Alton River Dragons
| Alton River Dragons | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| League | Prospect League (Western Conference - Prairie Land Division) |
| Location | Alton, Illinois |
| Ballpark | Lloyd Hopkins Field |
| Founded | 2020 |
| Division championships | 1 (2022) |
| Ownership | Steve Marso |
| Manager | Richard "Scotty" Scott |
| Website | www |
The Alton River Dragons are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Alton, Illinois. The Alton River Dragons were founded in 2020 and began play in 2021 as members of the Prospect League.
History
On January 29, 2020, the Prospect League of collegiate summer baseball announced that Alton, Illinois had been granted a franchise for the upcoming season.[1][2][3] Alton previously hosted a minor league team when the 1917 Alton Blues played as members of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League.[4]
The Alton franchise owner was announced as Steve Marso, who owned previous franchises in summer collegiate baseball. Dallas Martz was hired as the Alton General Manager.[5][6]
The "River Dragons" moniker was announced for the Alton franchise on August 14, 2020. The name was chosen after a public submittal process.[2][5]
On November 12, 2020, the Alton River Dragons announced the hiring of Darrell Handelsman to manage the 2021 Alton team. The Alton franchise had previously hired Brock Moss to manage the first team, but Moss had since accepted a position at Texas A&M International University, making him unavailable to coach Alton in the summer.[7][8][9][10]
During the River Dragons 2nd Season in 2022 the team set a Prospect League team record for stolen bases with 210 stolen bases.
The River Dragon's Eddie King JR. from the University of Louisville was name Mike Schmidt Prospect League Player of the Year. King JR led the league with 15 home runs and stole 31 bases in 2022.
Blake Burris set a new Prospect League record with 47 steals and was the league batting champion batting .361 for the season.
On September 21, 2022, it was announced that Head Coach Darrell Handelsman was stepping down as Head Coach.
On October 5, 2022, the River Dragons announce the hiring of Richard "Scotty" Scott as the teams next Head Coach.
Stadium
The Alton River Dragons play at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Gordon Moore Park. Renovations were discussed for the ballpark in anticipation of the 2021 season. The ballpark had previously hosted the Bluff City Bombers of the Central Illinois Collegiate League. The ballpark is located at 98 Arnold Palmer Road, Cottage Hills, Illinois, 62018.[3][5][11]
Seasons
| Season | Manager | Record | Win % | League | Division | GB | Post-season record | Post-season win % | Post-season result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Darrell Handelsman | 27–32 | .458 | 11th | 4th | 10.5 | 0–0 | .000 | - | Inaugural season |
| 2022 | Darrell Handelsman | 32-28 | .533 | 4th | 1st | - | 3-2 | .600 | Conference Champions | |
| Totals | 59–60 | .495 | 3-2 | .600 |
Roster
| Active roster | Coaches/Other | |||
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Pitchers
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Catchers
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Manager Coaches
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References
- ^ "Prospect League Announces Expansion To Alton, Illinois for 2021". ProspectLeague.com (Press release). Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC. January 29, 2020.
- ^ a b Feeney, Colin (August 8, 2020). "Alton Awarded Prospect League Baseball Franchise, Team Name Set To Be Revealed At Lloyd Hopkins Field Friday". RiverBender.com. Alton, Illinois.
- ^ a b "Alton to field new Prospect League baseball franchise". The Telegraph. Alton, Illinois. January 29, 2020.
- ^ "1917 Alton Blues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
- ^ a b c Rhodes, Chris; Brannan, Dan (August 14, 2020). "New Prospect League Team Announces Name: It's The Alton River Dragons". RiverBender.com. Alton, Illinois.
- ^ "Alton River Dragons to Start Play in 2021". Alton Daily News. December 1, 2020. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020.
- ^ "River Dragons Hire Darrell Handelsman As Field Manager". ProspectLeague.com (Press release). Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC. November 12, 2020.
- ^ "Alton River Dragons Name Brock Moss Inaugural Field Manager". ProspectLeague.com (Press release). Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC. September 16, 2020.
- ^ "Moss Steps Down As River Dragons Manager". ProspectLeague.com (Press release). Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC. November 2, 2020.
- ^ Hayes, Pete (November 13, 2020). "BASEBALL: Alton River Dragons manager brings experience, enthusiasm". The Telegraph. Alton, Illinois.
- ^ "Alton River Dragons". ProspectLeague.com. Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC.
External links
- Alton River Dragons official site
- Prospect League official site
