Brockton Rox (2002–2024)

Last updated
Brockton Rox
Information
Location Brockton, Massachusetts
Ballpark Campanelli Stadium
Founded2002
Folded2024
League championships1 Northeast League (2003)
Division championships1 Northeast League (2003)
Former league(s)
ColorsNavy blue, red, silver, white
    
MascotK-O the Kangaroo
OwnershipSummerball LLC

The Brockton Rox were a collegiate summer baseball team based in Brockton, Massachusetts, United States. Initially a professional baseball franchise, the Rox were a member of the independent Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, from the 2005 through 2011 seasons. The Rox played their home games at Campanelli Stadium. The team's name was a derivative of the nearby Boston Red Sox of the American League and a tribute to the boxers Rocky Marciano and Marvelous Marvin Hagler, both from Brockton.

Contents

In 2012, the Rox announced that they were going to join the Futures Collegiate Baseball League and leave the Can-Am League but would retain its rights to rejoin the league for 2013. They remained in the FCBL, while the Can-Am League later merged with the Frontier League. In January 2025, it was announced that the collegiate team was folding while the professional New England Knockouts would be renamed as the Brockton Rox. [1]

History

Professional baseball

The Brockton Rox began play in the 2002 season as members of the East Division of the Northern League. In 2003, the Eastern ball clubs split off from the rest of the Northern League and became the Northeast League, where the Rox played in 2003 and 2004. In 2005, the Northeast League was re-branded as the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League.

On May 23, 2005, the club gave a roster spot to former Boston Red Sox pitcher and colorful personality Oil Can Boyd. Also in 2005, the team made headlines by offering Theo Epstein a position with the team. [2]

In 2006, the Rox celebrated the team's fifth anniversary season by finishing the season 49–43 and qualifying as the third seed in the Can-Am League playoffs. The Rox defeated the New Haven County Cutters, 3–1, in the opening round best-of-five series. In the Championship Series, the Rox fell behind 2 games to 0 against the Quebec Capitales before rallying to tie the series at 2–2. In the deciding fifth game, the Rox took a 3–2 lead into the 8th inning, but a late rally by Quebec left Brockton on the losing end, 5–4, giving Quebec its first ever Can-Am League Championship.

Rox designated hitter Guye Senjem was named the Rox Most Valuable Player for 2006, and RHP John Kelly was named the team's Most Valuable Pitcher. Senjem, a Minnesota native, began his professional career with the St. Paul Saints in 1997. Before arriving in Brockton in 2005, he spent time in the Cincinnati Reds and Colorado Rockies organizations. He set an early tone for a successful 2006 campaign with a game-winning solo home run in the 10th inning on Opening Night at Campanelli Stadium. He went on to tie the franchise mark for home runs in a single season with 14, and led the team in home runs, and runs batted in. Twice, the left-handed hitter was named the Can-Am League’s Batter of the Week. In addition, he was named to the League's post-season All-Star team. Kelly was acquired by the Rox in a trade with the New Jersey Jackals in the month of June. The right-handed veteran made an immediate impact, and was nearly perfect after joining the team. He recorded a save in his first appearance, and proceeded to win his first five starts with the Rox. In 15 appearances with Brockton, he was 8–1 with a 1.92 earned run average (ERA).

Before the 2009 season, the Rox hired Chris Carminucci, former Atlantic City Surf President and Director of Baseball Operations, as field manager. In 2009, the team won 56 games, a franchise record which was also best in the league. They lost in the first round of the playoffs, 3–1, to the eventual champion, the Quebec Capitales.

Towards the end of the 2009 season, it became known that owners and management were $300,000 in debt, and they were looking to the city to restructure their lease commitments. However, with Carminucci Sports Group (CSG) taking control as the club's new managing partner, the Rox were stabilized and had a successful 2010 season, competing for a spot in the playoffs. CSG also held stock in several other minor-league teams in the American Association.

On January 4, 2011, the Rox announced the signing of Bill Buckner as their new manager. [3]

Collegiate baseball

In December 2011, it was announced that the Rox would become an amateur collegiate summer baseball team and play in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) in 2012. [4] Rhett Wiseman, while playing for the Rox, was named the top prospect in the FCBL in 2012, even though he was the only high school player on a roster of college-age players. [5] In 2014, Zack Short was awarded the Adam Keenan Sportsmanship and Scholarship Award and manager Bryan Stark was named the Manager of the Year. [6] In 2023, Marika Lyszczyk, a player from Canada, became the first woman to play in the FCBL, by pitching for the Rox. [7]

During the 2024 season, the Rox shared their home ballpark with the New England Knockouts, a professional team competing in the Frontier League.

