Alton River Dragons

The Alton River Dragons are a collegiate summer league baseball franchise located in Alton, Illinois. The Alton River Dragons were founded in 2020 and will begin play as members of the 2021 Prospect League.

Alton River Dragons
Information
LeagueProspect League (West Division)
LocationAlton, Illinois
BallparkLloyd Hopkins Field
Year founded2020
League championshipsNone
Division championshipsNone
OwnershipSteve Marso
ManagerDarrell Handelsman
Websitewww.AltonBaseball.com

History

On January 29, 2020, the Prospect League of summer collegiate baseball announced that Alton, Illinois had been granted a franchise for the upcoming season. