FORT WAYNE, Ind. (ADAMS) – Parkview Field will host the Hoosier State Tenderloins Series presented by Indiana Pork from Thursday, Aug. 3 through Sunday, Aug. 6 as the Fort Wayne TinCaps take on the Great Lakes Loons (LA Dodgers affiliate) in Minor League Baseball action.
During those four games, delicious tenderloin sandwiches will be on the menu at Parkview Field. For every sandwich sold, Indiana Pork will generously donate a meal of ground pork to the Community Harvest Food Bank of Northeast Indiana, which is based in Fort Wayne.
The TinCaps released the following:
“Indiana Pork is excited to partner with the TinCaps to showcase the Breaded Tenderloin Sandwich,” said Jeanette Merritt, Director of Communications for Indiana Pork. “Hoosier pig farmers know how popular it is. But it’s also very exciting to donate ground pork to the local food bank and show just how much farmers want to make sure they’re feeding their neighbors.”
Meanwhile, the award-winning ballpark’s centerfield concourse will also feature “fair games,” making Parkview Field feel like a festival.
The TinCaps (High-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres) will play as the Hoosier State Tenderloins, wearing specially designed uniforms. The team’s jerseys will be red, white and blue, featuring a Hoosier State Tenderloins logo on the chest. The predominantly blue sleeves will have a fairgrounds motif. The base of the jersey includes red and white candy stripes, which subtly include the names of all 92 Indiana counties.
Similarly, the caps have a red bill and button on top. Wide red and white stripes run down the sides. The logo—a too-big-for-the-bun tenderloin sandwich, overflowing with lettuce and mayonnaise, that has a toothpick protruding out frilled with Indiana’s state flag—is the centerpiece.
While the Breaded Tenderloin Sandwich is universally revered around the Hoosier State (even if it isn’t the state’s official sandwich, yet), it originated in Northeast Indiana, not far from Parkview Field. Just 25 miles southeast of the ballpark in downtown Huntington, Nick’s Kitchen has been treating customers to tasty tenderloin sandwiches since 1908. Now, Nick’s is the first stop on what has been named the Tenderloin Trail that weaves throughout the state all the way down to Evansville.
The State of Indiana is the fifth-largest pork-producing state in the U.S. with nearly 3,000 Hoosier pig farmers.
“There’s always an appetite for fun and creativity in Minor League Baseball,” said Michael Limmer, TinCaps Vice President of Marketing and Promotions. “The Breaded Tenderloin Sandwich has long been a Hoosier tradition. Others may claim it, but Hoosiers know we did it first, and do it best! Just as a classic tenderloin is too large for the bun, we’re planning to go big for these games as the Hoosier State Tenderloins.”
The Hoosier State Tenderloins join other highly popular local food-related alternate identities in Minor League Baseball, including the Triple-A Lehigh Valley Cheesesteaks (IronPigs), Double-A Maine Whoopie Pies (Portland Sea Dogs), and Single-A Fresno Tacos (Grizzlies).
Before then, upcoming TinCaps promotions include Princess Night on Aug. 1. Tickets are available through TinCaps.com, by calling 260-482-6400, and at the Parkview Field Ticket Office.
The TinCaps just hosted more than 40,000 fans over this past week’s six-game homestand, with three of the nights drawing more than 7,300 fans. For the season, Parkview Field’s average of 5,114 fans per game ranks third out of 60 Single-A and High-A teams. That figure is also greater than 23 Double-A clubs and seven at the Triple-A level.