Rockford Rivets
The Rockford Rivets are a baseball team that plays in the Northwoods League (a collegiate summer baseball league). Based in Rockford, Illinois, the Rivets play their home games at Rivets Stadium in nearby Loves Park.
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| Information | |
| League | Northwoods League (Great Lakes East 2019-pres) (South Division 2016-2018) |
| Location | Loves Park, Illinois |
| Ballpark | Rivets Stadium |
| Year founded | 2015 |
| Colors | Black, Gold, Silver |
| Ownership | Dick Radatz, Jr. & Chad Bauer |
| Management | GM: Chad Bauer Ticket Manager: Bryan Fish |
| Manager | Josh Keim |
| Website | RockfordRivets.com |
History
Following the demise of the Frontier League's Rockford Aviators, their ballpark was put on the market. On October 14, 2015, the Northwoods League officially announced that Rockford Baseball Properties, LLC (composed of league president Dick Radatz, Jr. and Chad Bauer) had purchased the ballpark and would field a team in the league to begin play in the 2016 season. The team would be a member of the South Division, with the La Crosse Loggers moving to the North Division (taking the place of the recently folded Alexandria Blue Anchors).[1][2]
On November 18, the team announced that Northern Illinois Huskies baseball and Madison Mallards alumnus Brian Smith would serve as the team's first manager.[3]
Finally, on February 11, the Rivets name, logo and colors were officially announced.[4][5]
Rivets in the Pros
| Name | Highest Level Team | Professional Organization | Years with Rivets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Hargrove | Stockton Ports | Oakland Athletics (A Advanced) | 2016 |
| Hunter Steinmetz | Dunedin Blue Jays | Toronto Blue Jays (A Advanced) | 2016 |
| Kacey Murphy | West Michigan Whitecaps | Detroit Tigers (A) | 2016 |
| Michael Smith | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Tampa Bay Rays (A) | 2016 |
| Eric Cole | Lexington Legends | Kansas City Royals (A) | 2017 |
| Hunter Fedducia | Great Lakes Loons | Los Angeles Dodgers (A) | 2017 |
| Zach Rheams | Columbia Fireflies | New York Mets (A) | 2017 |
| Bren Spillane | Dayton Dragons | Cincinnati Reds (A) | 2017 |
| Michael Mateja | Rome Braves | Atlanta Braves (A) | 2018 |
| Jesse Wilkening | Williamsport Crosscutters | Philadelphia Phillies (A Short-Season) | 2016 |
| David Cronin | Great Falls Voyagers | Chicago White Sox (Rookie) | 2016 |
References
- "Northwoods League Introduces New Team in Rockford, IL". Northwoods League. October 14, 2015. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
- Taft, Jay (October 13, 2015). "Rockford baseball: Aviators out, Northwoods League team in". RRStar.com. Rockford Register-Star. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
- Trowbridge, Matt (November 18, 2015). "Former NIU star Brian Smith 1st manager for Rockford's Northwoods League team". RRStar.com. Rockford Register-Star. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
- "Rockford's new team introduces Rivets nickname". Northwoods League. February 12, 2016. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
- Trowbridge, Matt (February 11, 2016). "Rockford Rivets unveil name, logo of new baseball team". RRStar.com. Rockford Register-Star. Retrieved February 11, 2016.
