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Lafayette Aviators

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Lafayette Aviators
Information
LeagueProspect League (Eastern Conference – Northeast Division)
LocationLafayette, Indiana
BallparkLoeb Stadium
Founded2015
League championships1 (2017)
Division championships2 (2017, 2021)
Former name(s)Jamestown Jammers (2015)
Former ballparksRussell Diethrick Park (2015)
Loeb Stadium (1940) (2016–2019)
ColorsNavy & Yellow
OwnershipNational Sports Services[1]
ManagerJamie Sailors
General ManagerDavid Krakower
Websitelafayettebaseball.com

The Lafayette Aviators are a summer collegiate baseball team based in Lafayette, Indiana. They are a member of the Eastern Conference of the summer collegiate Prospect League. The Aviators play at Loeb Stadium in Columbian Park in Lafayette, which opened in May 2021.

The Aviators won their first Prospect League championship in 2017, defeating the Butler BlueSox in a best-of-3 series.[2]

The Aviators play in the Prospect League's Eastern Conference – Northeast Division along with the Champion City Kings, Chillicothe Paints, and Johnstown Mill Rats.[3]

History

[edit]

The Aviators franchise was originally based in Jamestown, New York, where it operated as the Jamestown Jammers during the 2015 season.[4] 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,[5] 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.[6]

The Aviators were supposed to play their 2020 season at Purdue University's Alexander Field while the original Loeb Stadium was torn down and replaced by a new ballpark;[7] however, the season was suspended when Purdue closed their athletic facilities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

The team was finally able to welcome spectators to their season opener at their new stadium on June 1, 2021.[9]

Seasons

[edit]
Season Manager Record Win % Division GB Post-season record Post-season win % Post-season result Notes
2015 Anthony Barone 27–33 .450 4th 11.0 0–0 .000 Did not qualify as the Jamestown Jammers
2016 Brent McNeil[10] 30–30 .500 3rd 5.0 0–0 .000 Did not qualify
2017 Brent McNeil 36–24 .600 1st – 4–2 .667 Won West Division Championship (Terre Haute)
Won Prospect League Championship (Butler)		 Moved to West Division
2018 Will Arnold[11] 22–38 .367 6th 14.0 0–0 .000 Did not qualify
2019 Brent McNeil 34–26 .567 6th 6.0 0–0 .000 Did not qualify
2020 Bailey Montgomery[12] Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic)
2021 Michael Keeran[13] 41–18 .695 1st – 3–2 .600 Won Wabash River Division Championship (Danville)
Won East Conference Championship (Champion City)
Lost Prospect League Championship (Cape)
2022 Chris Willsey 25–34 .424 4th 16.0 0–0 .000 Did not qualify
2023 Jamie Sailors 28–29 .491 3rd 12.5 0–0 .000 Did not qualify
2024 Jamie Sailors 0–0 .000 0–0 .000
Totals 243–232 .512 7–4 .636

Roster

[edit]
Lafayette Aviators roster
Active roster Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  • -- Ty Bradle
  • -- Gunther Braendel
  • -- Jack Carey
  • -- Michael Castaneda
  • -- Evan Cooke
  • -- Sam Corbett
  • -- Cale Coursey
  • -- Jeremy Crider
  • -- Elijah Griffith
  • -- Tyler Helton
  • -- Ben Mazur
  • -- Owen Norris
  • -- Corbin Payne
  • -- Jonathan Phipps
  • -- Elliott Rossell
  • -- Calvin Shepherd
  • -- Jaden Siemer
  • -- Coley Stevens
  • -- Eric Tenery
  • -- Gannon Wentz
  • -- Caden Wilburn
  • -- Joey Wilmoth
  • -- Zach Wyatt



  

Catchers

  • -- Karson Kennedy
  • -- Brooks Sailors
  • -- Clay Shelton

Infielders

  • -- Nate Bingman
  • -- Jacob Danneman
  • -- Josiah Miller
  • -- Tucker Platt
  • -- Kolton Schaller
  • -- Cal Wipf

Outfielders

  • -- Eli Hickman
  • -- Tanner Holland
  • -- Grant Miller
  • -- Frederick Ragsdale III
  

Manager

  • -- Jamie Sailors

Coaches

  • -- Demeris Barlow (assistant)
  • -- Tripp Storrs (assistant)

Disabled list
‡ Inactive list
§ Suspended list

 updated February 19, 2024

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Park, Jeong (April 23, 2018). "Lafayette Aviators getting new ownership". Journal & Courier. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  2. ^ "Aviators Win Prospect League Championship". Aviators Baseball. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  3. ^ "2024 Prospect League Standings - Prospect League Baseball". www.prospectleague.com. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  4. ^ "Check out the New Jamestown Jammers logo, uniforms, and ownership for 2015". www.jamestownbaseball.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  5. ^ "Jamestown Jammers Join PGCBL". www.pgcbl.com. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  6. ^ "Lafayette Aviators have a new owner". WLFI News. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  7. ^ Baird, Nathan (August 6, 2019). "Lafayette Aviators to play at Purdue's Alexander Field in 2020". Journal & Courier. Lafayette, Indiana. Retrieved August 7, 2019.
  8. ^ "Aviators Announce Suspension of 2020 Season". Aviators Baseball (Press release). Lafayette Aviators. May 18, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2021.
  9. ^ Bills, Marvin (May 18, 2021). "Lafayette Aviators prepping special events in the run up to opening night". WLFI-TV. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
  10. ^ "| Lafayette Aviators Baseball Loeb Stadium Lafayette, Indiana 47904". Aviators Baseball. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  11. ^ "Lafayette Aviators hire Will Arnold as new manager". Journal & Courier. Retrieved June 21, 2018.
  12. ^ "Aviators Promote Montgomery to Field Manager". Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  13. ^ "Coaches". Aviators Baseball. Retrieved June 2, 2021.


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