The Chico Heat were a professional independent baseball team operating in Chico, California

Chico, California

Chico is the most populous city in Butte County, California, United States. The population was 86,187 at the 2010 census, up from 59,954 at the time of the 2000 census...

 in the Western Baseball League

Western Baseball League

The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. It's member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002....

. They had no operating agreement with any Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball

Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...

 team. They were created by Chico Heat Professional Baseball LLC, with former supermarket entrepreneur Steve Nettleton and his wife Kathy serving as principal owners. General managers included Bob Linscheid (who would go to become president of the WBL) and Jeff Kragel (now at Chico State University) and their mascot was the beloved "Heater The Dragon" (not to be confused with the Bakersfield Blaze

Bakersfield Blaze

The Bakersfield Blaze are a minor league baseball team in Bakersfield, California, USA. They are a Class A – Advanced team in the California League and are a farm team of the Cincinnati Reds. The Bakersfield Blaze play their home games at Historic Sam Lynn Ballpark...

 mascot of the same name).

The team began operations in 1997. The team immediately won the league championship in their inaugural season and, although they did not win a championship in the four subsequent years, they won the most regular season games in each of the following seasons. They appeared in the championship series in five out of their six seasons in the league. In 2002, Chico won its second league championship in the league's and the team's final season.

The team played at Nettleton Stadium

Nettleton Stadium

Nettleton Stadium is a baseball stadium in Chico, California on the campus of California State University, Chico. It is the home field for the CSU Chico Baseball team, the Wildcats, and the Chico Outlaws of the independent Golden League. It holds 4,200 people. The stadium was named for majority...

, which is located on the campus of California State University, Chico

California State University, Chico

California State University, Chico is the second-oldest campus in the twenty-three-campus California State University system. It is located in Chico, California, about ninety miles north of Sacramento...

. They were preceded by the Oroville/Chico Red Sox of the minor league's Class-C Far West League

Far West League

The Far West League was a "Class C" league in Minor League Baseball that had eight teams and operated from 1948-1951.-Cities represented:*Eugene, OR – Eugene Larks *Klamath Falls, OR – Klamath Falls Gems...

 from 1948-1951 and were succeeded by the Chico Outlaws

Chico Outlaws

The Chico Outlaws are a professional baseball team based in Chico, California, in the United States. The Outlaws are a member of the Western Division of the independent North American League, which is not affiliated with either Major League Baseball or Minor League Baseball...

 of the independent Golden Baseball League

Golden Baseball League

The Golden Baseball League, based in San Ramon, California, was an independent baseball league. It later merged with the Northern League and the United Baseball League to form the North American League in the western United States, western Canada and Mexico....

, taking their place in 2005. The Heat has been the most successful professional baseball franchise in the city's history.

Remember The Heat Night

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 St. George RoadRunners. The original Heat mascot "Heater" even made an appearance. The Outlaws won the ball game in front of over 3,500 fans at Nettleton Stadium.

Alumni

Notable Heat alumni who would return to Chico to join the Outlaws organization as either a player, coach or executive include Greg Bicknell

Greg Bicknell

Greg Brent Bicknell is a former professional baseball player who played in the minor leagues with farm teams in the Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners organizations before becoming a regular on the independent baseball circuit with teams the California League, Texas-Louisiana League, Western...

, Scott Navarro, Jon Macalutas and Lance Franks.

Year-by-year record

Year	League	Affiliation	Record	Finish	Manager	Playoffs
1997	Western Baseball League Western Baseball League The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. It's member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002....	none	45-45	2nd South Division	Bill Plummer Bill Plummer William Francis Plummer was a catcher for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and the Seattle Mariners. While never a regular player , he did play solid defense...	defeated Reno 3-1 in championship
1998	Western Baseball League Western Baseball League The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. It's member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002....	none	63-26	1st South Division	Bill Plummer Bill Plummer William Francis Plummer was a catcher for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and the Seattle Mariners. While never a regular player , he did play solid defense...	lost to Sonoma County Sonoma County Crushers The Sonoma County Crushers were a minor league baseball team located in Rohnert Park, California. They were a member of the independent Western Baseball League, and were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball team....  0-3 in semifinals
1999	Western Baseball League Western Baseball League The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. It's member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002....	none	63-27	1st overall	Bill Plummer Bill Plummer William Francis Plummer was a catcher for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, and the Seattle Mariners. While never a regular player , he did play solid defense...	lost to Tri-City Tri-City Posse The Tri-City Posse were a minor league baseball team located in Pasco, Washington. The team was one of the founding members of the independent Western Baseball League, and was not affiliated with any Major League Baseball team. Their home stadium was Tri-City Stadium, now Gesa Stadium.The Posse...  0-3 in championship
2000	Western Baseball League Western Baseball League The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. It's member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002....	none	57-33	1st North Division	Charlie Kerfeld Charlie Kerfeld Charles Patrick "Charlie" Kerfeld is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Almost all of his career was spent with the Houston Astros.-Career:...	lost to Zion Zion Pioneerzz The St. George Pioneerzz were a minor league baseball team located in St. George, Utah. The team played in the independent Western Baseball League, and was not affiliated with any Major League Baseball team. Their home stadium was Bruce Hurst Field....  in championship
2001	Western Baseball League Western Baseball League The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. It's member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002....	none	56-34	1st North Division	Charlie Kerfeld Charlie Kerfeld Charles Patrick "Charlie" Kerfeld is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Almost all of his career was spent with the Houston Astros.-Career:...	lost to Long Beach Long Beach Breakers This article is about the former Western Baseball League team, for the American Basketball Association team, go to Long Beach Breakers .The Long Beach Breakers were a minor league baseball team that played at Blair Field in Long Beach, California...  in championship
2002	Western Baseball League Western Baseball League The Western Baseball League was an independent baseball league based in the Western United States and Western Canada. It's member teams were not associated with any Major League Baseball teams. It operated from 1995 to 2002....	none	55-35	1st North Division	Charlie Kerfeld Charlie Kerfeld Charles Patrick "Charlie" Kerfeld is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Almost all of his career was spent with the Houston Astros.-Career:...	defeated Long Beach Long Beach Breakers This article is about the former Western Baseball League team, for the American Basketball Association team, go to Long Beach Breakers .The Long Beach Breakers were a minor league baseball team that played at Blair Field in Long Beach, California... in championship

Reference Links

• Chico Heat official website archives (archive.org)
• Chico Heat at Chico Wiki
• Chico Heat at Baseball-Reference.com
• Chico Heat baseball cards at Family History Sites
• Heat Proceeds Benefit Wildcat Baseball (Chico State University website, March 3, 2000)
• Baseball: The Heat Is On (Chico News & Review, April 25, 2002)
• The Heat is off (Chico News & Review, October 17, 2002)
• Chico Heat calls it quits (Chico News & Review, November 7, 2002)
• Remembering the Chico Heat... and its "mojo" (GBL Medford, August 8, 2008)