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The games don’t count until the spring, but the 2025 baseball season begins this weekend - at least in some respects - for the Vermilion Ironhawks.
Community college baseball is in town Saturday at historic Veterans Memorial Field, as Vermilion hosts Northern Division rival Hibbing in a doubleheader that starts at 3 p.m.
It’s the first of several fall scrimmages for Vermilion, which is rebuilding with 20 first-year players on a current 29-player roster.
Two former Ely Timberwolves - sophomore first baseman Erron Anderson and freshman pitcher/infielder Elliot Levens - are on the Vermilion roster.
The “fall ball” season runs through mid-October and includes home dates against Mesabi (Sept. 25) and Rainy River (Oct. 1) as well as the Sept. 28 alumni game.
“While the season is a few months away, these games are important to see how our first-year guys fit in and to see where we need work before the spring,” said Vermilion Head Coach Tom Coombe. “And we usually get to take advantage of some good baseball weather this time of year. It’s usually a lot warmer than when we play in the first part of the spring.”
The Vermilion players will also join current high school and American Legion players in a fall league that runs each Sunday through the end of the month.
The public is invited to attend the fall games and the concession stand at Veterans Memorial Field will be open for Saturday’s twinbill. Admission is free.
• Also this week, the Vermilion baseball team travels to Grand Rapids Wednesday to meet defending division champion Itasca.
