Yankees' Triple-A Affiliate Giving Fans a Rooting Interest in March Madness

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are offering a bounty of prizes to season-ticket holders, based on NCAA Tournament results.

A general view of PNC Field during the eighth inning of a game between the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and the Louisville Bats at PNC Field in July 2013. / Howard Smith-Imagn Images

Come March, season-ticket holders of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders will turn into big college basketball fans.

Auburn. Duke. Maybe George Mason or North Texas. Lipscomb, perhaps?

The RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, announced the return of a promotion on Tuesday that mixes March Madness and summertime fun at their home field in Moosic, Pennsylvania.

Selection Sunday for the men’s NCAA Tournament is March 16. And anyone who buys season tickets to the RailRiders by March 19 randomly will be assigned a team, or teams, to root for, based on how many games they purchase.

Buy a full-season tickets to the RailRiders? You’ll become an instant fan of four NCAA teams. A partial plan? Two teams. A flex plan? One team.

Prizes await.

And the farther the NCAA team assigned to ticket holders goes in March Madness, the better the prize is. Ticket holders whose specified teams advance to these rounds will walk away with the corresponding gift:

Round of 32: a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre scarf and cowboy hat

Sweet 16: a Stanley Hudson RailRiders bobblehead, a team T-shirt and an Aaron Judge “62” poster

Elite Eight: four tickets to a game at Yankee Stadium, a RailRiders travel mug and military hat, and four standing-room only sets to the Geisinger Champions Club level for a RailRiders

Final Four: an autographed item, four tickets to a game at Yankee Stadium, a $25 gift card to the RailRiders team store and a game-worn jersey

Championship team: an autographed item, a complimentary suite at a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre game in April, a chance to throw out the first pitch before a RailRiders game, four tickets to a Yankees home game, a $100 gift card to the RailRiders team store, a game-worn jersey and a game-used bat.

When it comes to promotions, minor league teams are endlessly creative, and this Yankees affiliate is no exception. Mixing minor league baseball and the NCAA Tournament – one of the biggest annual events in sports – shows some real thought.

The RailRiders open their season March 28 on the road and will make their home debut at PNC Field in Moosic on April 8 against the Rochester Red Wings.

Related MiLB Stories

LOCKED OUT: Tampa Tarpons won’t have access to showstopping facilities at Steinbrenner Field complex CLICK HERE:

HE’S A PEACH: Meet Fuzzy, the mascot of the Atlanta Braves’ new Double-A affiliate and learn more about the Columbus Clingstones. CLICK HERE:

RETURNING: Buffalo Bisons bring back manager who could make history to run Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate CLICK HERE: