Oakland County Cruisers
Encyclopedia
The Oakland County Cruisers were a professional baseball team based in Waterford Township, Michigan
, in the United States
. They are a member of the East Division of the Frontier League
, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball
.
The name "Cruisers" is a reference to Oakland County
's location in Metropolitan Detroit, home of the three major American automobile companies: Ford
, Chrysler
, and General Motors
. All three companies have significant investments in Oakland County. Each August, the county hosts the Woodward Dream Cruise
.
. The Sliders played 32 home games at Jack Critchfield Park
in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
, with the remaining 64 played on the road. For the 2008 season, the Sliders became a traveling team, playing all of their games on the road under the geographical moniker, Midwest.
The Sliders' 2009 season began on May 29, at Eastern Michigan University
's Oestrike Stadium
located in Ypsilanti, Michigan
. The Sliders played strong - a 33-33 record after 66 games. However, countless injuries and the sale of top starting pitching led to a late-season slump. Pitcher James Albury was sold to the Chicago White Sox
and pitcher Caleb Graham was sold to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
. The Sliders had 42 scheduled home dates with 54 scheduled road dates.
The Oakland County Cruisers were scheduled move into Diamond at The Summit on July 16, 2010 after playing three three-game series (nine games total) at Oestrike Stadium
during the first half of the 2010 Frontier League
season, however, the organization was unable to obtain funding in time for this to occur. The Cruisers played 78 of its 96 regular-season games on the road. The Cruisers led the Frontier League East for better than two months. However, the high amount of road games (30 more than any other team) and the solid play of the Windy City Thunderbolts and Traverse City Beach Bums down the stretch led to a third place finish - only four games out. Interim Manager Gera Alvarez won 2010 Frontier League Manager of the Year. Pitcher P.J. Zocchi and first baseman Joash Brodin were named to the Frontier League End-of-Year All-Star Team. Zocchi tied the Frontier League record for saves in a season with 26 (matched Matt Petty of the Windy City Thunderbolts in 2007) and was named Frontier League Relief Pitcher of the Year.
Construction on Diamond at The Summit was supposed to begin in October 2010 with the stadium completed in June 2011. The complex would hold approximately 4,000 fans and function as a year-sound sports and entertainment complex in Waterford Township. After a groundbreaking ceremony with officials of Waterford Township, the area still sits as a vacant parking lot to the adjoining and vacant Summit Place Mall. A small sign touting the construction project sits on the corner of two shopping mall "streets" with fading color in a sea of weeds.
in 1913. The Border League was sometimes called a "trolley league" because its six franchises (in southeastern Michigan
and Ontario, Canada) were located on the interurban
lines; they played a limited schedule of games, primarily on weekends. Managed by former major-leaguer Ducky Pearce, the unnamed Ypsilanti team took the pennant with a 24-10 record, then folded with the rest of the league. Ypsilanti thus held the distinction of being one of the few cities to win a championship in its only season hosting a pro ballclub.
College baseball remains popular in Ypsilanti: Eastern Michigan University
won a NAIA
national championship in 1971 and made it all the way to the championship game of the NCAA College World Series
in 1976 before losing to Arizona
. The Hurons (now Eagles) remain the last northern school to play for the CWS title.
returned, this time under new ownership and as a member of the new Prospect League
(several of whose teams play in former Frontier League markets).
Waterford Township, Michigan
Waterford Charter Township is a charter township in north Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the township had a population of 71,707.-History:...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. They are a member of the East Division of the Frontier League
Frontier League
The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either...
, which is not affiliated with 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...
.
The name "Cruisers" is a reference to Oakland County
Oakland County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the 2010 Census, there were 1,202,362 people, 471,115 households, and 315,175 families residing in the county. The population density as of the 2000 census was 1,369 people per square mile . There were 492,006 housing units at an average density of 564 per square mile...
's location in Metropolitan Detroit, home of the three major American automobile companies: Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, Chrysler
Chrysler
Chrysler Group LLC is a multinational automaker headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, USA. Chrysler was first organized as the Chrysler Corporation in 1925....
, and General Motors
General Motors
General Motors Company , commonly known as GM, formerly incorporated as General Motors Corporation, is an American multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Detroit, Michigan and the world's second-largest automaker in 2010...
. All three companies have significant investments in Oakland County. Each August, the county hosts the Woodward Dream Cruise
Woodward Dream Cruise
The Woodward Dream Cruise event is a classic car event held annually on the third Saturday of August in Metropolitan Detroit, along Woodward Avenue. The WDC Event spans much of the avenue, from Pontiac through Ferndale in Oakland County, Michigan, all the way to the State Fair Grounds inside the...
.
History
The Slippery Rock Sliders were formed for the 2007 season to ensure an even number of teams with the Frontier League's addition of the Southern Illinois MinersSouthern Illinois Miners
The Southern Illinois Miners are a professional baseball team based in Marion, Illinois, in the United States. The Miners are a member of the West Division of the Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball...
. The Sliders played 32 home games at Jack Critchfield Park
Jack Critchfield Park
Jack Critchfield Park is a stadium in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. It is primarily used for baseball and hosts the Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania college baseball team. The ballpark is also home of the Prospect League's Slippery Rock Sliders. It was also the home of the Slippery Rock...
in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
Slippery Rock is a borough in Butler County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 3,068 at the 2000 census. It is home to the Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania.-Geography:Slippery Rock is located at ....
, with the remaining 64 played on the road. For the 2008 season, the Sliders became a traveling team, playing all of their games on the road under the geographical moniker, Midwest.
