Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks
{{Infobox baseball team
|name = Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks
|founded = 1998
|disbanded = 2004
|city = Ozark, Missouri
|ballpark = Price Cutter Park
|logo = Ozark Mountain Ducks logo.png
|cap_logo = Ozark Mountain Ducks Cap.png
|league =
|division =
|former_leagues = {{plainlist|
- Texas–Louisiana League (1999–2001)
- Central Baseball League (2001-03)
- Frontier League (2004)
}}
|former_names = {{plainlist|
- Ozark Mountain Ducks (1999-2000)
- Springfield-Ozark Ducks (2004)
}}
|nicknames =
|uniform =
|retired_numbers =
|colors = Royal Blue, Yellow
{{colorbox|royalblue}}{{colorbox|gold}}
|former_ballparks =
|league_champs = None
|division_champs = None
|owner = Horn Chen
($3 million purchase){{Cite web | title=Ducks GM wary of Springfield stadium {{!}} Springfield Business Journal | url=https://sbj.net/stories/ducks-gm-wary-of-springfield-stadium,45578 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808072018/https://sbj.net/stories/ducks-gm-wary-of-springfield-stadium,45578 | access-date=2024-12-20 | archive-date=2024-08-08}}
}}
The Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks was an unaffiliated minor league team that previously played in Ozark, Missouri, a suburb of Springfield. The team was a member of the Texas-Louisiana League, later named the Central Baseball League from 1999 to 2003. The team played in Price Cutter Park, now known as Ozark Mountain Sports Complex.
History
In April 1998, Texas-Louisiana League president and co-founder Byron Pierce announced that the league would put a new team in Ozark pending financing for a new ballpark. In August the funding was secured. Construction on the stadium started in late fall and took four months to complete.{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-springfield-news-leader-new-ballpark/152874327/|title=Sight for Ozark Ballpark Announced|first=Traci|last=Shirley|website=Springfield News-Leader}}
The peculiar team name and mascot was picked from a name-the-team contest in 1998. The winning entry{{emdash}}by Craig Cremer of Ozark{{emdash}}was picked out of 65,000 submissions. Cremer says the kid-friendly name was derived from a combination of the Ozark Mountains and the Ride the Ducks boat ride in Branson{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-springfield-news-leader-mountain-duc/152873316/|title=Mountain Ducks Make Nest in Ozark|first=Scott|last=Puryear|website=Springfield News-Leader}}
The Mountain Ducks played their inaugural game on May 27, 1999 on the road, a 7-4 loss to the Amarillo Dillas. Their first home game came two weeks later on June 10 in front of 4,764 people, a 5-2 loss, also against Amarillo.{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-springfield-news-leader-ducks-come-u/107040496/|title=Ducks Come Up Short|first=Eric|last=Bailey|website=Springfield News-Leader}}
Success on the field was hard to come by for the team. The Mountain Ducks only made the postseason one time during its tenure, a first round exit in 2000.
Two players with Major League experience played for Springfield-Ozark: Outfielder Mel Hall (2002) played 13 seasons, mostly with the Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees and Pitcher Mike Smith (1999-2001). Smith played in 15 games over two seasons with the Baltimore Orioles.{{Cite web | title=Mike Smith Minor, Mexican & Independent Leagues Statistics {{!}} Baseball-Reference.com | url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=smith-006mic | access-date=2024-12-20 | website=www.baseball-reference.com}}
The team joined the Frontier League in 2004. The Mountain Ducks rights to the club's spot in the CBL were sold in 2004 to the Pensacola Pelicans{{Cite web|url=https://ccheadliner.com/stories/horn-chen-sells-ducks,86205|title=Horn Chen sells Ducks|first=Ron|last=Schott |website=Christian County Headliner News}} of the discontinued Southeastern League.
The franchise's time in Ozark ended for good after only one season in the Frontier League once hotel magnate John Q. Hammons purchased the rights to the Double-A Texas League's El Paso Diablos, renamed them the Cardinals and moved them to downtown Springfield. The Ducks moved to Ohio/Indiana and were renamed the Ohio Valley Redcoats
Team Record
The Mountain Ducks had a combined record of 261-312 over six seasons.{{cn|date=August 2024}}
| class="wikitable" | |||||
| Season | Wins | Losses | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 32 | 50 | 5th | Barry Jones | Missed Playoffs |
| 2000 | 59 | 53 | 4th | Barry Jones | Lost First Round Amarillo 1–2 |
| 2001 | 33 | 58 | 6th | Barry Jones | Missed Playoffs |
| 2002 | 45 | 51 | 6th (3rd, East) | Phil Wilson | Missed Playoffs |
| 2003 | 40 | 56 | 8th (4th, East) | Phil Wilson | Missed Playoffs |
| 2004 | 52 | 44 | 6th (4th, West) | Greg Tagert | Missed Playoffs |
All-Stars
| 1999: Brent Bubela, C; Sergio Cairo, OF; Mike Smith, P |
| 2000: Mike Smith, P; Jim Wollscheid, P |
| 2001: Andre Johnson, OF; Mike Smith, P |
| 2002: None |
| 2003: None |
| 2004: None |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=0c0cb201 1999 Ozark Mountain Ducks statistics]
- [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=dfd9f071 2000 Ozark Mountain Ducks statistics]
- [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=d23b7d10 2001 Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks statistics]
- [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=cb06aed9 2002 Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks statistics]
- [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=881223a5 2003 Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks statistics]
- [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=a721a0fe 2004 Springfield-Ozark Ducks statistics]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Springfield Ozark Mountain Ducks}}
Category:Defunct minor league baseball teams
Category:Baseball teams disestablished in 2004
Category:Defunct independent baseball league teams
Category:Defunct baseball teams in Missouri