BRADENTON -- The last time the Bradenton Marauders stepped foot inside McKechnie Field, they made history.

It was Sept. 7, 2010, and the Marauders -- the Pittsburgh Pirates’ high Single-A affiliate -- hosted and won the team’s first playoff game, beating the Charlotte Stone Crabs.

It was the final game of the team’s first season at home because the Stone Crabs won the next two games when the Florida State League’s South Division best-of-three championship series returned to Charlotte County.

Fittingly, the home portion of the Marauders’ 2011 schedule will pick up were last summer left off, as Bradenton hosts Charlotte at 6:30 p.m. today at McKechnie.

Both teams opened the season Thursday at Charlotte Sports Park.

Tonight’s festivities begin when the game ball is picked up at Pirate City by the Crewe of De Soto. It will make stops around the area before arriving at McKechnie. The flag the Marauders received for winning the Florida State League’s South Division during the second half will be raised, and mayor Wayne Poston will throw out the ceremonial first pitch after the players are introduced.

Prior to the game, WTMY-AM 1280 hosts a kickoff party from 3 to 6 p.m. at The Sporting News Grill at The Holiday Inn Sarasota-Bradenton Airport and will offer a shuttle bus to the game.

The station will carry all Marauders game this season.

Despite drawing just more than 51,000 fans last year -- next to last in the 12-team FSL -- the Marauders did manage to cultivate a fervent base of supporters, including Bradenton resident Keith Haslett. The 53-year-old Haslett, one of the 3,339 people who like the franchise on Facebook, attended 66 home games last year and traveled to Tampa, Clearwater and Port Charlotte to watch the team on the road.

“To be able to follow the progress of a young athlete starting his climb to someday play at the major league level is special,” Haslett said. “The opportunity to meet and talk to fellow baseball fans that eventually grew into friendships was also something I valued.”

What last year’s fans got to see was a crop of players who advanced up the Pirates chain. Fourteen players on the organization’s Double-A team in Altoona were Marauders last year, along with manager P.J. Forbes and pitching coach Wally Whitehurst.

“It was a great year,” said Trevor Gooby, the Pirates’ director of Florida operations.

Now, a new year has begun.

And tonight, it returns to McKechnie Field.