Lake Erie Crushers Announce 2011 Schedule

TheLake Erie Crushers have perfect timing.

On the eve of the shortest day of the year, the Crushers are giving fans an early Christmas present to beat the winter doldrums by announcing that Opening Day 2011 will be Friday, May 27 at .

The Crushers will open their third season in the Frontier League against an expansion team from Joliet, Ill. The starting times for all games will be announced soon, the team said Monday.

The Crushers also are making plans for a four-day extravaganza surrounding the Frontier League All-Star Game, which will be played in Avon on Wednesday, July 13.  The festivities will go from  July 11 through July 14.

The Crushers open the 2011 season in Illinois on Friday, May 20 with a game against the Windy City Thunderbolts.

The regular-season home schedule will conclude on Sept. 1. The Crushers then play a three-game series at Traverse City (Mich.), with a goal of then playing in the playoffs.

The Crushers won the Frontier League championship in 2009, the team's inaugural season.

The  top two teams in each six-team division will play a best-of-five first-round series, with regular season record determining the home-field advantage for the rest of the playoffs. 

Season tickets for 2011 season are already on sale. Information on tickets, promotions and team news is available  at www.LakeErieCrushers.com or by calling 440-934-3636.