Chico Heat
| Chico Heat | |
|---|---|
| |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles | 4 (WBL: 1997, 2002; GWL: 2016, 2018) |
| Division titles | 3 (WBL: 1997, 2002; GWL: 2018) |
| Team data | |
Previous names | Chico Heat (1997–2002, 2016–2018) |
| Colors | Navy Blue, Red, White |
Previous parks | Nettleton Stadium (1997–2002, 2016–2018) |
Owner(s)/ Operator(s) | Chico Heat Professional Baseball Club, LLC (Steve & Kathy Nettleton, 1997–2002) Chico Heat Baseball, LLC (Steve & Kathy Nettleton, Pat Gillick, Consolidated Sports Holdings, LLC, 2016–2018) |
| President | Bob Linschied (1997–1999) Jeff Kragel (2000–2002) |
| General manager | Brian Ceccon (2000–2002) Hunter Hampton (2016–2018) |
| Manager | Bill Plummer (1997–1999) Charlie Kerfeld (2000–2002) Fred Ludwig (2016–2018) |
| Media | Chico Enterprise-Record |
The Chico Heat is the name of two baseball teams that have operated in
History
The original Chico Heat (1997–2002)
The team started as a professional independent baseball team operating in
The team played at
On August 11, 2007, former Heat majority owner Steve Nettleton and former Heat players were honored as part of a celebration called "Remember The Heat Night" hosted by the Chico Outlaws as they faced the
The Chico Heat of the GWL (2014–2018)
On November 25, 2014, the franchise announced its return to the field in the summer of 2016, but this time as a member of the summer collegiate wood bat league known as the
On July 24, the Heat hosted the second annual GWL All-Star Game. This year, the entire Heat team faced the best of the Great West League, a departure from the normal format. The home run derby will also take place the same day. [5] The Heat faced the Rogues for the second straight season in the GWL Championship, this time falling to their rivals 2 games to 0. In 2018, the Heat would return to the GWL Championship, this time against the Lincoln Potters. They downed the Potters 2 games to 0 to win their second and final championship.
On October 4, 2018, the Heat GWL team announced that they were suspending operations as a result of the Great West League itself suspending operations. [6]
Year-by-year record
Western Baseball League
| Year | League | Affiliation | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Western Baseball League | none | 45–45 | 2nd South Division | Bill Plummer | defeated Reno 3–1 in championship
|
| 1998 | Western Baseball League | none | 63–26 | 1st South Division | Bill Plummer | lost to Sonoma County 0–3 in semifinals |
| 1999 | Western Baseball League | none | 63–27 | 1st overall | Bill Plummer | lost to Tri-City 0–3 in championship |
| 2000 | Western Baseball League | none | 57–33 | 1st North Division | Charlie Kerfeld | lost to Zion in championship
|
| 2001 | Western Baseball League | none | 56–34 | 1st North Division | Charlie Kerfeld | lost to Long Beach in championship |
| 2002 | Western Baseball League | none | 55–35 | 1st North Division | Charlie Kerfeld | defeated Long Beach in championship |
Great West League
| Year | League | Affiliation | Record | Finish | Manager | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Great West League |
none | 34–23 | 2nd | Fred Ludwig | defeated Medford 2–1 in championship series
|
| 2017 | Great West League |
none | 38–22 | 2nd | Fred Ludwig | lost to Medford 2–0 in championship series
|
| 2018 | Great West League |
none | 43-14 | 1st | Fred Ludwig | defeated Lincoln Potters 2–0 in championship series |
Broadcasting
The original Chico Heat were broadcast on KPAY NewsTalk 1290 AM throughout their entire run with longtime area broadcaster Rory Miller on the call. The current Heat welcomed Miller back to the air waves on The Edge 101.7 FM sharing broadcast duties with KPAY's Mike Baca, with broadcast engineers Mike Vislosky and Ryan Mouser.
The death of Steve Nettleton
On January 11, 2019, Heat founder and majority owner Steve Nettleton died at age 79 following a long battle with Parkinson's Disease.[7]
References
- ^ Chico HEAT: A Brief History, Official website archives
- ^ Chico Heat Official Website Archive at Wayback Machine
- ^ Baseball returning to Chico Archived 2014-11-28 at the Wayback Machine, News Staff, Action News Now website, November 25, 2014
- ^ BASEBALL RETURNS TO CHICO WITH GWL FRANCHISE, Great West League website, November 25, 2014
- ^ CHICO HEAT TO HOST THE ALL-STAR GAME, Chico Heat website
- ^ HEAT TO SUSPEND OPERATIONS, Chico Heat website, October 4, 2018
- ^ Chico philanthropist, baseball lover dies age 79, Robin Epley, Chico Enterprise-Record, January 11, 2019
External links
- Chico Heat official website archives (archive.org)
