Atlanta Braves ready to welcome fans for first game of spring training at CoolToday Park in North Port

NORTH PORT, Fla. (WWSB) - Final preparations taking place on Friday at CoolToday Park in North Port, the spring training home of the Atlanta Braves. That’s ahead of Saturday’s home opener against the Boston Red Sox. Crews working hard to fix damage from Hurricane Ian.

“We were scurrying 7 days a week for the last three months to getting everything prepared and ready,” said Mike Dunn, Vice President of Florida Operations for the Atlanta Braves. “It takes a staff of over 400 to run a game, hiring and training and getting all the preparations in place, it’s a very trying time and it’s something we’re very excited about.”

Both the stadium and field is now ready for some exciting baseball from the 2021 World Series champions. It’s something fans look forward to every year.

“We love these little spring training parks because they are like these little, shrinky dink parks,” said Fred and Kathy Colli of North Port. “And they got all the amenities. but it’s just smaller and more intimate.”

One fan from Boston ABC7 talked with at CoolToday Park says he’s actually a Brave’s fan.

“Been a braves fan since I was a kid, get crap for it all the time,” said Anthony Bisceglia. “Red Sox fans are diehards, but I love the Braves.”

Spring training is not only exciting for the fans but also for the players and staff as well.

“This is the rite of passage, it’s the start of baseball season, it’s synonymous with Florida and spring training,” said Dunn. “We’re just thrilled to be here in Sarasota County and be able to provide Braves Country a little bit from Atlanta Georgia.”

The Atlanta Braves play the Boston Red Sox at CoolToday Park on Saturday at 1:05pm. That game is sold out, but there are plenty of tickets available for upcoming games.