Baseball has long been known as America’s pastime, and even if the NFL has eclipsed it as the country’s most popular sport, there’s still nothing quite like an evening at the ballpark.

The Gate City Grays are Pocatello’s answer to that call.

Terry and Erica Fredrickson have owned the Pocatello entry in the Northern Utah League for 13 years. They first got involved when Terry was student body president at Idaho State University and supported the ISU club baseball team. The Smithfield Blue Sox of the Northern Utah League picked up three players from that club team, and the Fredricksons would give some of those players a ride down to Smithfield to watch them play.

“One night I looked over at the side of the field and there was a group of kids playing wiffle ball,” Fredrickson said. “They were talking to each other and imitating players on the field. Not major league players, the players on the field in Smithfield. Erica looked over at me and said, ‘Pocatello needs this.’ I said, ‘I agree, we need this.’”

The Tremonton Turtles franchise folded around that same time, and the Fredricksons bought it and moved it to Pocatello.

On Friday, the Pocatello community — which has become one of the most solid fan bases in the Northern Utah League — will be back at Halliwell Park to celebrate opening day.

The Grays, a collection of mostly college baseball players with some recent high school graduates, will take on the Brigham City Peaches in a doubleheader, with first pitches scheduled at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Fredrickson admits keeping a semi-pro team running year to year can be a challenge, and it’s gotten more difficult this year after one of the team’s traditional sponsors dropped out. He and Erica have even considered selling the Grays. But two things keep them coming back.

“The first thing that keeps me and Erica in it is we get to meet all the guys coming in from all over,” Fredrickson said. “We host a barbecue in our back yard and we really get to know the guys. We just fall in love with them, and it’s so much fun to have them around.”

After 13 years, former players keep the Fredricksons up to speed on graduations, weddings, new babies and career developments. One former Gray is now a doctor in town.

“One guy just called us to say he had a little girl and is so proud to be a dad,” Fredrickson said. “Another called and said, ‘I’m a teacher now and I’m going to be a coach.’ That’s just awesome.”

The second factor is the community support that has grown up around the ballclub.

“Every year we get reunited with all our friends,” Fredrickson said. “They’re like family now. After 13 years, we’ve gotten to know a lot of people in Pocatello who have become close to us. There’s nothing like baseball season.”

This year’s season figures to be an even bigger community event. Of the 25 players on the roster, 22 are from Idaho.

“Being the only Idaho team in the Northern Utah League, we get a little bigger of a recruitment net,” said Rhys Pope, entering his sixth season managing the Grays. “There is a lot of good baseball in Idaho. That’s the first place we look, whether it’s here in southeastern Idaho, in Pocatello, and then as we need to fill the gaps, broaden out a little bit. Just watching southeastern Idaho baseball over the last few years, there’s a lot of good baseball that’s competitive.”

Pope, a Blackfoot native who played at Treasure Valley Community College and Dickinson State, has assembled a mix of returning players and new faces. His priority this year was building depth in the pitching staff.

“I feel like we’ll be pretty competitive,” Pope said. “We brought in some new faces. The biggest thing from last year was adding depth to the pitching staff. I feel like we’ve been able to do that. On paper, I think we’ll be competitive. It’s another thing to actually going out and doing it.”

Pope is still deciding who will start the opener. He will choose between Trem Tolman of Pocatello, who has pitched for Highland High School and Treasure Valley Community College, and Brayden Pieper, another Pocatello native who has pitched for the Grays for five seasons.

He is also excited to add Kolby Landon, an Ammon native who played at the College of Southern Idaho; Boston Ross, a Blackfoot High School graduate; and Colt Durham of Pocatello, a Highland High School graduate who also played at CSI.

Offensively, Pope points to Tyler Vance, a catcher and first baseman from Blackfoot, and Trayson Kostial, a third and first baseman from Rexburg, as his most proven hitters.

“I think offensively, we’re pretty athletic,” Pope said. “We’ll play the small ball, try to take the extra base type of deal. Hit and run, stolen bases.”

The most important lesson Pope tries to impart to his players is a simple one: have fun.

“Just reminding them that the game’s fun and that there’s a reason that you play the game of baseball,” he said. “I think a lot of college kids — and I was one of them — you kind of get sucked into the grind. You almost forget why you’re doing it. I think that’s the biggest thing that we try to do — remember there’s a reason you play the game. It’s supposed to be fun.”

The strong support of the Pocatello community makes it easier, Pope said.

“They make us feel like big leaguers,” he said. “Anytime we step out there I know that’s a huge selling point to our players. Hey, I don’t think you’ll be able to play in front of another crowd like this. I know I didn’t at Treasure Valley or Dickinson. Those sixth, seventh inning rallies, when you’re down one to have a crowd have our back, it makes the other team feel like, ‘Man, are we only playing nine or 1,500?’ It’s massive, it’s huge and we love it.”

PROMOTIONSThe Grays charge $5 for any seat, with no reserved seating. Special promotional nights this season:

June 19 — Little League Night. Any youth baseball player in uniform gets in free with a paying adult.

June 26 — Hawaiian Beach Night. Wear your loudest Hawaiian shirt.

June 27 — City Connect Night. The Grays will wear special uniforms representing their connection to Pocatello.

June 30 — Scout Night. Any Boy or Girl Scout in uniform gets in free with a paying adult.

July 1 — Veterans Appreciation Night. Free entry for the first 100 active military and veterans in uniform, plus first responders and their families.

July 11 — Idaho State University Night.

July 18 — Yoga in the Outfield Night. Come do yoga with the Grays players.

July 22 — Disability Awareness and Reading in the Outfield Night. Every child receives a book and a T-shirt and gets to have a player read to them in the outfield.

July 25 — Grateful Dead Night. Players will wear tie-dye uniforms, with a pre-game concert by local tribute band Touch of Gray, led by John Young.