Altoona Rail Kings

Altoona Rail Kings
1996 – 1997 Altoona, Pennsylvania
Minor league affiliations
Class	Independent (1996-1997)
League	Heartland League (1997) North Atlantic League (1996)
Division	Northern Division
Team data
Name	Altoona Rail Kings (1996-1997)
Colors	Green, red, gold, white [1]
Ballpark	Vets Field (1996-1997)

The Altoona Rail Kings were a former independent baseball team, playing their home games at Veterans Memorial Field in Altoona, Pennsylvania averaging nearly 1,200 fans per game. ^[2]

They played two seasons, 1996 in the North Atlantic League, and 1997 in the Heartland League. In 1996, the Rail Kings finished 36-42. In 1997, they finished 22-14 in the Northern Division's first half, and 14-22 in the second. ^[3] They finished second and third place in their respective leagues. ^[4] They did make the playoffs, losing in two straight games to the Anderson Lawmen.

When the Pittsburgh Pirates-affiliated AA franchise was awarded to Altoona, the Rail Kings relocated to Huntington, West Virginia, for the 1998 season—playing at the St. Cloud Commons, they retained the Rail King name but redesigned their logo to feature a crowned H rather than an A. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

The Rail Kings remained in the Heartland League. The Huntington Rail Kings did not finish the 1998 season, closing due to poor attendance. The Altoona Curve arrived in Altoona in 1999.

Today, the Rail Kings name lives on at Blair County Ballpark, where the best seats are designated "Rail King." The Rail Kings' mascot was R.K. Two other names considered for the team were used later by affiliated teams: the Spikes, now used by State College, and the Curve, used by the current AA team.

Players for the initial season included:

• Jeff Andrews
• Eric Burroughs
• Mike Cacciotti
• Peter Dallas
• Howard Hill
• Mark Hilyard
• Anthony Iasparro
• Karun Jackson
• Farley Love
• Travis Maxwell
• Carlos Mirabal
• Tim Mitchell
• Paul Neatrour
• Manny Perez
• Billy Reed
• Stanley Scales
• Ray Schmittle
• Anthony Sharer
• John Smith
• Doug Smyly
• Tony Webster
• Eric Yelding
• Tommy Seasoltz (batboy)

Player Information [8] Player Bats Throws Birthday Height Weight Hometown Jeff Andrews R R October 22, 1971 6'0" 185     Arab, AL US Eric Burroughs L L October 31, 1969 5'9" 165   Thomasville, AL US Mike Caccioti L L Jon Choate L R September 14, 1973 5'11" 185     Houston, TX US Stacy Chupailo R R February 16, 1976 6'4" 195     Muskegon, MI US Peter Dallas R R May 30, 1974 6'4" 205     Deerfield, IL US Tommy Hearn R R Dominic Hernandez R R Howard Hill L L Mark Hilyard R R Anthony Iasparro R R K. J. Jackson R R May 3, 1971 5'9" 170   Mobile, AL US Darren Jones R R Hank Lott L L November 27, 1966 6'6" 205   Chicago, IL US Farley Love R R April 21, 1973 6'6" 200   Fort Ord, CA US Travis Maxwell R R 5'9" 160 Carlos Mirabal R R April 24, 1973 6'0" 169 Tim Mitchell L L June 7, 1971 6'2" 230 Paul Neatrour R R Manny Perez R R William Posteluk L L Tobias Price L L August 11, 1974 6'2" 225   San Diego, CA US Billy Reed R R May 9, 1973 5'10" 160   Birmingham, AL US Michael Richmond R R Willie Roland R R October 23, 1973 5'10" 190   Corpus Christi, TX US Jake Scaffidi S R Stan Scales R R May 20, 1971 5'11" 172   Talladega, AL US Ray Schmittle L L August 10, 1974 5'11" 200   Altoona, PA US Tony Sharer R R July 22, 1975 6'1" 185   Tyrone, PA US John Smith R R October 21, 1976 6'2" 220   Passaic, NJ US Doug Smyly R R January 29, 1973 6'5" 205   Miami, FL US Joey Vreonis R R December 17, 1971 6'4" 235   Pittsburg, CA US Matt Weber R R Tony Webster R R Grey Wilkinson R R August 29, 1974 6'2" 185   Houston, TX US Eric Yelding R R February 22, 1965 5'11" 170   Montrose, AL US

Management included:

• Owner/President: Eric Reichert
• General Manager: Mike Richmond
• Director of Media Relations: Dave Shannon
• Director of Sales and Marketing: Shawn McIntire
• Account Executive: Eddie Depp
• Manager: Tommy Hearn
• Coach: Michael Richmond
• Athletic trainer:Bryant Musselman

References

1. "Heartland League Official Colors (1996 through 1998)". TruColor.net. Retrieved 22 October 2025.
2. "Royal memories: Two decades later, Altoona Rail Kings still hold place in city's baseball history". altoonamirror.com. Retrieved 2022-09-21.
3. "Altoona Rail Kings minor league baseball Statistics and Roster on StatsCrew.com". www.statscrew.com. Archived from the original on 2025-02-07. Retrieved 2025-12-01.
4. Finoli, David (2008). Baseball in Altoona: From the Mountain City to the Curve. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN   978-0-7385-5537-9.
5. "St. Cloud Commons - Charlie's Ball Parks". Charlie's Ball Parks. Retrieved September 20, 2024.
6. Viquez, Marc (2023-11-17). "Appy League Returns to Huntington, WV". Stadium Journey. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
7. Casto, James (2018-12-10). "Lost Huntington: The Huntington Cubs". The Herald-Dispatch. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
8. "1996 Altoona Rail Kings Roster". www.statscrew.com. Retrieved November 20, 2025.