OREM — The Orem Owlz, despite qualifying for the Pioneer League playoffs for the past seven years and winning three league titles, are selling more than just baseball these days.

"Our philosophy, whether we're in a recession or not, is to show fans a good time," Owlz general manager Aaron Wells said. "We believe fans are still looking for ways to get out of the house and to spend time doing something outdoors, and we feel we have a lot of options and provide a good outlet to be enjoying the summer under the stars. We're making the ballpark a fun place to be."

The Owlz' slogan this season is "Celebrate the summer."

To support that theme, the Owlz have kept their general admission prices — $4 for adults and $2 for children, with children under the age of 3 admitted free — the same for the past two years. New this season will be the pregame barbecue on Saturdays and seventh-inning snacks that any fan can purchase for $15, rather than just keeping the barbecue areas available for groups.

On Mondays, a family can buy six tickets, six hot dogs and six drinks for $36. For Sunday games, all tickets, hot dogs and drinks are $1 each. The Owlz' reading challenge program rewards students with free tickets for reaching their reading goals in school.

"When fans come to the park, we really take pride in providing them with the greatest value to their entertainment," said Matt Gittins, Owlz media relations director. "We strive to create an engaging environment for the whole family. One of the ways we do this is through our theme nights."

This season, along with the club's regular promotions, the Owlz will have an "As Seen On TV Night," "Game Show Night" and the "Hootz and Holly Wedding" night.

Of course, the Owlz also hope to again put a quality product on the field — which is still the main reason the franchise has been among the league's top attendance teams since moving to Utah County prior to the 2001 season.

"Even with all the promotions we do, we're still always interested in promoting the game of baseball," Wells said.

e-mail: jimr@desnews.com