‘Proud to be in Ogden’: Raptors 30th year begins with 7-2 win over Grand Junction
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- Ogden Raptors starter Brock Gilliam pitches against the Grand Junction Jackalopes on opening night Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Ogden Raptors outfielder Cameron Phelts runs out a bunt single against the Grand Junction Jackalopes on opening night Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- A couple embraces under an umbrella while waiting out a rain delay before the Ogden Raptors season opener Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Ogden Raptors pitcher Brock Gilliam pitches on opening night Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden. Gilliam gave up two runs on four hits, striking out six in 5 2/3 innings.
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- Ogden Raptors center fielder Reese Alexiades catches a fly ball against the Grand Junction Jackalopes on opening night Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Ogden Raptors shortstop Brandon Crosby swings at a pitch against the Grand Junction Jackalopes on opening night Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Ogden Raptors catcher Coleton Horner swings at a pitch against the Grand Junction Jackalopes on opening night Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Ogden Raptors first baseman Trevor Rogers swings against the Grand Junction Jackalopes on opening night Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Ogden Raptors outfielder Juan Teixiera swings against the Grand Junction Jackalopes on opening night Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- A Grand Junction player slides into first as Ogden’s Trevor Rogers receives the throw on opening night Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Grand Junction shortstop Colin Gordon slides past Ogden catcher Coleton Horner to score a run on opening night Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Ogden Raptors second baseman Dakota Conners throws to first against the Grand Junction Jackalopes on opening night Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Ogden Raptors outfielder Cameron Phelts puts down a bunt single against the Grand Junction Jackalopes on opening night Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
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- Ogden Raptors employees help clear the tarp ahead of the season opener against Grand Junction Jackalopes on Tuesday, May 23, 2023, at Lindquist Field in Ogden.
OGDEN — The problem presented by a late-May rainstorm was to the Ogden Raptors’ 2023 season as other obstacles have been to the existence and persistence of the franchise itself.
A little patience and elbow grease, and Tuesday’s season opener eventually took place as the Raptors celebrated started the 30th year of professional baseball’s return to Ogden.
First pitch for the opener against the Grand Junction Jackalopes at Lindquist Field was delayed by one hour but the tarp came off, the teams were introduced and baseball was back for another season in the Junction City.
Any milestone leads Raptors team president and co-owner Dave Baggott to recall his franchise’s beginnings. He helped purchase a team and relocate it to Ogden in 1994 in a matter of three months, thanks in large part to the support of Ogden mayor Glenn Mecham. He put his independent squad at a city park, gained Major League affiliation and partnered with Ogden City to build Lindquist Field in 1997. It’s been the best facility in the Pioneer League since.
“I’m astonished at how quick it was but 30 years later, I’m not astonished that it happened because what I’ve learned about Ogden is once they make up their mind to do something, they do it quickly,” Baggott said Tuesday night. “We’ve been proud to be in Ogden for 30 years and proud to call myself an Ogdenite, and I can’t imagine baseball being played anywhere but here.”
Though the Raptors changed affiliation from the Brewers to the Dodgers, it was mostly smooth sailing until 2020. Not only did the COVID-19 pandemic cancel that season and wipe out a year’s worth of revenue and fan momentum, but certain MLB franchises used it as an opportunity to ax affiliated minor league baseball from 40-something communities across the country, including Ogden and the entire Pioneer League.
Those are possibly the two largest scares that could beset a minor league sports team, but the Raptors and the league found their way through it. Ogden returned to its roots as the entire league became independent.
“We’re watching leagues like the New York-Penn League that couldn’t stick together and ended up folding. I’m very grateful to my ownership partners within the Pioneer League because we stuck together and decided we’re going to continue to press on,” Baggott said. “It’s going to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars more per team to operate, but it’s worth it to keep professional baseball alive in our communities. It’s worth it to the players to keep going. And we found a way … we had the will, and eventually we found the way.”
While the Raptors as a team are usually competitive every season, the franchise’s hallmark has been the support it’s rallied from Ogden and nearby Northern Utah communities. Even as an independent, the Raptors averaged 3,641 fans per game last season — as good or even better than some seasons as in affiliated times. The Raptors have led the Pioneer League in attendance every season since Lindquist Field opened.
Baggott expects attendance to increase this season and also hopes teams like the Rocky Mountain Vibes in Colorado Springs will battle for the crown.
“That would be great for the league,” he said. “It’s hats off to the city and the surrounding communities for believing what we’re doing. We spend a lot of time and effort to put together a product where wins and losses aren’t a contributing factor to coming to the game. It’s a night out at the ballpark, you bring your family, you have a good time and you go home with something to remember. I’m really proud of it.”
RAPTORS 7, JACKALOPES 2
Ogden used strong pitching and timely hitting to defeat Grand Junction 7-2 on Tuesday to open the 2023 season in a contest that lasted 2 hours and 32 minutes in the debut of the pitch clock in the Pioneer League.
Brock Gilliam tossed 5 2/3 innings in his start for Ogden. The righty struck out six and walked one, allowing two earned runs on six hits.
The Jackalopes got on the board first with a Ron Washington Jr. RBI single in the first inning. Washington drove in both of his team’s runs Tuesday, also plating a run in the fifth with a single.
Shortstop Brandon Crosby, someone the Raptors had their eye on since he joined the league last season with Northern Colorado, scored Ogden’s first run of the season with a major-league blast to left field, tying the game 1-1 in the third.
Reese Alexiades singled and later scored to spark a three-run fourth to give the Raptors a 4-1 lead.
Ogden finished the scoring in the eighth when, after Alexiades singled to left and first baseman Trevor Rogers doubled to right, second baseman Dakota Conners cracked a three-run home run down the left-field line.
Right-hander Foster Pace relieved Gilliam with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, striking out four and allowing one hit. Side-armer Marshall Shill closed with a 1-2-3 ninth, striking out GJ shortstop Colin Gordon to end the game.
Cameron Phelts, also an import from Northern Colorado, made his debut for Ogden in the leadoff spot and hit 4 for 5 with two stolen bases and an RBI.
The two teams continue their six-game series with games at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and conclude with a game at 2 p.m. Sunday.
TUESDAY SCORES
Ogden 7, Grand Junction 2
Idaho Falls 8, Boise 6
Billings 7, Missoula 6
Great Falls 6, Glacier 5
Rocky Mountain at Northern Colorado, suspended in 4th inning due to lighting issues
PIONEER LEAGUE STANDINGS
NORTH DIVISION
Billings 1-0
Idaho Falls 1-0
Great Falls 1-0
Glacier 0-1
Missoula 0-1
SOUTH DIVISION
Ogden 1-0
Northern Colorado 0-0
Rocky Mountain 0-0
Grand Junction 0-1
Boise 0-1