TriCity ValleyCats To Remain In Troy, NY

For the longest time I can remember going to minor league baseball games as a kid with my family. First it was the Albany Colonie Yankees, and that would be followed by going to see the AC Diamond Dogs. Both of them played their games at Heritage Park (RIP). The Diamond Dogs left in 2002 making way for the Tri-City ValleyCats. They began playing their games in Troy, NY at Joe Bruno Stadium in 2002. In 2003 I attended HVCC and I was in awe of that beautiful ball park. The HVCC baseball team got to play their home games there, too.

Now in 2026 the ValleyCats are a staple in the Capital Region, and will be through 2027. They announced this morning that the team has officially renewed the lease with Rensselaer County and Hudson Valley Community College to continue playing into 2027, which would be the team's 25th anniversary season. In their official press release they said:

The announcement sets up a special season at The Joe next summer as the ValleyCats are poised to celebrate a quarter-century of baseball in the stadium. The ValleyCats’ 2027 season schedule will be announced by the Frontier League, soon to be known as the National Association of Professional Baseball, in the near future.

This is fantastic news for baseball fans in the Capital Region. The ValleyCats have become the team that I see the most people rooting for locally. There has always been some unstableness when it comes to minor league teams here in Upstate NY. Just as you grow accustomed to them being here they seem to either fold, or relocate.

In the 90s everyone was a huge fan of the Albany River Rats. They ended up leaving, but then came the Albany Devils. People loved going to those games, too. We've also had to dela with several arena football teams from the Firebirds to the Empire, and now back to the Firebirds, which people also love to go out and supports.

ValleyCats remain committed to the Capital Region

The ValleyCats staying here in our area show more than just them needing a place to play. It shows that they want to be here. This is their home, and we don't want them going anywhere else.