Champ Announced As Bat Dog For 2025 Season
The Durham Bulls today announced that Champ, the younger brother of Ripken The Bat Dog, will take over as the team’s bat dog at select games for the 2025 season. “We are very excited for Champ to continue Ripken’s legacy at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and cannot wait to see
The Durham Bulls today announced that Champ, the younger brother of Ripken The Bat Dog, will take over as the team’s bat dog at select games for the 2025 season.
“We are very excited for Champ to continue Ripken’s legacy at Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and cannot wait to see him make his debut on Saturday, April 5,” said Durham Bulls General Manager Chrystal Rowe. “For four seasons, our fans embraced Ripken and we look forward to them meeting Champ and seeing him in action.”
"While we never imagined Champ would be taking over for Ripken so soon, after spending the past two years shadowing his famous big brother, we are confident that Champ will do an amazing job fetching bats for the Bulls, and Ripken will be right there watching over him,” said Champ’s owner Melissa O’Donnell. “Champ is so sweet, incredibly smart, and at barely two years old, still a tad goofy. Champ has never met a face that he hasn't licked, and we know that Bulls fans will love him just as much as they loved our sweet Ripken. As we navigate through Champ's rookie season, we look forward to everyone's support and are excited for fans to watch him retrieve for many years to come."
Champ is a two-year-old American Black Lab, and made his bat dog debut last year with the Coastal Plain League’s Holly Springs Salamanders. He is the younger brother of Ripken The Bat Dog, who entertained thousands of Bulls fans as the Bulls’ bat dog between the 2021-24 seasons. Champ is scheduled to make fetch happen at his first Bulls game on Saturday, April 5. Below is a list of dates he is scheduled to be in attendance, with those appearances presented by Dr. Judy Morgan Naturally Healthy Pets:
- Saturday, April 5
- Saturday, April 19
- Friday, May 2
- Saturday, May 3
- Saturday, May 31
- Saturday, June 14
- Saturday, June 28
- Saturday, July 13
- Friday, July 25
- Saturday, July 26
- Saturday, August 16
- Friday, August 29
- Saturday, September 13
Fans will also have the chance to meet Champ for the first time at the Bulls’ annual Spring Fan Fest event on Friday, March 28. Tickets are free and required for entry, and fans can reserve their spot by clicking here.
After beginning the 2025 campaign in Norfolk on Friday, March 28, the Bulls begin their home slate at Durham Bulls Athletic Park on Tuesday, April 1 with a six-game homestand versus the defending Triple-A National Champion Sugar Land Space Cowboys, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros. Tickets for that game and all 2025 home contests are available and can be purchased by clicking here.
Full-season and mini plan packages for the 2025 season are now available, and can be purchased at Durham Bulls.com or by calling 919.956.BULL.
Barrera Blasts Bulls Past RailRiders With 4-3 Walk-Off Win
Bulls catcher Tres Barrera blasted a walk-off home run in the ninth inning to give Durham a 4-3 victory over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Sunday evening at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Bulls center fielder Tristan Peters reached base three times with two hits, including his first home run of the
Three Bulls Pitchers Combine To No-Hit RailRiders in 4-0 Win
Joe Boyle, Cole Sulser and Jacob Waguespack combined to throw the seventh no-hitter in Durham Bulls Triple-A franchise history, blanking the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 4-0 before 8,440 fans at the DBAP on Saturday night. Boyle (W, 1-1) worked six hitless frames against Scranton (11-8) in his first start since tossing five-plus
Scranton Defeats Durham 5-0
Three Scranton/Wilkes-Barre pitchers combined on a three-hit shutout as the RailRiders defeated the Durham Bulls 5-0 in front of a paid attendance of 8,642 at the DBAP on Friday night. Allan Winans worked three-plus scoreless, with Sean Boyle (W, 2-2) working five shutout frames to lead the RailRiders (11-7) to
Bulls Bash RailRiders 7-1
Tanner Murray and Bob Seymour went back-to-back in the second inning to lead the Durham Bulls past the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 7-1 on Thursday night at the DBAP. After scoring twice in the opening inning against RailRiders starter Jake Woodford (L, 0-1), Murray and Seymour each hit their fourth homers of
Bulls Top RailRiders With 4-3 Comeback Win
Jamie Westbrook homered to tie the game, then drew a bases loaded walk to propel the Durham Bulls past the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 4-3 at the DBAP on Wednesday night. Trailing 2-0 in the fourth, the Bulls (10-7) began their march back against Scranton (10-6). Bob Seymour hit a solo homer
RailRiders Beat Bulls 9-1
Erick Leal tossed one-run ball over 6 1/3 innings to lead the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders past the Durham Bulls 9-1 at the DBAP on Tuesday afternoon. Leal (W, 1-2), who hadn't pitched in affiliated ball since 2019, earned his first Triple-A win by allowing just four hits and one walk. The
Buffalo Defeats Durham 5-3
Rainer Nunez singled home the tie-breaking run in the Buffalo sixth to lift the Bisons past the Durham Bulls on Sunday afternoon 5-3 at Sahlen Field. The Bulls (9-6) took a 2-0 lead in the third on a two-run homer by Tanner Murray, but were held hitless from the fourth
Bulls Sweep Bisons In Saturday Twinbill
Carson Williams connected on his first Triple-A home run to catapult the Durham Bulls to a doubleheader sweep over the Buffalo Bisons on Saturday afternoon at Sahlen Field. After Durham (9-5) won the opener 4-1 behind a solid start by Logan Workman (W, 2-0) and Tres Barrera home run, Williams
Bisons Best Bulls 8-5
Buffalo scored three times in the eighth to snap a 5-5 tie and defeat the Durham Bulls 8-5 at Sahlen Field on Friday night. After recording the first out of the inning, Bulls reliever Paul Gervase (L, 0-1) permitted the next four batters to reach, including Ali Sanchez, who lashed
Bulls Split Twinbill In Buffalo
Kenny Piper clubbed a three-run homer in the opener of a chilly doubleheader, leading the Durham Bulls to a split with the Buffalo Bisons on Wednesday night at Sahlen Field. After Tuesday's postponement, Wednesday's twinbill started at 4:35 PM in 37 degree conditions, ending at 9:25 PM at 34 degrees.
