Princeton WhistlePigs

{{Infobox baseball team

|name = Princeton WhistlePigs

|founded = 2021

|city = Princeton, West Virginia

|ballpark = H. P. Hunnicutt Field

|logo = Princeton_WhistlePigs_logo.png

|cap_logo =

|league = Appalachian League

|division =

|former_leagues =

|former_names =

|nicknames =

|retired_numbers =

|colors = Brown, yellow
{{color box|#654321}} {{color box|#ffd300}}

|former_ballparks =

|league_champs =

|division_champs =

|owner =

|president = Dewey Russell{{Cite web|url=https://www.mlb.com/appalachian-league/princeton/about/front-office|title = Front Office | Princeton WhistlePigs|website = MLB.com}}

| general_manager = Danny Shingleton

|manager = Patrick Anderson{{cite news |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/princeton-whistlepigs-announce-patrick-anderson-as-manager |title=Princeton WhistlePigs announce Patrick Anderson as 2021 manager |publisher=Appalachian League |website=MLB.com |date=April 26, 2021 |accessdate=May 29, 2021}}{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=anders001pat |title=Patrick Anderson Independent & Minor Leagues Statistics & History |website=Baseball-Reference.com|accessdate=May 29, 2021}}

|media = WSTG (home games)

|website = {{Official website| https://www.mlb.com/appalachian-league/princeton}}

|folded=2023}}

The Princeton WhistlePigs were a summer collegiate baseball team of the Appalachian League. They were located in Princeton, West Virginia, and played their home games at H. P. Hunnicutt Field. "Whistle pig" is an alternate name for a groundhog.

History

Princeton and H. P. Hunnicutt Field previously served as home to a Minor League Baseball team from 1988 to 2020, last known as the Princeton Rays. In conjunction with a contraction of the minor leagues beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league designed for rising college freshmen and sophomores.{{cite web|title=MLB, USA Baseball Announce New Format for Appalachian League|url=https://www.mlb.com/press-release/press-release-mlb-usa-baseball-announce-new-format-for-appalachian-league|website=Major League Baseball|date=September 29, 2020|access-date=September 29, 2020}} In the revamped league, the Rays were replaced by the WhistlePigs, who are scheduled to play their first game on June 3, 2021, hosting the Burlington Sock Puppets.{{cite news |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/princeton-baseball-rebranded-as-the-princeton-whistlepigs |title=Princeton Baseball rebranded as the Princeton WhistlePigs |publisher=Princeton WhistlePigs |website=MLB.com |date=March 24, 2021 |accessdate=May 29, 2021}}

After a 30-22 debut campaign in 2021, the Whistlepigs slumped to sub-.500 records in 2022 and 2023. After a 2023 campaign in which Princeton struggled to a 17-27 mark and finished last in the league in attendance, the franchise announced their departure from the Appalachian League and cessation of operations on October 11.{{Cite web |last=Owens |first=Charles |date=October 11, 2023 |title=Princeton will no longer have a Minor League Baseball team |url=https://www.bdtonline.com/news/princeton-will-no-longer-have-a-minor-league-baseball-team/article_52dbc9ec-6854-11ee-b9eb-f73c3a3421b1.html |access-date=October 16, 2023 |website=Bluefield Daily Telegraph}}

References

Category:Appalachian League teams

Category:Baseball teams established in 2021

Category:2021 establishments in West Virginia

Category:Amateur baseball teams in West Virginia

Category:Defunct baseball teams in West Virginia

Category:Sports in Princeton, West Virginia

Category:Baseball teams disestablished in 2023

Category:2023 disestablishments in West Virginia