On January 29, 2025, it was announced that the Knockouts franchise had been acquired by former Greenville Drive and Salem Red Sox owner, Bill Janetscheck. With the change in ownership, the team announced a re-brand to the Brockton Rox, marking the demise of the FCBL franchise. [8]

Postseason appearances

Northeast League

YearDivisional SeriesNEL Championship Series
2003 New Jersey Jackals W (3–1) North Shore Spirit W (3–0)

Can-Am League

YearSemifinalsCan-Am League Finals
2005 Québec Capitales L (0–3)
2006 New Haven County Cutters W (3–1) Québec Capitales L (2–3)
2009 Québec Capitales L (1–3)
2010 Pittsfield Colonials L (1–3)
2011 Québec Capitales L (0–3)

FCBL

YearPlay-In Round**Semi-Final Round*FCBL Championship
2012 Nashua Silver Knights L (0–2)
2013 North Shore Navigators W (1–0) Nashua Silver Knights L (0–2)
2014Pittsfield SunsL (0–1)
2015Worcester BraveheartsL (0–1)
2016North Shore NavigatorsL (0–1)
2017ByeWorcester BraveheartsL (0–2)
2018Nashua Silver KnightsW (1–0)Martha's Vineyard SharksL (1–2)
2019ByeWorcester BraveheartsL (1–2)

Logos and uniforms

The official colors of the Brockton Rox are navy blue, red, and silver. The primary logo formerly consisted of the "Rox" wordmark in red with navy blue outline, with a pair of boxing gloves (an allusion to two boxers from Brockton: Rocky Marciano and Marvelous Marvin Hagler). In 2024, the Rox began using a modified version of the Chicago White Sox' logo used from 1976 until 1990; the only difference being the "SOX" wordmark replaced with "ROX".[ citation needed ]

The Brockton Rox game cap is navy blue with the "B" cap logo centered on the front in red with white outline.

The Rox adopted new colors following the 2010 season; the team previously wore green, black, white, and brown.

Mascot

K-O the Boxing Kangaroo is the team's mascot, due to Brockton's heritage of boxing. He debuted in 2003, and the original performer from that season was hired by the then-Tampa Bay Devil Rays to serve as their mascot. She also went on to mascot for the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning, and currently also runs her own mascot costume company, Amazing! Mascots Inc., which is where K-O's current costume was made.

Retired numbers

The team's only retired numbers are those of men who didn't play baseball professionally. The retired numbers include the numbers of fights won by two famous boxers from the area: undefeated heavyweight champion Rocky Marciano and middleweight champion "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frontier League</span> North American professional baseball league

The Frontier League is a professional baseball league in North America composed of 18 teams – 15 in the United States and 3 in Canada. The FL is one of the four independent baseball leagues that is considered to be an MLB Partner League, and the level of play is comparable to the High-A level. The league is headquartered in Sauget, Illinois.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brockton, Massachusetts</span> City in Massachusetts, United States

Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 105,643 at the 2020 United States census. Along with Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of Plymouth County. It is the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts and is sometimes referred to as the "City of Champions", due to the success of native boxers Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler, as well as its successful Brockton High School sports programs. Two villages within it are Montello and Campello, both of which have MBTA Commuter Rail Stations and post offices. Campello is the smallest neighborhood, but also the most populous. Brockton hosts a baseball team, the Brockton Rox of the Frontier League. It is the second-windiest city in the United States, with an average wind speed of 14.3 mph (23.0 km/h).

The Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, commonly known as the Can-Am League, was an independent baseball league with teams in the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada, founded in 2005 as a reorganization of the Northeast League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Shore Spirit</span> Minor-league baseball team in Lynn, Massachusetts

The North Shore Spirit was a minor-league baseball team based in Lynn, Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. The Spirit played in the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, an independent league that is not affiliated with Major League Baseball or with the Minor League Baseball organization. The team was originally known as the Waterbury Spirit, based out of Waterbury, Connecticut.

The Northeast League was a professional independent baseball league that operated in the Northeastern United States from 1995 until 1998 and from 2003 until 2004. Between 1999 and 2002, the league was part of the Northern League after the two leagues agreed to merge. The league was superseded by the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball, which its members joined for the 2005 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New England Collegiate Baseball League</span> U.S. collegiate summer baseball league

The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August. Like the Cape Cod Baseball League and other amateur leagues, the NECBL is a showcase for top college-level players, giving professional baseball scouts a chance to see prospective pros playing against each other. Along with the Cape Cod Baseball League, Northwoods League, and Coastal Plain League, it is considered one of the top summer leagues in the country and is a part of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball. In 2019, the Collegiate Summer Baseball Register ranked the NECBL as the 2nd best collegiate summer baseball league, behind only the Cape Cod League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Québec Capitales</span> Frontier League baseball team in Quebec, Canada

The Québec Capitales are a professional baseball team based in Quebec City. The Capitales compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference. The club is owned by Jean Tremblay, Pierre Tremblay, and Marie-Pierre Simard, a ownership group that owns several professional sports teams in the city, while the team's broadcasting rights are split between CHYZ-FM and CHOI-FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Campanelli Stadium</span> Stadium in Brockton, Massachusetts, US

Campanelli Stadium is a stadium in Brockton, Massachusetts that is primarily used for baseball. The stadium is home to the Brockton Rox, a professional team that plays in the independent Frontier League.