Bulls Blank Space Cowboys With 6-0 Win
Joe Boyle and three Durham relievers combined on a six-hit shutout as the Bulls defeated the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 6-0 on Sunday afternoon at the DBAP. Boyle tossed four scoreless innings, stranding seven baserunners, then turned the game over to Garrett Acton (W, 1-0), Jonathan Hernandez and Cole Sulser
Bulls Walk-Off With 2-1 Win In Eleven
Tristan Peters singled home Coco Montes in the 11th inning to lift the Durham Bulls past the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 2-1 at the DBAP on Saturday night. The Bulls (5-3) won the game on Peters' single, which was Durham's second hit of the entire game. Kenny Piper tied the
Sugar Land Leaps Past Durham 7-1
Shay Whitcomb connected for a pair of solo home runs to lead Sugar Land past the Durham Bulls 7-1 at the DBAP on Thursday night. Whitcomb, who tied for the minor league lead in home runs in 2023, hit his first of the season in the sixth against Bulls reliever
Seymour Slams Bulls Past Space Cowboys 6-1
Bob Seymour drilled a grand slam in the fifth while Chandler Simpson tripled home two runs in the eighth to lift the Durham Bulls past the Sugar Land Space Cowboys 6-1 on Wednesday night at the DBAP. Durham (3-2) built a four-run frame in the fifth with two outs and
Space Cowboys Best Bulls 2-0
Shay Whitcomb doubled in the game's only two runs in the third inning as the Sugar Land Space Cowboys defeated the Durham Bulls in Durham's 2025 home opener on Tuesday night. Whitcomb's double came after a pair of two-out walks by Joe Boyle (L, 0-1). The hit by the Space
Norfolk Defeats Durham 8-2
The Norfolk Tides scored six times in the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie en route to an 8-2 win over the Durham Bulls on Sunday afternoon at Harbor Park. Luis Vazquez tripled in two tie-breaking runs against reliever Joey Gerber (L, 0-2), then Gunnar Henderson drilled an opposite-field
Bulls Topple Tides 9-3
For the second night in a row, the Durham Bulls scored nine runs, six of them unearned, to defeat the Norfolk Tides 9-3 at Harbor Park on Saturday night. Durham (2-0) scored in the opening inning for the second consecutive game, this time thanks entirely to speedster Chandler Simpson. Simpson
Bulls Roll Tides 9-2 In 2025 Opener
Tanner Murray and Eloy Jimenez each drove in three runs, while Ian Seymour tossed five scoreless innings to lead the Durham Bulls past the Norfolk Tides 9-2 on Opening Night at Harbor Park. Leading 3-0 in the fifth, Murray drilled a two-run homer against Tides reliever Corbin Martin, sparking a
Bulls Announce 2025 Opening Day Roster
The Durham Bulls, in conjunction with the Tampa Bay Rays, have announced their Opening Day roster for the 2025 season. Headlining the initial 2025 roster are infielder Carson Williams, rated the Top Shortstop Prospect, in addition to the ninth-best overall prospect in baseball and top Rays prospect by MLB.com, as
Bulls Announce New Partnership with RapidScale, A Cox Company
The Durham Bulls today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Raleigh headquartered managed cloud services company RapidScale to promote job opportunities to local graduates. The partnership will include multiple events targeted at graduates interested in pursuing careers in the technology industry. “This one is special. For the first time ever,
Bulls Announce 2025 Promotions Schedule
The Durham Bulls today announced their promotions for the upcoming 2025 season, which will mark the 30 years since Durham Bulls Athletic Park opened on April 6, 1995. Single-game tickets for all 75 home dates are on sale now and can be purchased by clicking here. The 2025 season features
Carson Williams Among Rays Players Set to Participate in Spring Breakout
Rosters have been announced for the second Spring Breakout, a four-day event showcasing the future of baseball with games between the best prospects in each farm system across Grapefruit and Cactus League ballparks. The Tampa Bay Rays roster features several of the organization's top-rated minor league players, including top prospect
Rays Reassign Four Pitchers to Minor League Camp
The Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday afternoon announced they have reassigned four pitchers to minor league camp, including 2024 Bulls pitchers Logan Workman and Alfredo Zarraga. Two other hurlers, lefty Keyshaw Askew and righty Austin Vernon, could also potentially pitch in Durham at some point this year. CLICK HERE TO