The Tri-City Chili Peppers will kick off their 2024 season at Shepherd Stadium tonight. The collegiate summer baseball team's roster is stacked with NCAA players from around the country.

A significant proportion of the Chili Pepper's roster is filled out by players from Virginia colleges. William & Mary, VMI, JMU, VCU, VSU, ODU, Randolph Macon, George Mason, Radford, Cambell, Mary Washington, and Longwood are all sending players to Colonial Heights this summer.

Players from several out-of-state universities — mostly from the southeast, but not exclusively — will also be taking the field at Shepherd Stadium this year. Grant Edwards and Connor Handy have come all the way from the University of New Orleans to pitch for the Peppers. Ethan Hamill comes from Cornell.

Three players are here from Delaware State University — Kieran Etwaru, Krew Bouldin, and Evan Bouldin. Hanover College, North Carolina A&T, Frostburg State University, Millersville University, Rider University, Laffayette, Vanderbilt, UNC Pembroke, Ashland University, and FL Southwestern Community College will all be lending players to the Peppers.

We've already gone over the Chili Peppers' promotional schedule for this year. This season's going to be a lot of fun. You can go ahead and mark your calendars for Princesses & Pirates Night, Wagging Wednesdays, and reportedly the nation's first Cosmic Baseball night.

For games on Mondays through Saturdays, gates open at 5:45 p.m. and play starts at 7. On Sundays gates open at 4:30 p.m. and the first pitch is thrown at 5:45. Consult the full schedule to see all the Chili Peppers’ 2024 home games.