Lafayette Aviators
The Lafayette Aviators are a summer collegiate baseball team based in Lafayette, Indiana. They are a member of the West Division of the summer collegiate Prospect League. The Aviators previously played at the 3,500-seat Loeb Stadium in Columbian Park in Lafayette, which was demolished and will be replaced with a new ballpark set to open in 2021.[3]
Lafayette Aviators | |
---|---|
Information | |
League | Prospect League (West Division) |
Location | Lafayette, Indiana |
Ballpark | Alexander Field (temporary) [1] |
Year founded | 2015 |
League championships | 2017 |
Former name(s) | Jamestown Jammers (2015) |
Former ballparks | Russell Diethrick Park (2015) |
Ownership | National Sports Services[2] |
Management | Zach Chartrand (GM) |
Manager | Bailey Montgomery (1st season) |
Website | www |
The Aviators won their first Prospect League championship in 2017, defeating the Butler BlueSox in a best-of-3 series. [4]
The team currently plays in the Prospect League's West Division along with the Danville Dans, Hannibal Hoots, Quincy Gems, Springfield Sliders, and Terre Haute Rex.
History
The Aviators franchise was originally based in Jamestown, New York, where it operated as the Jamestown Jammers during the 2015 season. [5] The Jammers' owners, Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based MKE Sports & Entertainment, opted to move its Prospect League team to Lafayette and establish a new Jammers team in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League in 2016,[6] with distance (Jamestown was well outside the Prospect League's Midwestern footprint while the PCPBL's footprint was much closer, in Central New York) being cited as the primary reason for the move.
Prior to the 2018 season, the team was sold to National Sports Services, through its subsidiary, Lafayette Family Entertainment LLC.[7]
Seasons
Season | Manager | Record | Win % | Division | GB | Post-season record | Post-season win % | Post-season result | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | 27-33 | .450 | 4th | 11 | 0-0 | .000 | as the Jamestown Jammers | ||
2016 | Brent McNeil[8] | 30-30 | .500 | 3rd | 5 | 0-0 | .000 | ||
2017 | Brent McNeil | 36-24 | .600 | 1st | 4-2 | .667 | Champions | Moved to West Division | |
2018 | Will Arnold[9] | 22-38 | .367 | 6th | 14.0 | 0-0 | .000 | ||
2019 | Brent McNeil | 34 - 26 | .567 | 6th | 6.0 | 0-0 | .000 | ||
2020 | Bailey Montgomery[10] | 0-0 | .000 | 0.0 | 0-0 | .000 | |||
Totals | 149-151 | .497 |
|
References
- "Lafayette Aviators to play at Purdue's Alexander Field in 2020". Journal & Courier. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
- "Lafayette Aviators getting new ownership". Journal & Courier. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- Lafayette, Fans Select Logo for New Team, archived from the original on February 12, 2016
- "Aviators Win Prospect League Championship". www.lafayettebaseball.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- "Check out the New Jamestown Jammers logo, uniforms, and ownership for 2015". www.jamestownbaseball.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- "Jamestown Jammers Join PGCBL". www.pgcbl.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- "Lafayette Aviators have a new owner". WLFI News. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- "| Lafayette Aviators Baseball Loeb Stadium Lafayette, Indiana 47904". www.lafayettebaseball.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- "Lafayette Aviators hire Will Arnold as new manager". Journal & Courier. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
- "Aviators Promote Montgomery to Field Manager | Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC". www.prospectleague.com. Retrieved September 4, 2019.