Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Pioneer League season | |
Classification | Independent league |
---|---|
Sport | Baseball |
Founded | 1939 |
President | Mike Shapiro |
Commissioner | Henry Hunter |
No. of teams | 12 |
Country | United States |
Most recent champion(s) | Yolo High Wheelers (2024) |
Most titles | Billings Mustangs (15) |
Official website | Official website |
The Pioneer Baseball League (also known as simply the Pioneer League) is a professional baseball league based in the Western United States. It operates as one of four Major League Baseball (MLB) Partner Leagues in the American independent baseball league system without MLB team affiliations. The league is contested by twelve teams from the Northern California and Rocky Mountains regions, who play a regular season split into two halves. The top two teams at the end of each half qualify for a postseason tournament that determines the overall champion.
The Pioneer League was established in 1939 as a Class C minor league consisting of six teams from Idaho and Utah. It later expanded to Montana as part of a failed effort in the 1950s to become a third major league rivalling the American and National leagues, complicated by competition with the Pacific Coast League. By the time it was reclassified as a Rookie league in 1964, only four teams in Idaho remained. Gradually, it returned to Montana and Utah, and expanded into Colorado and the Canadian province of Alberta by 1974, and since then has consistently had eight or more teams competing. In 2021, the league became independent, and ceased all MLB team affiliations, reorganizing as an MLB Partner League representing the Western United States market. An expansion into California followed in 2024.
As of the 2024 season, four teams from Montana, three from Colorado, two from California and Idaho each, and one from Utah compete in the Pioneer League. Nineteen franchises have competed in the league across its 85-year history, with the Missoula PaddleHeads, a current team that joined as the Pocatello Cardinals in the inaugural season, being the longest-tenured. The Ogden Raptors are the current champions, while the Billings Mustangs, also a current team, have won the most championships (15).
The Pioneer League began in 1939 with six teams in Idaho and Utah, operating at the Class C level. The original six teams were the Boise Pilots, Lewiston Indians, Ogden Reds, Pocatello Cardinals, Salt Lake City Bees, and Twin Falls Cowboys. With players in short supply due to World War II, the league suspended operations for the 1943 through 1945 seasons.
In 1948, the league expanded by adding two teams in Montana; the Billings Mustangs and Great Falls Electrics. In these early years, teams in the league either operated independently or were affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) or Pacific Coast League (PCL) parent clubs, as the PCL was attempting to grow into a third major league (a bid that ultimately failed). When MLB's Los Angeles Dodgers displaced the PCL's Hollywood Stars in 1958, the Stars relocated and became the "new" Salt Lake City Bees, remaining in the PCL and taking away the Pioneer League's largest market.
By 1959, the Pioneer League was down to six teams; Billings and Great Falls along with the Boise Braves, Idaho Falls Russets, Missoula Timberjacks, and Pocatello Athletics. The league operated at the Class A level for one year (1963), before changing to Rookie league in 1964, when there were only four teams in the league; the Idaho Falls Angels, Magic Valley Cowboys, Pocatello Chiefs, and Treasure Valley Cubs. By 1978, the league had again grown to eight teams — Billings and Idaho Falls along with the Butte Copper Kings, Calgary Cardinals, Great Falls Giants, Helena Phillies, Lethbridge Dodgers, and Medicine Hat Blue Jays. With the exception of 1986 (when there were six teams), there have been at least eight teams in the league since then.
In 2016, total league attendance was 616,686, [1] down slightly from the 2015 total of 633,622. [2]
In its final years as an MLB-affiliated league, the Pioneer League was one of two "Rookie Advanced" minor leagues along with the Appalachian League. As such, it occupied the second-lowest rung in the minor league ladder. Although classified as a Rookie league, the level of play was slightly higher than that of the two "complex" Rookie leagues, the Gulf Coast League and Arizona League. Unlike the complex leagues, Pioneer League teams charged admission and sold concessions. It was almost exclusively the first fully professional league in which many players competed; most of the players had just been signed out of high school. It was a short-season league that competed from late June (when Major League teams signed players whom they selected in the amateur draft) to early September.
After the 2018 season, the Helena Brewers relocated to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where they now play as the Rocky Mountain Vibes. [3]
As the start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before being cancelled on June 30, [4] [5] making the 2019 season the league's last as an MLB-affiliated league of Minor League Baseball.
