Salina Stockade Spells Opportunity for Pecos League Players
In 2017 the Laredo Lemurs folded their team in the American Association one week before the season started.
The American Association Office was left with limited options as their schedule had been released, tickets had been sold and plans were in concrete.
The decision was made to run a travel team in the league. Instead of running the time consuming lower reward process of a travel team themselves the Association went for a different route.
The Association granted a one year temporary membership to the Pecos League to run their travel team.
Originally the league wanted the team be called the Roswell Invaders but they were an active team and had a winning tradition and winning is not in the same sentence as the word Travel Team.
In 2016 the Pecos League had a travel team of their own called the Salina Stockade that had a very successful season.
Due to the Pecos League's move to California and date conflicts the Stockade were not going to be brought back to the Pecos League for 2017.
The Parks and Recreation director in Salina wanted to have the Stockade alive and play in the American Association as he was a part of an expansion team in Joplin in the same league.
Most importantly the Pecos League had hats and uniforms ready to go.
It made perfect sense the team would be in a division with Wichita, Cleburne and Grand Prarie and play against Kansas City. Salina was the perfect spot.
46 players played for the Salina Stockade that had played in the Pecos League that likely would have never gotten an opportunity in the American Association.
12 of these players were signed by teams for the 2018 season either in CanAm League or American Association.
The Stockade played very well in the 2nd half going 15-35 after their terrible start the team turned competitive.
In 2018 the CanAm League continued their international series with the Domminican Republic despite the fact that Cuba couldn't attend the series.
They needed another team to fill the schedule and the easy answer was the Salina Stockade.
The Pecos League actually wound up running both teams as the Dominican Republic could not field a competitive team and attempted to made demands for money from the league.
The 2nd team was called the Hollywood Star but was all Salina players. In total 64 players played in the CanAm League from the Pecos League that likely would not have be given the opportunity to play in CanAm League.
Many of them took advantage of the opportunity.
Salina Stockade Spells Opportunity for Pecos League Players
The Salina Stockade will play in the 5th league in 2020 when the play as the 5th team in the Pecos League's Central Division.
Three things have been consistant about the Stockade since their formation in 2016.
Opportunity, Survival, Players have liked being a part of the Stockade Organization.
David Peterson will manage the Stockade, Peterson was an assistant on the 2016, 2017 and 2018 teams.
David has also served as the manager of the Stockade in the Pecos Spring League, in 2018 he went 8-2 and became the first team to win the Pecos Spring League outside of the Houston Apollos.
Peterson will return to Houston where he knows the climate and knows how to win in Houston. "It is a totally different game on turf at sea level" says Peterson.
In 2015/2016 Pecos League Expansion Owner Andrew Dunn wanted to play in Manhattan at K-State or at Lawerence at University of Kansas to go along with Garden City and Topeka as a Kansas Division.
Neither worked out and one of members of K-State Athletic office set team up with Salina.
Dean Evans was a perfect Pecos League Venue. The Stockade were only allowed a limited schedule in 2016 and technically served as a travel team.
The team was a success and Salina allowed more dates in 2016.
In 2017 originally the Stockade were slated to be in the Pecos League North Division along with Amarillo, Garden City and Trinidad.
Amarillo's Potter County Judge stopped this from happening by not allowing the Pecos League to sublease from the American Association Owner.
Two months later the Pecos League announced it was moving four teams to California no Amarillo and no Salina.
The Laredo Lemurs folded their team in the American Association one week before the season started.
The American Association Office was left with limited options as their schedule had been released, tickets had been sold and plans were in concrete.
The decision was made to run a travel team in the league. Instead of running the time consuming lower reward process of a travel team themselves the Association went for a different route.
The Association granted a one year temporary membership to the Pecos League to run their travel team.
Originally the league wanted the team be called the Roswell Invaders but they were an active team and had a winning tradition
and winning is not in the same sentence as the word Travel Team.
Salina was perfect, the team had uniforms hats and a home location if needed in between Kansas City and Wichita.
Salina played the complete season going 18-82 as the travel team despite winning 15 games in the 2nd half.
In 2018 the CanAm League continued their international series with the Salina Stockade and the Dominican Republic despite the fact that Cuba couldn't attend the series.
The Pecos League actually wound up running both teams as the Dominican Republic could not field a competitive team and attempted to made demands for money from the league.
The 2nd team was called the Hollywood Star but was all Salina players. In total 64 players played in the CanAm League from the Pecos League that likely would not have be given the opportunity to play in CanAm League.
Many of them took advantage of the opportunity.
In 2019 the Stockade moved into the Pacific Association where they played the entire season as the road team.
This was another example of providing players an opportunity to play, the Stockade where managed by Chuck Rocker and three of the players were traded at the trade deadline to San Rafael Pacifics where they won a championship ring with Pacifics.
The Stockade have played both the 2019 and 2020 seasons in the Western League.
The Stockade have played the 2017-2018-2019-2020 seasons in the Pecos Spring League.
