Salt Lake Bees Begin New Chapter With 2025 Opening Day
Mar 28, 2025, 1:06 PM
Field level, behind home plate view of The Ballpark at America First Square, new home of the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees (Brian Preece)
(Brian Preece)
SOUTH JORDAN, Utah – Opening Day, along with the Fourth of July and World Series, captures the pageantry and majesty of baseball better than any other moment in the season. The warmth of spring brings with it the promise of cotton candy clouds, endless dugout chatter, and best of all, a new season. Professional baseball’s showcase event elicits excitement from players, coaches, and fans across the game.
For the Salt Lake Bees, the start of the 2025 campaign brings a rare opportunity to christen a new ballpark. Following 30 seasons at the corner of 100 West and 1300 South in Salt Lake, the Bees will open The Ballpark at America First Square when they host the Reno Aces on Tuesday, April 8.
“You can definitely tell we’re a little bit farther away from the mountains than we were at Smith’s,” ten-year veteran Bees manager and Salt Lake City resident Keith Johnson. “The aesthetics of the ballpark. What it looks like, there’s a little bit more character to it.”
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For second-year Bees play-by-play voice Tony Parks, Opening Day represents turning the page on a new story.
“Opening Day, it really does feel like chapter one,” Parks said. “When you’re around the players, when you’re around the staff, when you’re around the stadium, obviously, a new stadium that’s being built, it brings a sense of optimism, excitement, and enthusiasm. It’s been that way since I was a little kid.”
“It’s new beginnings, you know? New logos, new team, new year, new everything,” Johnson finished.
Keith Johnson enters year 10 as Bees manager
A three-time Bees manager, Johnson enters his tenth season leading the franchise and 18th year coaching in the Angels organization. The Hanford, California native spent nine years climbing the minor league ranks before getting a six-game cup of coffee with the Angels in 2000.
“As a guy that played in the minor leagues for a really long time and had a small amount of time to play at the Major League level, I mean, he wants to win for his guys, individually and collectively, more than anybody I have ever been around,” Parks said of Johnson.
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Our Sammy Miller spoke with Bees Manager Keith Johnson ahead of his 10th season with Salt Lake. pic.twitter.com/sFgwPhVBWC
— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) March 26, 2025
Beyond his previous playing experience and baseball acumen, the year-round Salt Lake resident has a distinctive approach for each of his players.
“He loves the game, but he really loves the people, and he loves what the goal and the mission are for the individual and the team that comes with this game,” Parks said of Johnson’s ability to gain the trust of his team. “Keith Johnson as the manager of this ball club, I think, embodies what the organization is all about.”
Even though you’ll never catch him bringing it up, Johnson’s players know their manager can empathize with minor league malaise. Johnson has been through the grind and will do everything he can to help them reach their potential.
OPENING DAY…THE 2025 SEASON STARTS NOW. pic.twitter.com/iFpUg5GYhv
— Salt Lake Bees (@SaltLakeBees) March 28, 2025
Parks reflected on his observations of Johnson’s brutal truth teaching style.
“What it feels like watching him work with them, and what it feels like watching him talk with them, connect with them,” Parks said. “Just passing by in conversations, listening to him talk to a guy in the dugout, you know, watching him out there on the field with his arms out, talking with them, instructing them on what’s going on, and being able to communicate with that trust you’re talking about. It’s a beautiful thing.”
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Salt Lake opens the season with a nine-game road trip. The Bees take on the El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres) on Friday, March 28. Following a three-game series with the Chihuahuas, the Bees head to New Mexico for a six-game set with the Albuquerque Isotopes (Colorado Rockies) from April 1-April 6.
Listen to ‘Voice of the Bees’ Tony Parks on KSL Sports Zone.
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You can find KSL Sports coverage of the Bees here.
Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
