The Pioneer Baseball League’s independent-era evolution continues in 2024 with the league revealing the name of its 12th team.

The new franchise previously only known as the “Northern California team” is called the Yolo High Wheelers, the PBL announced Tuesday.

The team will play games at 3,500-seat Dobbins Stadium on the campus of UC Davis, located in the greater Sacramento area within Yolo County. “High Wheelers” refers to Davis as a “global cycling hub,” says the league, and headquarters of the US Bicycling Hall of Fame.

The black-, orange- and yellow-clad High Wheelers will be managed by Billy Horton, the 2023 PBL Manager of the Year for Billings.

Yolo joins the Oakland Ballers as two new teams joining the Pioneer League in 2024. Those two will play each other 36 times in the 96-game season, the league says. The High Wheelers have been signing players since at least Dec. 11, according to the league’s transactions page.

The Ogden Raptors — the 2023 league champions — are not scheduled to play either California team this season.

The California additions are two of four to join the Pioneer League since its foray into independence forced by Major League Baseball ahead of the 2021 season. The Boise Hawks, exiled from the affiliated Northwest League, joined in 2021 and the Glacier Range Riders (Kalispell, Montana) joined in 2022.

The Orem, Utah franchise also moved to Windsor, Colorado, and resumed play in 2022 as the Northern Colorado Owlz. Ahead of the unplayed 2020 season, the Helena, Montana team moved to Texas into a different league and the minor-league franchise in Colorado Springs was shuffled from the Pacific Coast League to the Pioneer League and renamed the Rocky Mountain Vibes.

The Raptors open the 2024 season on May 21, hosting a six-game series against Northern Colorado and another six-gamer against Missoula, both at Lindquist Field.

BIG SKY TOURNAMENT TIMES, TV SET

The Big Sky Conference announced times and TV assignments for its basketball conference tournaments March 9-13 in Boise, Idaho. All games will be streamed on ESPN+ with some late-round games also appearing on linear cable TV.

The basics of the bracket remain the same: seeds 7-10 play Saturday, March 9, and winners face seeds No. 1 and 2 on Sunday, March 10. Those winners get Monday, March 11, off while seeds 3-6 begin play. Winners play in the semifinals on Tuesday, March 11, and the finals on Wednesday, March 12.

Games on the first three days are held at noon and 2:30 p.m. (for the women), and 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. (for the men).

For the semifinals on March 12, women’s tip times are the same. The men’s semifinals tip at 6:30 p.m. (also on ESPNU) and at 9 p.m. (on ESPN2).

The women’s championship on March 13 tips at 3 p.m. and airs on ESPNU. The men’s championship is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. on ESPN2.

Tony Parks and Joe Cravens will call the men’s games set only for ESPN+ while Tracy Warren and Krista Redpath will call ESPN+ women’s games. On-air talent for games on linear TV will be announced later; in 2023, Parks and Cravens called those games as well.

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