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Evansville Otters

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Evansville Otters
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
LeagueFrontier League (West Division)
LocationEvansville, Indiana
BallparkBosse Field
Founded1995
League championships2 (2006, 2016)
Division championships3 (1997, 2000, 2019)
ColorsNavy blue, red, blue, white
       
Playoff berths
15
1994
1997
1998
1999
2000
2003
2004
2006
2014
2016
2017
2018
2019
2022
2023
OwnershipWilfred “Bill” Bussing III
ManagerAndy McCauley
MediaEvansville Courier & Press
Websitewww.evansvilleotters.com

The Evansville Otters are a professional baseball team based in Evansville, Indiana. They compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the West Division. 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 and have won two championships (2006 and 2016).

History

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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 9 seasons, including six Frontier League Championship series with FLCS wins in 2006 and 2016.

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 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. They earned their 689th win, a league record, on August 18, 2011. The team hosted the largest crowd ever at Bosse Field on July 24, 2013, with 8,253 fans in attendance. 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. Four Otters have gone on to careers at the major league level including George Sherrill, Andrew Werner, Brandyn Sittinger, and Randy Wynne.[3]

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.[4]

The Otters reached the Frontier League Championship Series in 2023 for the first time since 2016 but lost in five games to the Quebec Capitales.[5]

Season-by-season records

[edit]
Lancaster Scouts (Frontier League)
Year Division W–L Win % Place Postseason
1993 West 22–33 .400 3rd Did not qualify
1994 West 25–39 .391 2nd Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Chillicothe Paints 2–1.
Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Erie Sailors 2–0.
Total — 47–72 .395 — —
Playoffs — 2–3 — .400 1 Playoff appearance, 0 Championships
Evansville Otters (Frontier League)
1995 — 31-38 .449 6th Did not qualify
1996 West 34–40 .459 3rd Did not qualify
1997 West 46–33 .582 1st Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Richmond Roosters 2–1.
Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Canton Crocodiles 2–0.
1998 West 43–36 .544 3rd Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. Springfield Capitals 2–1.
1999 West 43–41 .512 1st Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. Chillicothe Paints 2–0.
2000 West 45–38 .616 2nd Won 1st Round Playoff vs. River City Rascals 2-0.
Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Johnstown Johnnies 3-1.
2001 West 44–40 .524 4th Did not qualify
2002 West 33–51 .393 6th Did not qualify
2003 East 51–37 .580 3rd Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Chillicothe Paints 2–1.
Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Gateway Grizzlies 3–0.
2004 East 54–42 .562 2nd Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Washington Wild Things 3–0.
Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Rockford Riverhawks 3–0.
2005 East 52–43 .547 4th Did not qualify
2006 West 46–50 .479 2nd Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Rockford Riverhawks 3–2.
Won Frontier League Championship vs. Chillicothe Paints 3–0.
2007 West 34–62 .354 4th Did not qualify
2008 West 39–57 .406 6th Did not qualify
2009 West 28–66 .298 6th Did not qualify
2010 West 35–59 .372 6th Did not qualify
2011 West 39–57 .406 T-5th Did not qualify
2012 East 45–50 .474 5th Did not qualify
2013 East 51–45 .531 4th Did not qualify
2014 East 57–37 .606 2nd Lost East Division Wild Card Game vs. Washington Wild Things.
2015 East 48–48 .500 4th Did not qualify
2016 West 55–40 .579 2nd Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Joliet Slammers 3–1.
Won Frontier League Championship vs. River City Rascals 3–2.
2017 West 52–44 .542 2nd Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. Schaumburg Boomers 3–1.
2018 West 51–45 .531 2nd Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. Washington Wild Things 3–1.
2019 West 57–39 .531 T-1st Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. River City Rascals 2–0.
2020 West - - - Season not played due to COVID-19
2021 West 57–39 .594 2nd Did not qualify
2022 West 52–44 .542 3rd Lost Wild Card Game to Schaumburg Boomers 5–1.
2023 West 52–44 .542 3rd Won Wild Card Game over Schaumburg Boomers 4–3
Won 1st Round Playoff over Gateway Grizzlies 2–1
Lost Championship vs. Québec Capitales 3–2
2024 West 41–55 .427 6th Did not qualify
Total — 1,258–1,281 .495 — —
Playoffs — 24–28 .462 — 14 Playoff appearances, 2 Championships

Current roster

[edit]
Evansville Otters roster
Active (24-man) roster Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  • 18 Jon Beymer
  • 13 Parker Brahms
  • 27 Casey Delgado
  • 45 Tristan Harvin
  • 46 Grif Hughes
  •  9 Chip Korbacher
  •  3 Terance Marin
  • 17 Michael McAvene
  • 29 Jacob Meyer
  • 19 Pat Miner
  • 36 Tyler Ras
  • 33 Braden Scott
  • 24 Zach Smith
  • -- Alex Valdez ‡
  • 50 Ryan Wiltse


Utility players

  • 11 Pavin Parks
  

Catchers

  •  8 Logan Brown
  •  5 Justin Felix
  • 12 Jake Green

Infielders

  • 28 Alex Adams
  • 23 Gary Mattis
  • 34 David Mendham
  •  7 Dakota Phillips
  •  1 Delvin Zinn

Outfielders

  •  6 Randy Bednar
  • 10 Gio DiGiacomo
  • 91 Clayton Keyes ‡
  • 20 Alec Olund
  •  2 Mason White
  

Manager

  • -- Andy McCauley

Coaches

  • -- Phil Britton (assistant)
  • -- Dylan Dando (assistant hitting)
  • -- Billy Easley (assistant)
  • -- Max Peterson (pitching)
  • -- Bobby Segal (hitting)
  • -- Rob Watson (assistant)

Disabled list
‡ Inactive list
§ Suspended list

 updated July 16, 2024
 Transactions

Notable alumni

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Bosse Field Facts". Evansville Otters. Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  2. ^ "Frontier League History". Frontier Professional Baseball. Archived from the original on 2010-01-02. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
  3. ^ "Former Otter Randy Wynne makes MLB Debut with Cincinnati Reds". 26 June 2023.
  4. ^ "EVANSVILLE OTTERS FIRST IN FRONTIER LEAGUE HISTORY TO 800 WINS". Frontierleague.com. 2014-05-27. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
  5. ^ Napier, Briar (2023-09-18). "Le Québec est Magnifique Again With Repeat Frontier League Title". FloBaseball. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
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