2012 Attendance Highest Since 2002

Salisbury, Md. - The Delmarva Shorebirds, class "A" affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles, are pleased to announce that a total of 231,194 fans attended 70 Shorebirds home games at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium this summer, the highest single season total since the 2002 season. The team ended the home portion of the schedule on August 30 in front of a near capacity crowd of 6,841.

The 231,194 fans is the eighth highest season total in franchise history.

In 2012, an average of 3,303 fans per game flocked to Perdue Stadium, the highest average attendance since 2009. Attendance jumped by 19,201 fans from 2011 to 2012, an average of over 274 fans per game.

"The 2012 season proved that the community is still extremely supportive of Shorebirds baseball after 17 years," said Shorebirds general manager Chris Bitters. "I want to thank all of our fans, from those that attended one game to the many that attended all 70."

The Shorebirds drew 13 crowds of over 5,000 fans during the 2012 season. A season high of 8,192 fans poured into the stadium on May 26. The second highest attended game was July 3, when 7,989 fans entered Perdue Stadium.

"Our entire staff, from full-time staff members to our gameday employees, worked extremely hard to make this a memorable season for our fans," said Chris Bitters. "We proved this season that Shorebirds baseball is still a great source of entertainment for families after 17 years on the Eastern Shore."

The Shorebirds season was filled with many highlights including the emergence of Orioles top pitching prospect Dylan Bundy, who started his professional career with the Shorebirds. In eight starts with the team, he went 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 30 innings pitched. The season also featured two rehab starts by one of the most popular Orioles, Brian Roberts, on May 29 and May 30.

The 2013 season opens on April 4 at Arthur W. Perdue Stadium against the Hagerstown Suns. Season tickets are now on sale by calling the Shorebirds front office at 410-219-3112.