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Ohio Valley Redcoats 2
First season: 2005
Years in league: 2005
Ballparks: Campana Park; Pioneer Park; Loeb Stadium
The arrival of the Double-A Springfield Cardinals meant the end of the Springfield-Ozark Ducks, and the team was forced to relocate. Unable to find a home for the full 2005 season, they became a semi-traveling team and were known as the Ohio Valley Redcoats, resurrecting the name of one of the league's historic early franchises.
Faced with playing most of the first half of the season on the road, and playing "home" games in three scattered cities, rookie manager Mark Mason earned a well-deserved "Manager Of the Year" award for leading the Redcoats to a near-.500 record.
The were numerous bright spots for the Redcoats. 3B Travis Garcis was an all-star with a .339-12-70 season , with a record 39 doubles. 2B Nick Batkoski was both an all-star and Rookie Of the Year, hitting .336-16-56. Outfielders Jason Boyd (.304-11-66) and Jaziel Mendoza (.288-15-65) added pop to the lineup.
ON the hill Luke Adkins started strong and made the midseason all-star team, finishing 8-8, 4.43. Tom Cochran (seven wins), Ryan Childs (six) and Chris Jakubauskas (five) rounded out the rotation. Jason Elkins saved ten games after joining the Redcoats from Mid-Missouri, and setup man Justin Gerlach went 5-1, 3.05. Jon Grijalva posted a 3.74 ERA before being sold to the Toronto Blue Jays.
At the end of the 2005 season it was unclear where the Redcoats would be playing in 2006. In September it was announced that the Redcoats would not move to Lorain as had been expected. By mid-October it was being reported that the Redcoats would not operate in 2006, a fact confirmed by the league in early November..
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(Above) The Redcoats opened the 2005 season against Richmond at Campana Park in Lorain, Ohio from June 1-3.
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(Above) The Redcoats played at Pioneer Park in Marietta, Ohio home for six games in 2005.
(Below) Loeb Stadium in Lafayette, IN dates to 1940 and was the home of the Redcoats for the second half of the 2005 season..
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| Year | Won | Lost | GB | Finish | Attendance | Manager | Playoffs First Round | Playoffs Second Round | ||||||||
| 2005 | 46 | 49 | 17 | 5E | 11,066 | Mark Mason |
Major Award Winners:
2005 Mark Mason, Manager Of the Year
2005 Nick Batkoski, Rookie of the Year
Redcoats Post-Season All-Stars:
2005 2B Nick Batkoski, 3B Travis Garcia
Players on FL Tenth Anniversary All-Star Team: none
Franchise Player:
Redcoats in the majors: none
