Knabenshue Re-Hired as Manager

The Grand Junction Jackalopes are pleased to announce that Chris Knabenshue will reprise his role of manager for the 2024 season.

"I'm fired up. I'm looking forward to being back at the helm," Knabenshue said.

Knabenshue led the Jackalopes to within three games of a postseason birth in 2023. After a tough first half, Knabenshue and the Jakes righted the ship and finished with a 25-23 record in half number two. The team came as close as one game out of the playoffs with seven games remaining. This year, Knabenshue is ready to finish the job.

"If we can fix some of the stuff that wasn't so great and continue to do the good stuff, we can make up those couple of games that we missed by last year," Knabenshue said.

So what does the skipper mean by "the stuff that wasn't so great" and "the good stuff"?

Let's start with the good stuff. For the Jackalopes in 2023, that was undoubtedly the offense. The Jakes lead the Pioneer league in runs scored (31), home runs (150) and OPS (.953).

The "wasn't so great" would probably be the pitching. In sharp contrast to the offense's league-leading marks, the team finished second to last in ERA (8.60) and last in WHIP (2.08).

This presents two challenges for Knabenshue. Keep the good going and re-sign as many hitters from last year's team as possible, and find ways to improve the pitching staff both by bringing back the key arms from 2023 while also searching out new talent to bolster the staff.

For Kabenshue, starting this process in November feels early. Last season, he wasn't named manager until mid-March after original manager James Frisbie was hired away by the Washington Nationals.

"Last season, the roster was already pretty much set, and I had to take the time to get to know the guys." Knabenshue said, "This year, it feels like I've almost got a head start."

Knabenshue will also seek to construct his coaching staff for the 2024 season. That effort is ongoing.

The Jackalopes will open the season in mid-May on the road before opening at home in early June. A complete 2024 schedule will be available soon. Jackalopes season tickets go on sale on December 12th.