Hannibal Hoots

Last updated

Hannibal Hoots
HannibalHootsLogo.jpg
Information
League Prospect League
Location Hannibal, Missouri
Ballpark Clemens Field
Founded2018
OwnershipRick DeStefane [1]
ManagerClayton Hicks
General ManagerMatt Stembridge
Media Hannibal Courier-Post
Website HannibalHoots.com

The Hannibal Hoots were a collegiate summer league baseball team in the United States Prospect League. The team played two seasons in the league, but only one of those seasons saw them use Hannibal as its home; flooding along the Mississippi River caused Bear Creek, which flows into the river and runs alongside the Hoots' home stadium, to flood the stadium. As a result, the Hoots played their 2019 home schedule in nearby Quincy, Illinois at the home stadium of the Quincy Gems. The Hoots formed in late 2017 [2] and were an expansion franchise for the 2018 season. The Hoots and other collegiate summer leagues and teams exist to give top college players professional-like experience without affecting NCAA eligibility.

Contents

Hannibal's previous team in the Prospect League, the Hannibal Cavemen, suspended operations after the 2016 season, leaving the city without a team for the 2017 season. [3] Rick DeStefane, a co-owner of the Cavemen, would become the sole owner of the Hoots. [4] The two franchises are considered by the Prospect League to have been independent of one another.

Clemens Field, Home of the Hannibal Hoots. Clemens Field is on the National Register of Historic Places Clemens Field NRHP 08000807 Marion County, MO.jpg
Clemens Field, Home of the Hannibal Hoots. Clemens Field is on the National Register of Historic Places

The Hoots were a member of the West Division of the Prospect League along with the Cape Catfish, DuPage Pistol Shrimp, Normal CornBelters, Quincy Gems and Springfield Sliders. [5]

History

After the Hannibal Cavemen folded in 2016, the Prospect League awarded a franchise to Rick DeStefane, with the goal of returning to the field for the 2018 season. The franchise partnered with the Hannibal Courier-Post to hold a "Dub the Club" contest, which resulted in five "finalist" name choices for the team - Hoots, Hucks, Huckle-Bears, Lumber Barons, and Steamers. The team and newspaper announced the winning name, the Hoots, on November 8, 2017. [6]

On September 26, 2019, the Prospect League announced that the franchise would relocate to O'Fallon, Missouri, beginning with the 2020 season, with the O'Fallon Hoots playing their home games at CarShield Field. [7]

Stadium

The Hoots played at Clemens Field. The original Clemens field was built in 1924, but was destroyed by a fire. The current stadium was rebuilt and opened in 1939. [8] However, due to extensive flooding along the Mississippi River during the spring and summer of 2019, Clemens Field and surrounding property sustained damage that forced the team to play its home games in nearby Quincy, Illinois, home of Prospect League rival Quincy Gems. [9]

Clemens Field underwent a $3.3 million renovation project in 2008 and seats 2,500. The project received the Preserve Missouri Award. [10]

Clemens Field was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. [11]

Seasons

SeasonManagerRecordWin %LeagueDivisionGBPost-season recordPost-season win %Post-season resultNotes
2018Clayton Hicks25–35.41710th5th11.00–0.000Did not qualifyInaugural season
2019Clayton Hicks [12] 23–37.38311th6th20.00–0.000Did not qualifyFinal season in Hannibal
Totals48–72.4000–0.000

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chillicothe Paints</span> Collegiate summer baseball team in Chillicothe, Ohio

The Chillicothe Paints are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chillicothe, Ohio, in the United States. The team is a member of the summer collegiate Prospect League. The Paints previously played in the professional independent Frontier League from 1993 to 2008. The Paints play their home games at V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jake Beckley</span> American baseball player (1867–1918)

Jacob Peter Beckley, nicknamed "Eagle Eye", was an American professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball for the Pittsburgh Alleghenys, Pittsburgh Burghers, Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Giants, Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals from 1888 to 1907.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CarShield Field</span> Stadium in OFallon, Missouri, U.S.

CarShield Field, formerly T.R. Hughes Ballpark, is a stadium in O'Fallon, Missouri. It is primarily used for baseball, and was the home field of the River City Rascals Frontier League baseball team, until the team folded and ceased operations at the end of the 2019 season. Beginning in 2020, it became the home field for the O'Fallon Hoots of the Prospect League. CarShield Field became the host of the entire six–team 2020 CarShield Collegiate League upon the cancellation of the 2020 Prospect League season due to COVID-19. CarShield Field is home to a local high school baseball team, The Christian O'Fallon Eagles. It opened in 1999 with seating for 3,500 people, plus areas for 1,650 additional fans on lawn and outfield bleacher areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Central Illinois Collegiate League</span>

The Central Illinois Collegiate League (CICL) was a collegiate wooden bat summer baseball league. It was composed of five teams from Illinois and Indiana. The CICL was founded in 1963 as a charter member of National Collegiate Athletic Association certified summer baseball. Although the NCAA dropped Summer baseball program in 2005, The CICL is one of ten summer collegiate baseball leagues affiliated with the National Association of Summer Collegiate Baseball (NASCB), which now takes over the duties of the NCAA and follows all NCAA requirements. The league was also is one of four summer college baseball leagues supported by Major League Baseball.

