New look Kitchener Panthers gearing up for big season

It might not feel like it, but spring is right around the corner and with it, the start of the Intercounty Baseball League season.

It’s shaping up to be an exciting year for the Kitchener Panthers with a new ownership group at the helm, a revamped roster and some upgrades at Jack Couch Park that are sure catch the attention of fans.

The club was sold back in December to a group headed by David and Kate Schooley who also own the KW Titans basketball team, under the moniker Waterloo Region Sports and Entertainment (WRSE). The rest of the ownership group is made up of Sam, Naseem and Shanif Hirani.

He is also the Panthers general manager and told 570 NewsRadio about some of the upgrades made to the ol’ ball yard.

“An LED video board in the outfield, replacing our current scoreboard. Upgraded seating behind home plate to a more stadium style seat. A new team store and also covered batting cages behind the home dugout and some dugout upgrades as well.”

He said they have been working hard on the in-game fan experience as well, taking a page from the Titans.

“The Titans have done a great job over the past couple of years elevating their in-game experience with different activations, ways to get the fans engaged. And, we’re looking carry that right over to the baseball field,” Hirani said. “We have a lot of exciting stuff planned for the fans and we believe the game day experience will be taken to a whole new level this year.”

But not just the off-field product that has been revamped: So has the line-up.

“A little over half of our roster is going to be new players this year, and guys we’re really excited about,” he said. “We started off with a heavy focus on the pitching staff. I feel it’s especially important at Jack Couch to have a strong pitching staff because we know how well the ball can fly there.”

Hirani said when it comes to position players, the guys they’ve added all have a wealth of international baseball experience but along with that, they also kept a keen eye out for local talent.

Fans won’t have to wait too long to get a peak at the new-look Kitchener Panthers. They kick off the 2025 ICBL season on May 11, against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Christie Pits.

The Panthers home opener is Sunday, May 18, against the Chatham-Kent Barnstormers.