Orem Owlz
Encyclopedia
The Orem Owlz are a minor league baseball
farm team
affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
baseball franchise. The team plays in Orem, Utah
.
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Formerly the Provo Angels, the team changed ownership after the 2004 season and moved to a new stadium in neighboring Orem. While retaining its affiliation with the Angels major league
club, the team introduced a new name and logo at the time of their move. The Owlz also introduced a new mascot named Hootz, a red owl
with a head in the shape of a large baseball. Hootz was married in 2009 in an on-field ceremony to Holly, a female Owl.
The Owlz play in the Pioneer League, which is a rookie-level league with an abbreviated schedule. They won the 2004 Pioneer League championship (while still in Provo
) and won the 2005 championship as well, after moving to Orem
. The Owlz have also won the 2007 and 2009 championships. The Owlz play their home games at the Home of the Owlz, on the campus of Utah Valley University.
The team is prominently mentioned in the book Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit
, a memoir recounting the author's one season playing for the Provo Angels.
Provo once had a Pioneer League team (the Provo Expos) and later a triple-A level Pacific Coast League
team (the Provo Gulls, also a Montreal Expos
affiliate) in the 1970s and early 1980s. The area didn't have a minor league team for 20 seasons until 2001.
Minor league baseball
Minor league baseball is a hierarchy of professional baseball leagues in the Americas that compete at levels below Major League Baseball and provide opportunities for player development. All of the minor leagues are operated as independent businesses...
farm team
Farm team
In sports, a farm team, farm system, feeder team or nursery club, is generally a team or club whose role is to provide experience and training for young players, with an agreement that any successful players can move on to a higher level at a given point...
affiliated with 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...
baseball franchise. The team plays in Orem, Utah
Orem, Utah
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and...
.
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...
club, the team introduced a new name and logo at the time of their move. The Owlz also introduced a new mascot named Hootz, a red owl
Owl
Owls are a group of birds that belong to the order Strigiformes, constituting 200 bird of prey species. Most are solitary and nocturnal, with some exceptions . Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species specialize in hunting fish...
with a head in the shape of a large baseball. Hootz was married in 2009 in an on-field ceremony to Holly, a female Owl.
The Owlz play in the Pioneer League, which is a rookie-level league with an abbreviated schedule. They won the 2004 Pioneer League championship (while still in Provo
Provo, Utah
Provo is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Utah, located about south of Salt Lake City along the Wasatch Front. Provo is the county seat of Utah County and lies between the cities of Orem to the north and Springville to the south...
) and won the 2005 championship as well, after moving to Orem
Orem, Utah
Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the north-central part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is about south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Utah and...
. The Owlz have also won the 2007 and 2009 championships. The Owlz play their home games at the Home of the Owlz, on the campus of Utah Valley University.
The team is prominently mentioned in the book Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit
Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit
Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit is a 2009 memoir by Matt McCarthy in which McCarthy recounts his experiences as a professional baseball player in the Anaheim Angels minor-league system...
, a memoir recounting the author's one season playing for the Provo Angels.
Provo once had a Pioneer League team (the Provo Expos) and later a triple-A level Pacific Coast League
Pacific Coast League
The Pacific Coast League is a minor-league baseball league operating in the Western, Midwestern and Southeastern United States. Along with the International League and the Mexican League, it is one of three leagues playing at the Triple-A level, which is one step below Major League Baseball.The...
team (the Provo Gulls, also a Montreal Expos
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos were a Major League Baseball team located in Montreal, Quebec from 1969 through 2004, holding the first MLB franchise awarded outside the United States. After the 2004 season, MLB moved the Expos to Washington, D.C. and renamed them the Nationals.Named after the Expo 67 World's...
affiliate) in the 1970s and early 1980s. The area didn't have a minor league team for 20 seasons until 2001.
External links
- Orem Owlz website
- FutureHalos.com website