"It's a family's summer dream" - The Davis Enterprise
The Pioneer Baseball League is a family’s summer road-trip dream.
The Pioneer Baseball League is a family's summer road-trip dream.
Twelve teams sprinkled throughout California, Montana, Colorado, Utah and Idaho, the professional MLB Partner broke new ground in the last four months as Oakland and Davis were added to the ball-playing brethren.
In place since 1939, the Pioneer League just last year broke its attendance record and added a host of amenities, ballpark introductions and upgrades.
League President Mike Shapiro, who was in Davis on Feb. 23 to help unveil the Yolo High Wheelers (which will play under the lights at UC Davis this summer), takes Enterprise readers on a tour of Pioneer teams and what local families might expect when headed to Dobbins Stadium at UCD beginning in May.
"The ballparks, the regions, are magnificent," Shapiro told The Enterprise. "Davis is no different. A stadium in a perfect setting."
For example, the Glacier Range Riders unveiled Glacier Bank Park — named the 2023 Best of the Partner League Ballparks and Ballpark of the Year by BaseballParks.com
Here's a state-by-state look at the Pioneer League.
Montana
• Glacier Range Riders: In their stunning, award-winning new home at the gateway to Glacier National Park, the Glacier Range Riders play in Glacier Bank Park midway between Kalispel and Whitefish.
• Billings Mustangs: Dehler Park, built in 2008, is a delightfully quintessential minor-league ballpark with a 360-degree concourse around the perimeter of the facility and incredible views of the famed Billings Rimrocks beyond the centerfield fence.
• Missoula PaddleHeads: Built in 2004 against the Clark Fork of the Columbia River, Ogren Park at Allegiance Field is home to one of the best-known minor-league team names and enchanting logos. With the University of Montana nearby, the Paddleheads ballpark is easily accessible and is uniquely situated in the heart of Montana's fly fishing country.
• Great Falls Voyagers: The 1940s-era Centene Stadium, once the location of a UFO sighting (thus the name, "Voyagers"), is newly renovated and not far from Great Falls' claim-to-fame, "The Sip and Dip" tiki bar with live mermaids swimming in a back of bar pool.
Colorado:
• Northern Colorado Owlz: Set amidst the sprawling Future Legends sports park in Windsor (with its massive white dome for indoor sports and dozens of outdoor youth sports fields), the Owlz new ballpark, TicketSmarter Stadium, will be ready for occupancy in this summer.
• Grand Junction Jackalopes: On Colorado's Western Slope, Grand Junction's Suplizio Field is the home to the Junior College World Series and the newly minted Grand Junction Jackalopes. The renovated ballpark, built in 1949, sits in the shadow of the dramatic "Grand Mesa" dominating the centerfield backdrop.
• Rocky Mountain Vibes: Playing in Colorado Springs at a former AAA stadium, the Vibes are best known for their s'more-ish mascot "Toasty" and their signature "Springs Lemonade" (pink lemonade and vodka).
Utah
• Ogden Raptors: Situated in downtown Ogden, Lindquist Field is dominated by the majestic views of the Wasatch Mountains hovering beyond the outfield fence. Down the first base line of the cozy ballpark is the "O-Town Beach Club", a laid-back full-service bar and restaurant with an extensive and eclectic menu.
Idaho
• Boise Hawks: Boise's Memorial Stadium, a throw-back to utilitarian design, features a wide variety of signature menu items, local favorites and traditional ballpark food. The Hawks game experience is all about having fun, with an abundance of giveaways, on-field games and clever promotions.
• Idaho Falls Chukars: At the nearby entrances to Yellowstone National Park and Craters of the Moon National Park, the Chukars' ballpark is "generally crowded, laid back and a pleasant night out," promised Shapiro. The park features a varied concessions menu and gives off the feel of a quintessential minor league ballpark.
California
• Oakland Ballers: Anticipating a hole in the heart of MLB fans when the Oakland Athletics move on, owners Bryan Carmel and Paul Freedman is the same duo which is bringing the High Wheelers to Davis. Expected to play at Laney College, the B's (as they're called) will be Yolo's primary rival.
• Yolo High Wheelers: Embracing the rich tradition of bicycling on campus and in the community, this Pioneer League entry has pledged temporary lighting for year as the university works to install permanent lights. Freedman and Carmel will work with UC Davis to ensure additional buildouts for Dobbins Stadium as UCD baseball and soccer programs are expected to benefit from the High Wheelers' improvements.
Pioneer concepts
The PBL targets a family-oriented, community-based audience seeking an affordable entertainment experience:
• PBL games are affordable, says Shapiro: $63.15 average cost for a family of four.
• Pioneer fans are split almost evenly between male (52 percent) and female (48); 68 percent are fans with families; 50 percent are millennials 25-40 years old; 60 percent purchase tickets online; 72 percent attend 3 or more games annually.
Each year since 2020 the PBL has broken its all-time attendance records, and in 2023 the PBL reached more than a million fans for the first time in its history.