The time has finally come for one of my most anticipated games of the season! The Lake Country Dockhounds are the newest team in the American Association, and their first ever home series was just played against the Winnipeg Goldeyes. Since I had to work on Friday, I planned on going to their second home game in Oconomowoc.
This game that I originally planned on driving home after, ended up being a full weekend in Milwaukee with my brother and a friend of ours. I must say that I’ve been very lucky to be able to go to so many games this year with other people. I haven’t been to a single baseball game alone yet, and it’s almost June. Thank you to everyone that’s joined me this season, as 2022 has been a big year! Stay tuned for another post coming soon from Milwaukee.
It’s about a three hour drive to Oconomowoc from where I live, and we made the drive in the early afternoon, anticipating the 6:00 start. We arrived a little early, and decided to eat before the game. When you exit the interstate, there are a few restaurants the opposite direction from the stadium. Parking is $5, and I recommend getting the parking pass while buying tickets. The Dockhounds have a great system when it comes to buying tickets, and everything can be managed on the website, including transferring tickets.
When it comes to seeing a brand new team, everything has to be considered a work in progress, and some extra patience. I learned this first hand watching our hockey team in their inaugural season this past winter, and brought that mindset with me to this game. For being brand new, it was very impressive how well everything was planned out in Lake Country. Anything that I mention in this post could be completely different as the season progresses, and the team makes adjustments.
As you walk into the stadium behind home plate, the first thing you see is a bar, and there’s a wide variety of beer. There are also a few tables with a variety of things for fans to see. The store seemed a little small, and was just getting started. There are a lot of clothing items to choose from right now, and I think there will probably be more things in the future. Unfortunately, there were no logo baseballs at the time, but I’ll hopefully be getting one in the future, especially with the awesome logo/mascot (Louie) the Dockhounds have. The dog logo reminds me a newer version of the Charleston River Dogs. Just beyond the store is the concession stand, and the line was full throughout the game, so if you’re planning to eat, I would plan ahead, but this could always change since it was opening weekend.
While visiting the stadium, one of the first things that came to mind is that the stadium is very family friendly. The kids zone area has a lot to choose from for the kids, and even has half of a basketball court. This is a great stadium for local families to visit on the weekends.
I always say that every stadium has their own unique features, and I really how Lake Country made their seating behind home plate. There are round tables, and 4 tickets need to be purchased in order to reserve the home plate view. However, my seats were the next section over in the back row, and the view was perfect. The only major thing that I’ll mention about this stadium, is that there isn’t a roof or any cover above the stands. This means that the sun will be a factor when it’s hot outside. The round tables at the bottom section will be the most covered, during those times. The weather was perfect during May though.
This game was great from the start. The Dockhounds pitcher was struggling to find the zone during the top of the 1st, but was able to settle in. The wind could be a factor, along with the turf at this stadium. The wind helped a baseball carry during the bottom of the 1st, and there were back to back home runs. However, Winnipeg ended up putting up five runs in the next inning, and never looked back. The score ended up being 6-3 in Winnipeg’s favor, but there were some moments where Lake Country almost broke through, which made this game even more exciting.
I would highly recommend checking out Wisconsin Brewing Co Park, and bringing the family. There’s nothing like seeing a brand new team make history, and watching the team develop throughout the season. I’m looking forward to visiting again either later in the season, or around this time next season again! Be on the lookout for my next post coming soon from this weekend, and as always, I’ll share more pictures below.
AP Ballparks 