Ontario Tower Buzzers

Last updated

Ontario Tower Buzzers
Ontario Tower Buzzers.png Ontario Tower Buzzers Cap Insignia.svg
Team logoCap insignia
Minor league affiliations
Class Single-A (2026–present)
League California League (2026–present)
Major league affiliations
Team Los Angeles Dodgers (2026–present)
Team data
ColorsDodger blue, sky blue, red, yellow, white
     
Mascot Maverick
Ballpark ONT Field (2026–present)
Owner/
Operator
Diamond Baseball Holdings
PresidentTBD
General manager Allan Benavides
Manager TBD
Website milb.com/team/ontario

The Ontario Tower Buzzers are a Minor League Baseball team based in Ontario, California, that will begin play in 2026. The Tower Buzzers will be the Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, playing in the California League. They will play their home games at ONT Field.

Contents

History

The origins of the Ontario Tower Buzzers reach back to the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the longtime Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Rancho Cucamonga California League franchise was relocated to the Ontario Ranch section of Ontario, California, to play at ONT Field, a new 6,000-seat ballpark, as the Ontario Tower Buzzers. [1] The name and visual identity were publicly revealed at a launch event in Ontario Town Square in mid-September 2025. [2] [3]

This move was one in a series of changes involving three teams. The Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino relocated to Rancho Cucamonga to play as the Quakes in affiliation with the Los Angeles Angels. Additionally, the Modesto Nuts relocated from Modesto to San Bernardino to continue as the 66ers in affiliation with the Seattle Mariners. In effect, it made the move a de facto relocation of the Nuts franchise, rather than the Quakes franchise. Diamond Baseball Holdings owns all three teams as well as two other clubs in the eight-team California League. [4]

Ownership and management

The team will be owned and operated by Diamond Baseball Holdings, which manages a portfolio of Minor League Baseball teams across the United States. Team management announced Allan Benavides as general manager; Benavides joined the organization after a long tenure with other minor league clubs. [5]

Branding and mascot

The Tower Buzzers' name and branding draw inspiration from Ontario's aviation heritage and its proximity to Ontario International Airport as well as the quote from the 1986 film Top Gun where Maverick states to "buzz the tower", or fly very close to the control tower. The club's logo and marketing lean heavily into aviation iconography, with the primary mascot—a bee in aviator gear named Maverick—and uniform elements referencing flight and air-traffic control motifs. The moniker was chosen to celebrate the "buzz" of the airport and region, rather than to imitate more common aviation nicknames, such as "Aviators" or "Pilots." [6] [7]

Ballpark

The Tower Buzzers home ballpark will be ONT Field. [8] Their first home game is scheduled for April 2, 2026, against the Lake Elsinore Storm. [9]

References

  1. Shaikin, Bill (September 15, 2024). "Shaikin: Baseball teams are abandoning cities across California. How some are fighting back". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  2. Fioresi, Dean (September 20, 2025). "Dodgers' new Single-A affiliate unveils new identity as Ontario Tower Buzzers". CBS Los Angeles . Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  3. Hill, Benjamin (September 19, 2025). "The Dodgers' new Single-A affiliate will officially be ..." MLB.com . Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  4. Stephen, Eric (December 12, 2024). "Rancho Cucamonga Quakes sold, Dodgers' 2026 move to Ontario official". True Blue LA. Retrieved December 29, 2024.
  5. Palacios, Maile (September 19, 2025). "Tower Buzzers touch base in Ontario". KVCR . Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  6. "Ontario Tower Buzzers Are Cleared for Landing as MiLB's ..." SportsDestinations. September 24, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  7. Sandoval, Manny (September 19, 2025). "Los Angeles Dodgers Unveil Single-A Affiliate Ontario Tower Buzzers, Mascot Maverick Before 5,000 Fans". IE Community News. Inland Empire Community Newspapers. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  8. Allen, David (October 28, 2024). "Dodgers franchise stadium, giant sports complex coming to Ontario". The Orange County Register . Archived from the original on December 26, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  9. "Ontario Tower Buzzers 2026 Flight Schedule" (PDF). Minor League Baseball. 2025. Retrieved September 27, 2025.