In conjunction with the reorganization of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Pioneer League was converted to an independent baseball league and was granted status as an MLB Partner League. [6] The reconfigured league continued with the same franchises using the same identities, with the exception of the Orem Owlz who relocated to Windsor, Colorado, as the Northern Colorado Owlz. [6] [7] The Boise Hawks also joined the Pioneer League in 2021 after moving from the Northwest League. [8]
The Pioneer League announced a five-year naming rights deal between the league and ticket vendor TicketSmarter that would have the league go as The Pioneer Baseball League presented by TicketSmarter starting in time for the 2022 season. [9]
On April 10, 2024, Kelsie Whitmore signed with the Oakland Ballers of the Pioneer League. [10] She became the first woman to play for that league later that year. On June 6, 2024, she became the first female player to start a Pioneer League game. In that game she struck out one batter. [11]
Mike Shapiro is the current president of the Pioneer Baseball League, having been a senior executive in a wide range of professional sports including baseball, golf, basketball and hockey. [12]
Jim McCurdy is the commissioner [12] and a past president of the Pioneer Baseball League. McCurdy received his BBA from the University of Houston in 1970 and his JD from the University of Texas School of Law in 1974. He mediated the restructure of Minor League Baseball's governing structure in 1992 and was an inaugural member of the MiLB board of trustees from 1992 to 1994. In 1993, he was appointed by the president of MiLB to serve on the Professional Baseball Executive Council. McCurdy was elevated to the position of league president in 1994, replacing Ralph Nelles who was the president from 1975 to 1993. McCurdy also teaches sports law courses at Gonzaga University School of Law and the University of San Diego School of Law. His publications include: Sports Law: Cases & Materials (with Ray Yasser, C. Peter Goplerud, and Maureen Weston) (7th ed. LexisNexis 2011), [13] Thunder on the Road from Seattle to Oklahoma City: Going from NOPA to ZOPA in the NBA, in Legal Issues in American Basketball ch. IV (Lewis Kurlantzick ed., Academica Press 2011), [13] and, The Fundamental Nature of Professional Sports Leagues, Constituent Clubs, & Mutual Duties to Protect Market Opportunities: Organized Baseball Case Study, in Legal Issues in Professional Baseball ch. IV (Lewis Kurlantzick ed., Academica Press 2005). [13]
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Team | Location | Joined | Venue | Cap. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Billings Mustangs | Billings, MT | 1948 | Dehler Park | 3,071 |
Boise Hawks | Boise, ID [lower-alpha 1] | 2021 [lower-alpha 2] | Memorial Stadium | 3,452 |
Glacier Range Riders | Kalispell, MT | 2022 | Glacier Bank Park | 2,500 |
Grand Junction Jackalopes | Grand Junction, CO | 1978 | Suplizio Field | 7,014 |
Great Falls Voyagers | Great Falls, MT | 1948 | Centene Stadium | 3,001 |
Idaho Falls Chukars | Idaho Falls, ID | 1940 | Melaleuca Field | 3,400 |
Missoula PaddleHeads | Missoula, MT | 1939 | Ogren Park at Allegiance Field | 3,500 |
Northern Colorado Owlz | Windsor, CO | 1978 | 4Rivers Equipment Stadium | 2,500 |
Oakland Ballers | Oakland, CA | 2024 | Raimondi Park | 4,000 |
Ogden Raptors | Ogden, UT | 1977 | Lindquist Field | 8,262 |
Rocky Mountain Vibes | Colorado Springs, CO | 1977 [lower-alpha 3] | UCHealth Park | 8,500 |
Yolo High Wheelers | Davis, CA | 2024 | Dobbins Stadium | 3,500 |
Timeline of franchises (1939–present)
League champions have been determined by different means since the Pioneer League's formation in 1939. There were postseason playoffs when the league operated as Class C (1939–1962), except for 1939 and 1956, and for the three years during World War II when the league did not operate. In the league's one year as Class A (1963), there were also postseason playoffs. After becoming a Rookie league in 1964, the league champions were simply the regular season pennant winners through 1977. Since 1978, postseason playoffs have again been held to determine a league champion. [15] [16]
The Great Falls Voyagers are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Great Falls, Montana, and play their home games at Centene Stadium.
