Springfield, IL  (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The home opener for the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes is finally here, taking place Tuesday night at Robin Roberts Stadium. The Shoes are set to face off against the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp out of Peru, Illinois.

Manager Brad Gyorkos joined the team in November after coaching the now defunct Quincy Gems for two years. He not only brings with him a wealth of expertise but also a familiarity with many of the players. “The nice part is, I brought a lot of guys with me.  So, it’s not really a new group,” said Gyorkos. However, there are some new faces, even to the manager.  “The toughest part is getting to know the guys. They’re from all over the country. It’s hard, you have to put names with faces really quickly,” said Gyorkos.

Isaiah Naylor, a left-handed pitcher from Houston, Texas, played for the Shoes last season until a wrist injury ended his season. Naylor is back and is ready to go for season two. He said he is hoping to get recruited and is in the transfer portal.

Kannon Kirk, from Virden, said he jumped at the opportunity to play in Springfield. Kirk played for a team in St. Louis last year but is excited to be closer to home. Kirk said, “Coming together as a group pretty fast is one of the major challenges, but I think we’ve got a good group of guys. We’re going to be able to do it.”

Game time is 6:30 p.m.  Get more information at ShoesBaseball.com.