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Abilene Prairie Dogs

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Abilene Prairie Dogs
Information
LocationAbilene, Texas
Founded1995
Disbanded2012
League championships1996 (TLL)
Division championships0
Former name(s)Abilene Prairie Dogs
Former league(s)
Former ballparks
ColorsMaroon, Gold, White
OwnershipByron Pierce
General ManagerD.R. Smith
Websitewww.abileneprairiedogs.com

The Abilene Prairie Dogs were an independent professional baseball team based in Abilene, Texas. They were members of the Texas–Louisiana League from 1995 to 1999, and returned for one season in the North American League in 2012.[1][2]

Team history

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Texas–Louisiana League (1995–1999)

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In 1995, the Prairie Dogs, or Dogs as the fans commonly called them, began play at Abilene Christian University's Crutcher Scott Field. [3] Under the management of Charlie Kerfeld, the Prairie Dogs accumulated a dismal 40-60 record, earning them the last place in their League. 1996 brought a new manager, Phil Stephenson, who led the Dogs to a League Championship with a 67-31 record. In 1997, the Dogs returned to last place standing (36-52) under the management of Barry Jones. Jones rallied the Dogs in 1998, to take a fourth-place position with a 39-45 record for the year. In 1999, Jones moved on to the Ozark Mountain Ducks, and was replaced by Dan Madsen, who took the Dogs to a 46-38 third place League standing in their final year of play.[4]

North American League (2012)

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It was announced on January 31, 2012 that the Abilene Prairie Dogs would return to play in June 2012 as a part of the southern division of the North American Baseball League. Their home field would be Walt Driggers Field, on the campus of McMurry University, in Abilene. The Prairie Dogs went 34-53 and did not play their last eight games (all on the road) as they struggled with financial and attendance issues.[5] The club announced in early 2013 that they would not return but hoped to play in 2014.[6] They did not.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "1995 Texas-Louisiana League". Baseball-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  2. ^ a b Chipp, Timothy. "Abilene City Council approves alcohol sales at Rose Park baseball diamond". Abilene Reporter-News. Retrieved 2023-05-01.
  3. ^ Donovan, Michael Leo (2004). Yankees to Fighting Irish: What's Behind Your Favorite Team's Name. United States: Taylor Trade Publishing. p. 155.
  4. ^ Shilcutt; Coffey; Frazier (2000). Historic Abilene: An Illustrated History. HPN Books. pp. 70–71. ISBN 978-1893619067. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
  5. ^ "Prairie Dogs won't be back this year, but could return 2014 » Abilene Reporter-News". Archived from the original on 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2013-04-11.
  6. ^ Reichard, Kevin (25 January 2013). "League: No pro ball in Abilene this season". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved 20 July 2019.
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