The Sliders' 2009 season began on May 29, at Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
's Oestrike Stadium
Oestrike Stadium
Oestrike Stadium is a stadium in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It is primarily used for baseball, and served as the home field of the Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti Frontier League baseball team in 2009. In addition, it hosts the Eastern Michigan University Eagles baseball team. It holds 1,313 people and...
located in Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti, Michigan
Ypsilanti is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 22,362. The city is bounded to the north by the Charter Township of Superior and on the west, south, and east by the Charter Township of Ypsilanti...
. The Sliders played strong - a 33-33 record after 66 games. However, countless injuries and the sale of top starting pitching led to a late-season slump. Pitcher James Albury was sold to the Chicago White Sox
Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
and pitcher Caleb Graham was sold to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...
. The Sliders had 42 scheduled home dates with 54 scheduled road dates.
The Oakland County Cruisers were scheduled move into Diamond at The Summit on July 16, 2010 after playing three three-game series (nine games total) at Oestrike Stadium
Oestrike Stadium
Oestrike Stadium is a stadium in Ypsilanti, Michigan. It is primarily used for baseball, and served as the home field of the Midwest Sliders of Ypsilanti Frontier League baseball team in 2009. In addition, it hosts the Eastern Michigan University Eagles baseball team. It holds 1,313 people and...
during the first half of the 2010 Frontier League
Frontier League
The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either...
season, however, the organization was unable to obtain funding in time for this to occur. The Cruisers played 78 of its 96 regular-season games on the road. The Cruisers led the Frontier League East for better than two months. However, the high amount of road games (30 more than any other team) and the solid play of the Windy City Thunderbolts and Traverse City Beach Bums down the stretch led to a third place finish - only four games out. Interim Manager Gera Alvarez won 2010 Frontier League Manager of the Year. Pitcher P.J. Zocchi and first baseman Joash Brodin were named to the Frontier League End-of-Year All-Star Team. Zocchi tied the Frontier League record for saves in a season with 26 (matched Matt Petty of the Windy City Thunderbolts in 2007) and was named Frontier League Relief Pitcher of the Year.
Construction on Diamond at The Summit was supposed to begin in October 2010 with the stadium completed in June 2011. The complex would hold approximately 4,000 fans and function as a year-sound sports and entertainment complex in Waterford Township. After a groundbreaking ceremony with officials of Waterford Township, the area still sits as a vacant parking lot to the adjoining and vacant Summit Place Mall. A small sign touting the construction project sits on the corner of two shopping mall "streets" with fading color in a sea of weeds.
Baseball in Ypsilanti
The Sliders were Ypsilanti's first pro baseball team in nearly a century, since they were awarded a franchise in the Class D Border LeagueBorder League
For the defunct baseball league, see Border League The Border League, is the oldest established rugby union league in the World, having been formed in 1901...
in 1913. The Border League was sometimes called a "trolley league" because its six franchises (in southeastern Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and Ontario, Canada) were located on the interurban
Interurban
An interurban, also called a radial railway in parts of Canada, is a type of electric passenger railroad; in short a hybrid between tram and train. Interurbans enjoyed widespread popularity in the first three decades of the twentieth century in North America. Until the early 1920s, most roads were...
lines; they played a limited schedule of games, primarily on weekends. Managed by former major-leaguer Ducky Pearce, the unnamed Ypsilanti team took the pennant with a 24-10 record, then folded with the rest of the league. Ypsilanti thus held the distinction of being one of the few cities to win a championship in its only season hosting a pro ballclub.
College baseball remains popular in Ypsilanti: Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University
Eastern Michigan University is a comprehensive, co-educational public university located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ypsilanti is west of Detroit and eight miles east of Ann Arbor. The university was founded in 1849 as Michigan State Normal School...
won a NAIA
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
national championship in 1971 and made it all the way to the championship game of the NCAA College World Series
College World Series
The College World Series or CWS is an annual baseball tournament held in Omaha, Nebraska that is the culmination of the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, which determines the NCAA Division I college baseball champion. The eight teams are split into two, four-team, double-elimination brackets,...
in 1976 before losing to Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
. The Hurons (now Eagles) remain the last northern school to play for the CWS title.
Return of the Sliders
In 2009, the Slippery Rock SlidersSlippery Rock Sliders
The Slippery Rock Sliders are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, in the United States. They are a member of the East Division of the summer collegiate Prospect League.-Frontier League past:...
returned, this time under new ownership and as a member of the new Prospect League
Prospect League
The Prospect League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. Players are not paid so as to maintain their college eligibility...
(several of whose teams play in former Frontier League markets).
Seasons
| Slippery Rock/Midwest Sliders-of Ypsilanti (Frontier League Frontier League The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either... ) |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | W-L | PCT | Place | Postseason | |
| 2007 | 29-66 | .305 | 4th in FL East | | | |
| 2008 | 29-67 | .302 | 6th in FL East | | | |
| 2009 | 42-54 | .438 | 6th in FL East | ||
| Oakland County Cruisers (Frontier League Frontier League The Frontier League, based in Sauget, Illinois, is a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Midwestern United States, Western Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario. It operates mostly in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and is not affiliated with either... ) |
|||||
| Year | W-L | PCT | Place | Postseason | |
| 2010 | 53-43 | .552 | 3rd in FL East | No, three games out | |
| Total | 153-230 | .399 | | | ||
Official websites
Media
- Mlive.com Sports Blog - "Cruisers Central"
- Facebook page under "Oakland County Cruisers Professional Baseball Club"