Evansville Otters

Evansville Otters
Team logo Cap insignia
League	Frontier League (East Division)
Location	Evansville, Indiana
Ballpark	Bosse Field
Year founded	1995
League championships	1 (2006)
Division championships	5 (1997, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2006)
Colors	Navy Blue, Maroon, White
Ownership	Bill Bussing
Manager	Andy McCauley
Media	Evansville Courier & Press WUEV 91.5 FM
Website	www.evansvilleotters.com

The Evansville Otters are a professional baseball team based in Evansville, Indiana. They compete in the East Division of the independent Frontier League. Since their establishment in 1995, the Otters have played at historic Bosse Field, which originally opened in 1915.^[1] The Otters are the oldest current team in the Frontier League, but have won just one championship in 2006.

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.

On May 27, 2014 the Otters became the first team in the Frontier League to reach 800 wins.^[3]

Season-by-season records

Current roster

See also

• Sports in Evansville

References

External links

• Evansville Otters
• Frontier League
• Otters page at OurSports Central

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