KANSAS CITY, Kan. – For the fifth straight year, the Kansas City T-Bones were in the top five for average attendance in independent baseball, according to Ballpark Digest’s annual ranking, released on Monday.

Ballpark Digest’s list lumps together 388 teams from the affiliated minor leagues, independent leagues, summer collegiate leagues and the Mexican League.

Kansas City, which was second in average attendance in the American Association behind Winnipeg, finished 47th overall on Ballpark Digest’s 2012 list with an average of 5,212 fans per game. Three teams from the independent Atlantic League – Sugar Land, Long Island and Somerset – finished ahead of the T-Bones.

By comparison to the T-Bones’ overall ranking of 47, the Omaha Storm Chasers were 30th (5,938) and the Northwest Arkansas Naturals were 62nd (4,656). The Springfield Cardinals, St. Louis’ double-A affiliate, were two places behind the T-Bones at 49th with 5,111 fans per game.

The T-Bones have totaled more than 200,000 fans during each of their 10 seasons in Kansas City, and in 2012 eclipsed the 2.5-million mark for total attendance (2,558,238) in the club’s history.

“We’re obviously very proud of our product overall, but the proof that we’re doing something right is how the club has resonated so well with fans,” said T-Bones President Adam Ehlert. “Kansas City is a spectacular baseball town, and rooting the club and CommunityAmerica Ballpark in Wyandotte County 10 years ago could not have been a better fit. Thank you, baseball fans, for our first great 10 years.”

The T-Bones set a Tuesday night attendance record in 2012 when 10,202 people filled CommunityAmerica Ballpark on June 12 against Newark. It was one of the top single-game marks in club history.

“For a team to set an attendance record like that in its 10th season is unheard of,” said T-Bones Vice President and General Manager Chris Browne. “We would like to thank our fans, partners, staff and team for providing an atmosphere of Fun Well Done again in 2012. It was truly a remarkable 10th anniversary season.”

Season tickets are available for the 2013 campaign by calling the T-Bones ticket office at 913-328-5618. More information is available online at tbonesbaseball.com.