Rockford Foresters
Encyclopedia
| Rockford Foresters | |
| Founded | 2010 |
| Inaugural Season | 2010 |
| Ballpark | Marinelli Field Marinelli Field Marinelli Field is a stadium in Rockford, Illinois located in Blackhawk Park and is overseen by the Rockford Park District. It is primarily used for baseball... |
| League | Midwest Collegiate League League 2010–present |
| Based in | Rockford, Illinois Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated... |
| Colors | Green, Black, Grey |
| World Series Championships | 1 (2010) |
| Division Titles | 1 (2010) |
| Affiliation | None |
| Head coach | Rene Valdez |
| Assistant Head Coach | Mark Hernandez |
| Owner | Joe Stefani |
| Mascots | Forester |
| Newspaper | Rockford Register Star |
| Television | WREX, WTVO, WIFR, WQRF |
| Radio | WTJK, WNTA |
| Team Website | www.RockfordForesters.com |
The Rockford Foresters are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Rockford, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
. The team will begin play at Marinelli Field
Marinelli Field
Marinelli Field is a stadium in Rockford, Illinois located in Blackhawk Park and is overseen by the Rockford Park District. It is primarily used for baseball...
in downtown Rockford in the May 2010, on Memorial Day Weekend. The team is a member of the Midwest Collegiate League and consists of college players playing in collegiate summer ball leagues.http://www.rockfordforesters.com
Team history
The Rockford Foresters, an amateur team, were formed by Owner and Team President Joe Stefani of Three Strikes Baseball and other investors, including a former owner of the American Hockey LeagueAmerican Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
's Rockford IceHogs
Rockford IceHogs
This article is about the former UHL franchise. For the current American Hockey League franchise, see Rockford IceHogs.The Rockford IceHogs were a professional ice hockey team in Rockford, Illinois USA. They were a member of the United Hockey League from 1999 to 2007. The IceHogs played their home...
. The team was formally announced in November, and the team announced the team name and logo at a press conference at the Rockford Park District on January 13, 2010.
Players will be college student-athletes with remaining college eligibility and amateur status intact. Those who have signed professional contracts are ineligible to play in summer amateur leagues.
Marinelli Field
The Foresters will play home games at Marinelli Field. The stadium was built for the Rockford Expos, a minor league baseball team affiliated with the Montreal ExposMontreal 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...
, in 1988 and later housed the Rockford Cubbies. The stadium is best known as the former home of the Rockford RiverHawks
Rockford RiverHawks
The Rockford RiverHawks are a professional baseball team based in the Rockford, Illinois suburb of Loves Park, in the United States. Currently, the RiverHawks are a member of the Frontier League, which they previously played in from 2002 until 2009. From the 2002 season to 2005, the RiverHawks'...
, the area's professional baseball team.
Marinelli Field's capacity was reduced following the RiverHawks' move into their new stadium. Marinelli now has a capacity of 2,557 with 100 Level and 200 Level seats. For the Foresters, there will be three party decks, consisting of 20, 40 and 75 person groups. http://www.rockfordforesters.com
Midwest Collegiate League
The Midwest Collegiate League is an amateur league/wood bat collegiate league that was started as the Great Plains Baseball League and was rebranded as the Midwest Collegiate League in 2011. The players are all college players playing summer college ball, who play in the NCAA, NJCAA, and NAIANational 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...
. Half of the Foresters players will be from Rockford, Illinois
Rockford, Illinois
Rockford is a mid-sized city located on both banks of the Rock River in far northern Illinois. Often referred to as "The Forest City", Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County, Illinois, USA. As reported in the 2010 U.S. census, the city was home to 152,871 people, the third most populated...
. http://mystateline.com/content/fulltext/?cid=129201
Former Wood Bat Players who have played in different leagues in Illinois include Jonathan Papelbon
Jonathan Papelbon
Jonathan Robert Papelbon is an American professional baseball pitcher with the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. Before joining the Phillies, Papelbon played with the Boston Red Sox from 2005-2011....
, Neal Cotts
Neal Cotts
Neal James Cotts is a left-handed Major League Baseball pitcher who is currently a Free Agent-College career:...
, Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett
Kirby Puckett was a Major League Baseball center fielder. He played his entire 12-year baseball career with the Minnesota Twins and he is the Twins franchise's all-time leader in career hits, runs, doubles, and total bases...
, Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard
Ryan James Howard is a Major League Baseball first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies. Nicknamed "The Big Piece", Howard stands and weighs . He bats and throws left-handed....
, and Joe Girardi
Joe Girardi
Joseph Elliott Girardi is a former Major League Baseball catcher and current manager of the New York Yankees. During a 15-year playing career, he played from 1989–2003 for the Chicago Cubs, the Colorado Rockies, the New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals...
. The vast majority of the GPBL players come from small colleges. The Foresters have Division I player, Brett Russell of Southeast Missouri State University
Southeast Missouri State University
Southeast Missouri State University, is a public, accredited university located in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, United States, near the banks of the Mississippi River. The institution, having started as a normal school, has a traditional strength in teacher education...