The Orem Owlz were a Minor League Baseball team located in Orem, Utah, United States, from 2001 to 2020. The team competed in the Pioneer League as a Rookie League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The Owlz played their home games at Home of the Owlz on the campus of Utah Valley University. They were previously known as the Provo Angels from 2001 to 2004. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Pioneer League, of which the Owlz had been members since 2001, was converted from an MLB-affiliated Rookie Advanced league to an independent baseball league and granted status as an MLB Partner League. Concurrent to this change, the Owlz relocated to Windsor, Colorado, and became the Northern Colorado Owlz.
The Idaho Falls Chukars are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and play their home games at Melaleuca Field.
The Ogden Raptors are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Ogden, Utah and play their home games at Lindquist Field.
The Medicine Hat Blue Jays were a Rookie League affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, playing in the Pioneer League and located in the city of Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada. They played a total of 25 seasons; 1978 through 2002. Their home field was Athletic Park.
The Lethbridge Black Diamonds were a minor league baseball team located in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada. The team was previously known as the Lethbridge Mounties from 1992–1995 before becoming the Lethbridge Black Diamonds from 1996–1998. They were one of the first two farm clubs of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Only 16 months after Arizona was granted a major league baseball franchise, the first farm club — the Lethbridge Black Diamonds — took the field. The team started playing two years before their parent club even played a game. The team played their first game in June 1996, whereas the Arizona Diamondbacks started playing in April 1998. The team played in the Pioneer League, which is a rookie league, with a shortened season, in Minor League Baseball. Their home stadium was Henderson Stadium. In 1999, the team was moved and became the Missoula Osprey.
The Lethbridge Dodgers were a team in Minor League Baseball based in Lethbridge, Alberta, that competed from 1975 to 1983. After the 1983 season, the team relocated to Idaho and became the Pocatello Gems.
The Ogden Dodgers were a Minor League Baseball team based in Ogden, Utah. The Ogden Dodgers played as members of the Pioneer Baseball League from 1966 to 1973. The Ogden Dodgers were an affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers (1966–1973). Future Baseball Hall of Fame Manager Tommy Lasorda managed the team from 1966-1968.
Pocatello, Idaho, has been home to minor league baseball teams who competed in 35 seasons of Minor League Baseball, between 1900 and 1993.
The Utah–Idaho League was a minor league baseball organization founded in 1926. Playing as a six–team, Class C level league for its duration, the Utah–Idaho League franchises were based exclusively in Idaho and Utah as the name indicates.
The Twin Falls Cowboys were a Class C minor league baseball team from 1939 to 1942 and 1946 to 1951 in the Pioneer League. Their affiliation was with the Seattle Rainiers in 1939, and later the New York Yankees from 1946 to 1951. The Cowboys played at Jaycee Field in Twin Falls, Idaho, located in the northeast corner of the city's Harmon Park.
The Billings Mustangs are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Billings, Montana, and have played their home games at Dehler Park since 2008. The team previously played at Cobb Field.
The Rocky Mountain Vibes are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, an MLB Partner League. They are located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and play their home games at UCHealth Park.
Andrew Philip Sopko is an American former professional baseball pitcher.
The Ogden Gunners was the final moniker of the minor league baseball teams based in Ogden, Utah between 1900 and 1928. The Ogden Gunners played the 1926 to 1928 seasons in the Class C level Utah–Idaho League. The Gunners were preceded by Ogden teams in the 1901 Inter-Mountain League, 1902 Utah State League, 1905 Pacific National League, Union Association (1912–1914) and the 1921 Northern Utah League, winning three championships and a league pennant.
The Twin Falls Bruins were the first minor league baseball team based in Twin Falls, Idaho. From 1926 to 1928, the Twin Falls Bruins played exclusively as members the Class C level Utah-Idaho League, hosting home games at Athletic Park.
The Northern Colorado Owlz are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are based in Windsor, Colorado and play their home games at 4Rivers Equipment Stadium at Future Legends Complex.
The Glacier Range Riders are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, an MLB Partner League, who began play in 2022. They are located in Kalispell, Montana, and play their home games at Glacier Bank Park.
The 1936 Idaho Southern Branch Bengals football team was an American football team that represented the University of Idaho, Southern Branch as an independent during the 1936 college football season. In their second season under head coach Guy Wicks, the team compiled a 4–4 record and outscored opponents by a total of 138 to 111.