You may be able to snag a baseball before The Diamond’s gates open by walking through the parking lot directly behind the outfield fence. If batting practice is taking place, some baseballs can leave the stadium and end up in the parking lot. While you’ll always want to exercise caution in this area — often, browsing after BP has concluded is safest — it’s satisfying to discover a baseball that you can either leave in your vehicle or take into the ballpark to get signed.
Once you’re inside, it’s always worthwhile to walk through the seats in hopes of finding a baseball leftover from batting practice. Although stadium ushers are tasked with retrieving these balls, some baseballs can be overlooked. Pay attention to the areas beneath the seats and in other similar areas.
During the game, sitting down the lines gives you a chance of snagging a foul ball. Similarly, hanging out in the upper deck can sometimes yield pop-up foul balls that make their way over the netting around home plate. The Diamond doesn’t have outfield seating, so this isn’t a ballpark at which you can expect to snag a home run baseball. (However, there’s a slim chance that you could get lucky and find a home run baseball in the parking lot after the game.)
You have a good chance of obtaining several autographs during your visit to The Diamond. The simplest approach is to hang out around either team’s dugout from the time you arrive until shortly before first pitch. The Flying Squirrels dugout is on the first base side, and more fans will tend to flock toward it for autographs. It’s common for a handful of players on each team to sign around the dugouts and down the lines shortly before first pitch. Don’t be afraid to call out to a player whose autograph you’re seeking, but remember to be polite.
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