter Nicolas Dubina.

Alex Chiprout and Alec Brown are also getting ready to call tonight’s game.

“You always get a bit of pre-game jitters before calling a game, pre-game nervousness before you get on the air” said Chiprout, who is the broadcaster for the Elmira Pioneers. “But as soon as the first pitch is thrown out and as soon as the game gets going, everything just goes away, and I get to do what I absolutely love which is to broadcast sports, and it’s an amazing opportunity I have here in Elmira.”

“I’m feeling great” said Alec Brown, broadcaster for the Batavia Muckdogs. “A lot of preparation went into this. I’ve been for the last two weeks in Batavia working my notes, trying to get everything right.”

Opening day marks a new chapter in a long history at Dunn Field, which includes some of the biggest names in baseball.

“This stadium here was built in 1932. So, it’s a great stadium and you can talk history all day long, that Don Zimmer got married at home plate that Wade Boggs played here. Before he moved up that the Cal Ripken family was here. This is where Junior played and Senior managed, and it just would go on and on. Earl Weaver was a manager. Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig stood there at that home plate and they played a charity game here. You can walk our concourse and see the history. This field is amazing. Just being here is excitement.

“It’s going to be an exciting night. Fireworks after the game. We got an incredible pre-game show planned and you see all those seats behind us. They’re going to be completely full. This place is going to be crazy here.”