Evansville Otters
| Evansville Otters | |||||
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Founded in 1995 Evansville, Indiana | |||||
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| Evansville Courier & Press | |||||
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The Evansville Otters are a professional baseball team based in Evansville, Indiana, in the United States. The Otters are a member of the West Division of the Frontier League, an independent baseball league which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball. From the 1995 season to the present, the Otters have played their home games at Bosse Field, which has been in continuous use for minor league baseball since its opening in 1915.[1]
History
When the Otters began play in 1995, they returned baseball to Evansville for the first time in a decade. The city had been without a team since the Evansville Triplets relocated following the 1984 season.
The Otters have been a success on the field and off since their first season of play in Evansville. On the field the Otters have reached the playoffs in 7 seasons, including five Frontier League Championship series, and a Frontier League Championship in 2006. The Otters 793 wins (entering the 2014 season) is the most of any franchise in Frontier League history.
Off the field, the Otters set numerous league attendance records in their early seasons. The Otters drew 90,000 fans in their first season, more than the entire Frontier League had in its inaugural season two years earlier.[2] The Otters have averaged over 2,500 fans per game since they started playing at Bosse Field in Evansville, most recently setting a 2013 Frontier League best with 3,200 fans per game.
The first Evansville Otters game was played on June 15, 1995. The Otters were awarded the Frontier League Organization of the Year Award in 1997, and the Commissioner's Award of Excellence in 2004. The Otters earned their 689th win, a Frontier League record, on August 18, 2011. The team hosted the largest crowd ever at Bosse Field on July 24, 2013 with an astounding 8,253 fans. The Otters welcomed their 2,000,000th fan to the ballpark on August 18, 2013.
The Otters have promoted over 50 of their players to Major League baseball franchises including two players in 2013 (1B/DH Andrew Clark - New York Yankees, RHP Bryce Morrow - San Diego). Two Otters alums have gone on to careers at the Major League level including George Sherrill, a 2008 MLB All-Star and Oakland Athletic pitcher Andrew Werner.
The success of the Otters in Evansville led to the move of more Frontier League teams to larger cities, many of which have built new ballparks, leading to the increased stability and success of the league in recent years.
Season-by-season records
| Lancaster Scouts (Frontier League) | ||||
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| Year | W-L | PCT | Place | Postseason |
| 1993 | 22-33 | .400 | 3rd in FL West | |
| 1994 | 25-39 | .391 | 2nd in FL West | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Chillicothe Paints 2-1. Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Erie Sailors 2-0. |
| Total | 47-72 | .395 | ||
| Playoffs | 2-3 | .400 | 1 Playoff Appearance. 0 Championships. | |
| Evansville Otters (Frontier League) | ||||
| 1995 | 31-38 | .449 | 6th in FL | |
| 1996 | 34-40 | .459 | 6th in FL | |
| 1997 | 46-33 | .582 | 1st in FL West | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Richmond Roosters 2-1. Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Canton Crocodiles 2-0. |
| 1998 | 43-36 | .544 | 3rd in FL West | Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. Springfield Capitals 2-1. |
| 1999 | 43-41 | .512 | 1st in FL West | Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. Chillicothe Paints 2-0. |
| 2000 | 45-38 | .616 | 2nd in FL West | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. River City Rascals 2-0. Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Johnstown Johnnies 3-1. |
| 2001 | 44-40 | .524 | 4th in FL West | |
| 2002 | 33-51 | .393 | 6th in FL West | |
| 2003 | 51-37 | .580 | 3rd in FL West | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Chillicothe Paints 2-1. Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Gateway Grizzlies 3-0. |
| 2004 | 54-42 | .562 | 2nd in FL West | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Washington Wild Things 3-0. Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Rockford Riverhawks 3-0. |
| 2005 | 52-43 | .547 | 4th in FL West | |
| 2006 | 46-50 | .479 | 2nd in FL West | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Rockford Riverhawks 3-2. Won Frontier League Championship vs. Chillicothe Paints 3-0. |
| 2007 | 34-62 | .354 | 4th in FL West | |
| 2008 | 39-57 | .406 | 6th in FL West | |
| 2009 | 28-66 | .298 | 6th in FL West | |
| 2010 | 35-59 | .372 | 6th in FL West | |
| 2011 | 39-57 | .406 | T-5th in FL West | |
| 2012 | 45-50 | .474 | 5th in FL East | |
| 2013 | 51-45 | .531 | 4th in FL East | |
| Total | 793-885 | .472 | ||
| Playoffs | 17-19 | .472 | 5 Division Titles. 7 Playoff Appearances. 1 Championship. | |
Current roster
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| Active (24-man) roster | Coaches/Other | ||||||||
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Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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See also
- Sports in Evansville
References
- ↑ "Bosse Field Facts". Evansville Otters. Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
- ↑ "Frontier League History". Frontier Professional Baseball. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
External links
| Frontier League | |||||
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| East Division | West Division | ||||
| Evansville Otters | Gateway Grizzlies | ||||
| Florence Freedom | Joliet Slammers | ||||
| Frontier Greys | Normal CornBelters | ||||
| Lake Erie Crushers | River City Rascals | ||||
| Southern Illinois Miners | Rockford Aviators | ||||
| Traverse City Beach Bums | Schaumburg Boomers | ||||
| Washington Wild Things | Windy City ThunderBolts | ||||
| Annual events: Championship | |||||
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