With the luck of the Irish combined with hard work, skill and determination, the Royal Oak Leprechauns are headed into their 2024 summer collegiate baseball season. Entering their first season in the high-level, 26-team Northwoods League, the Leprechauns have been hard at work behind the scenes to get everything ready.

Opening day is Monday, May 27 at 6:35 p.m., when the Kenosha Kingfish come to town. With 36-home games slated this summer at Memorial Park - #TheLuckyCorner – Owner and General Manager Mark Sackett has been planning, building and hiring for the new season.

“Stepping up to the Northwoods League is comparable from minor to major league,” Sackett said. “We have been working on the field with building a new left field deck, brought the fences in on each baseline, improving the concession stand and putting together our staff and creating ticket packages.”

Finding partners to help with the new venture has been a high priority with a six-man sales team that is working to find sponsors for in-game events, outfield and Coolidge Highway banners, dugout and batting circle sponsors, and the new deck(s) – there are plans for a right field deck in the future – and any other valued partnership space at #TheLuckyCorner.

“We are not just asking for money and putting your name on something,” Sackett said. “We want to promote your business or your nonprofit. We want you at the park showing off the benefits of your business and nonprofit. We are looking for true partners to help us attain our goal – bringing high-level summer collegiate baseball and affordable family fun to Memorial Park.

“The changes we have made to the park are focused on allowing family reunions, birthday parties, business outings, or any large or small group you have to attend a game,” he added. “This is going to be a great summer for baseball in Royal Oak.”

Working with the City of Royal Oak, Sackett and his staff have been curating the park – weather permitting – participating in chamber and city events such as sponsoring the Royal Oak St. Patrick’s Day Parade and generally getting the word out about all things Royal Oak Leprechauns.

In addition, the team has been searching for host families to help house the out-of-town players through the summer. There is also a need for interns to help pull off all of the behind-the-scenes work, from concessions to ticket sales to game set up and tear down and on-the-field fun activities between innings.

“We have a lot planned and have been working on it all since we got accepted into the Northwoods League last October,” Sackett said. “If you want to help out with hosting a player or working a game, I would love to talk to you. There’s a place for everyone in our organization. We’re looking for hard-working, opportunistic college interns who want to learn how things work from the ground up.”

Anyone interested should contact Mark Sackett, leprechaunball@gmail.com, (248) 930-0388.