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It’s once again time to play ball at Four Winds Field. The South Bend Cubs, the High-A Minor League affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, are underway with their 2025 season as they aim for their sixth Midwest League championship and a third in the last six years.

Nick Lovullo, the son of Arizona Diamondbacks skipper Torey Lovullo, manages the Cubs in his second season. He’ll try to build on a 54-78 season in which the Cubs performed well at the plate but didn’t quite have the pitching to contend for a postseason spot.

The highest-rated prospect among the Cubs’ Opening Night position players, infielder Cristian Hernandez, checks in as the No. 11 Chicago Cubs prospect on MLB.com’s top 30. The 21-year-old Dominican slotted in at No. 2 on that list a few years ago and comes off a Carolina League All-Star season at Single-A Myrtle Beach. In addition to his .261 batting average and 59 runs batted in, Hernandez stole a whopping 44 bases a year ago.

Another fun international signing from the Dominican Republic, infielder Rafael Morel, returns to South Bend. The younger brother of three-year Chicago Cub third baseman Christopher Morel, Rafael spent all of the 2024 season in Michiana, hitting .227 with eight home runs.

Outfielder Andy Garriola projects as a top candidate to lead the Cubs in home runs this season. The former 17th-round draft pick out of Old Dominion crushed 21 long balls between Myrtle Beach and South Bend last season, leading the Carolina League in home runs and slugging percentage.

Last year’s metrics favor a better season on the mound for South Bend. Two 26-year-old right-handers, Connor Schultz and Sam Thoresen, each posted earned run averages south of 2.00 with more than 25 innings pitched last year. Right-handers Nick Dean, Kenten Egbert and Jaxon Wiggins all threw well as starters last year and should factor into the rotation early on. Wiggins is one of two second-round draft picks on South Bend’s staff, joining Burl Carraway, who hasn’t pitched since May 2022 due to injuries.

The Cubs feature a loaded roster on the promotions schedule as well. Weekly offerings such as Fantastic Friday Fireworks, Spin to Win Saturday and the always-popular Thirsty Thursday all return for the 2025 campaign. Bobblehead giveaways for the remainder of the season include former South Bend Cubs Pete Crow-Armstrong (July 6), Matt Shaw (August 3) and Miguel Amaya (August 24). The year wraps up with Fan Appreciation Day on Sunday, September 7.

If you do make it out to Four Winds Field for a game at any point in the 2025 season, chances are you’ll get a glimpse at the Cubs’ active $48 million upgrade of the ballpark. The renovation, which will wrap up as scheduled by Opening Night in 2026, will raise the stadium’s capacity above 10,000 and enhance its reputation as a premier venue for Minor League Baseball.

The skeleton for a new second deck of suites and seating is already in place, with Wrigley Field-esque light standards rising from the roof down the first and third-base lines. Brand new seating has been installed behind home plate, the splash pad has relocated to left-center field and a four-story event space is in progress beyond the left-field corner.

Most importantly for the short-term, Cubs executives have said that the project won’t interfere with spectators in 2025, keeping South Bend Cubs baseball a superb experience for fans of all ages.