LANCASTER, PA — Franklin & Marshall College will move all baseball practices and home games to Penn Medicine Park beginning with the spring 2027 season under an eight-year agreement with the Lancaster Stormers that gives the Division III program access to professional facilities while expanding ties between the college and the ballpark.
The agreement takes effect immediately and makes the Stormers’ stadium the official home of F&M baseball. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The Diplomats will receive dedicated locker rooms and equipment storage along with access to the stadium’s training facilities during their season. The arrangement replaces the college setting for the team’s regular baseball operations with a professional ballpark environment.
“Baseball is our oldest varsity sport and is foundational to our school’s athletic history,” F&M Director of Athletics and Recreation Lauren Packer Webster said. She described the move as a significant step as the college approaches 150 years of athletics.
The partnership also extends beyond the baseball program. All F&M students will receive free digital tickets to every Stormers game, while faculty and staff will also have access to tickets.
F&M and the Stormers plan to jointly market collegiate and professional games and develop promotional events intended to increase attendance and connect the two organizations’ audiences.
The agreement calls for a co-branded scoreboard display facing the F&M campus, along with digital and physical signage inside Penn Medicine Park. The organizations also plan to use stadium entertainment suites for community gatherings, alumni events and other functions.
John Abbamondi, founder and CEO of Prospector Baseball Group, the Stormers’ parent company, said the agreement expands an existing relationship in which Penn Medicine Park has previously hosted F&M games.
“We’ve been fortunate to host F&M games over the years, and this agreement builds on a relationship that has already been a great fit for both organizations,” Abbamondi said.
F&M President Andrew Rich said the arrangement is intended to strengthen connections between the college and the broader Lancaster community while giving the baseball program access to a professional stadium.
Penn Medicine Park will also gain a regular collegiate tenant in addition to the Stormers, increasing use of the facility and creating additional opportunities for joint events and programming.
Michael Reynolds, CEO of the Lancaster Stormers, said bringing F&M into the stadium as a permanent baseball tenant supports efforts to use the venue beyond the professional team’s games.
The Diplomats are scheduled to make their debut as Penn Medicine Park’s resident college baseball team in spring 2027.
Support the local news that supports Chester County. MyChesCo delivers reliable, fact-based reporting and essential community resources—free for everyone. If you value that, click here to become a patron today.