QU Stadium is a stadium in Quincy, Illinois originally known as Q Stadium. It is primarily used for baseball, but also has a separate football field. The baseball side and football side of QU Stadium holds 2,500 people. The football side of the stadium only has bleachers on one side of the field. The stadium is surrounded by its original limestone wall built in 1938.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Springfield Lucky Horseshoes</span> American collegiate summer baseball team

The Springfield Lucky Horseshoes are a collegiate summer league baseball team of the Prospect League. They play at Robin Roberts Stadium at Lanphier Park and are based in the city of Springfield, Illinois. The team was established in November 2007 as the Springfield Sliders and were an expansion franchise for the 2008 season. The Lucky Horseshoes and other collegiate summer leagues and teams exist to give top college players professional-like experience without affecting NCAA eligibility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prospect League</span> United States collegiate summer baseball league

The Prospect League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. So as to maintain their college eligibility, players are not paid. Beginning in 2012, the league added four games to the season, making a total of 60 games per team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hannibal Cavemen</span>

The Hannibal Cavemen were a collegiate summer league baseball team located in Hannibal, Missouri, in the United States. They were a member of the West Division of the summer collegiate Prospect League from 2009–2016. The franchise began playing again as the Hannibal Hoots, in 2018.

The Quincy Gems were a collegiate summer league baseball team located in Quincy, Illinois.

The Quincy Gems was the primary name of the minor league baseball team in Quincy, Illinois, that played in various seasons from 1883 to 1973.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lafayette Aviators</span>

The Lafayette Aviators are a summer collegiate baseball team based in Lafayette, Indiana. They are a member of the Eastern Conference of the summer collegiate Prospect League. The Aviators play at Loeb Stadium in Columbian Park in Lafayette, which opened in May 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clemens Field</span>

Clemens Field is a baseball stadium located at 403 Warren Barrett Drive, at the south end of downtown Hannibal, Missouri, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gresham GreyWolves</span> Collegiate woodbat baseball team

The Gresham GreyWolves are a collegiate woodbat baseball team located in Gresham, Oregon. The GreyWolves play at Oslund Field on the campus of Mount Hood Community College and were a member of the West Coast League (WCL), a collegiate summer baseball league, in their first two seasons in 2016 and 2017. However, the GreyWolves became an independent team in 2018 when the club was purchased by Rose City Baseball, LLC and replaced in the WCL by the Portland Pickles. The GreyWolves now play in the short-season Wild Wild West League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Catfish</span>

The Cape Catfish are a franchise of the Prospect League that plays in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">O'Fallon Hoots</span>

The O'Fallon Hoots are a collegiate summer league baseball team in the United States Prospect League. The team played the 2018 and 2019 seasons as the Hannibal Hoots, but only one of those seasons saw them use Hannibal, Missouri as their home; flooding of their stadium led the Hoots to play their 2019 home schedule in nearby Quincy, Illinois at the home stadium of the Quincy Gems. The Hoots formed in late 2017 and were an expansion franchise for the 2018 season. The Hoots and other collegiate summer leagues and teams exist to give top college players professional-like experience without affecting NCAA eligibility.

The Alton Blues were a minor league baseball team based in Alton, Illinois. In 1917, the Blues played as members of the Class B level Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League, hosting home games at Sportsman's Park. The league folded during the 1917 season with the Blues in last place.

The CarShield Collegiate League is a collegiate summer baseball league based at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, Missouri. The league was formed in 2020 after COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the Prospect League season, which had the location host O'Fallon Hoots as a member. The CarShield Collegiate League began play as a six–team league on July 1, 2020, with all games being played at CarShield Field. The CarShield Collegiate League continued play in the 2021 season as a four–team league.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alton River Dragons</span> American collegiate baseball team

The Alton River Dragons are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Alton, Illinois. They were founded in 2020 and began play in 2021 as members of the Prospect League.

Minor league baseball teams were based in Hannibal, Missouri in various seasons between 1908 and 1955. Hannibal teams played as members of the Illinois–Missouri League in 1908, Central Association from 1909 to 1912, Illinois–Indiana–Iowa League from 1916 to 1917, Central Association from 1948 to 1949 and the Mississippi–Ohio Valley League from 1952 to 1955. The Mississippi-Ohio Valley League evolved to become the Midwest League.

The 2024 Prospect League season is the 15th season of collegiate summer baseball in the Prospect League, a collegiate summer baseball league in the Midwestern United States, since its creation in June 2009. There are 18 Prospect League teams, split evenly between Eastern and Western Conferences. These conferences are then split up between the Northeast, Central, Northwest, and South divisions.

References

  1. ↑ Hanley, Danny (October 17, 2017). "Parks Department Working on Hannibal Field". Hannibal Courier-Post . Retrieved June 4, 2018– via Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC.
  2. ↑ "Hannibal Unveils Team Name & Branding". Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC. November 8, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  3. ↑ Adam, David (January 6, 2017). "Cavemen 'suspending operations' for 2017 season". Herald-Whig . Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  4. ↑ Graeler, Kevin (November 10, 2017). "Hannibal Hoots encounter unexpected social media obstacle". Hannibal Courier-Post. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  5. ↑ "NEW FOR 2019: DuPage Pistol Shrimp". Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC. December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  6. ↑ Dundon, Eric (November 8, 2017). "Hannibal's Prospect League team rebranded to Hannibal Hoots". Hannibal Courier-Post. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  7. ↑ "O'Fallon City Council Approves Lease For Prospect League Team". Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC. September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 30, 2019.
  8. ↑ "About". Hannibal Baseball. Archived from the original on June 22, 2018. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Hannibal Hoots to play remaining 2019 home games at QU Stadium". KHQA-TV . June 21, 2019. Retrieved July 5, 2019.
  10. ↑ Henly, Danny (March 4, 2010). "Clemens Field renovation project honored". Hannibal Courier-Post.
  11. ↑ Tony Gardner (February 2008). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Clemens Field" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved January 1, 2017. (includes 15 photographs from 2008)
  12. ↑ "CLAYTON HICKS RETURNING TO HANNIBAL TO MANAGE THE HOOTS". Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC. January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
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.