Edward William Nottle, nicknamed "Singing Ed" because of his avocation as a singer, is an American former Minor League Baseball relief pitcher and manager.

Brockton High School, established in 1870, is a high school located in Brockton, Massachusetts and a part of Brockton Public Schools. As of 2016, it is one of the largest high schools in the United States and the largest one in Massachusetts with 4,029 students. Brockton High School's colors are black and red, and their mascot is the Boxers, paying tribute to the storied boxing history of the city and hall-of-fame boxers Rocky Marciano and Marvin Hagler, both from Brockton and alumni of Brockton High School.

Guerino "Goody" Petronelli was an American boxing trainer and co-manager.

Wayne Leslie Lundgren is an Australian former professional baseball pitcher. He has previously played for the Brockton Rox of the Can-Am League and the Sydney Blue Sox of the Australian Baseball League (ABL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martha's Vineyard Sharks</span> American collegiate baseball team

The Martha's Vineyard Sharks is a collegiate summer baseball team based on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. It was a charter member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), a wood-bat league comprising seven teams from New Hampshire to western Connecticut. The Sharks played in the FCBL from 2010 to 2018 before switching to the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), where they began playing in 2019. In 2019 the Sharks posted the best regular-season record in the league and won a best-of-three series against the Newport Gulls to win the Southern Division, but ultimately lost 2–0 in the NECBL Championship to the Keene Swamp Bats. The team's mascot is likely a reference to the film Jaws, which was filmed on Martha's Vineyard and made it a popular tourist destination.

The Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league that began play in 2011. Entering the 2025 season, the league has two active franchises in Massachusetts, two in Connecticut, and one each in New Hampshire and Vermont.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worcester Tornadoes</span> Baseball team based from Worcester, MA

The Worcester Tornadoes were a professional baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts, in the United States. The Tornadoes were a member of the Canadian-American Association of Professional Baseball, an independent baseball league which was not affiliated with Major League Baseball. The Tornadoes played their home games at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field, on the College of the Holy Cross campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nashua Silver Knights</span> Collegiate baseball team in New Hampshire, USA

The Nashua Silver Knights is a collegiate summer baseball team based in Nashua, New Hampshire. It is a charter member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL), a wood-bat league with a 64-game regular season comprising eight teams ranging from New Hampshire to western Connecticut. The team's home games are played at Holman Stadium in Nashua. The team is owned by John Creedon Jr.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pittsfield Suns</span> American collegiate baseball team

The Pittsfield Suns are an inactive summer collegiate baseball team based in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, USA, that plays in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) of New England. The team's home games are played at Wahconah Park in Pittsfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Worcester Bravehearts</span> Baseball team in Worcester, Massachusetts (2014-present)

The Worcester Bravehearts are a summer collegiate baseball team based in Worcester, Massachusetts, US, that plays in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) of New England starting in 2014. The team's home games are played at Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field in Worcester.

There have been numerous professional baseball teams in Connecticut since the late 1800s. Most have been minor league teams, however, some early major league teams played in Connecticut. The last major league team was the Hartford Dark Blues, which played its final season in Hartford as a charter member of the newly-established modern National League in 1876.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brockton Rox (Frontier League)</span> Frontier League baseball team in Brockton, Massachusetts

The Brockton Rox are a professional baseball team based in Brockton, Massachusetts. The Rox compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the North Division in the Atlantic Conference and play their home games at Campanelli Stadium.

References

  1. ↑ Touri, Amin (January 29, 2025). "Brockton Rox returning to professional baseball with Red Sox Hall of Famer Jim Rice as co-owner" . The Boston Globe . Retrieved January 30, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2006-12-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-03-04. Retrieved 2016-02-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ↑ "Can-Am League Set for 2012 Campaign Without Rox". 17 December 2011.
  5. ↑ "Drafted by Chicago Cubs, Mansfield's Wiseman Elects to go to Vanderbilt University", Mansfield, MA Patch
  6. ↑ "Rox Infielder Zack Short and Manager Bryan Stark Receive FCBL honors | FCBL: Brockton Rox - Pointstreak Sites". www.brocktonrox.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
  7. ↑ Staff, WBZ-News (May 25, 2023). "Marika Lyszczyk makes more baseball history in Brockton Rox debut - CBS Boston". www.cbsnews.com.
  8. ↑ Baker, Paul (January 29, 2025). "It's A Rox Revival in Brockton". stadiumjourney.com. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
Preceded by Northeast League Champions
Brockton Rox
2003 		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.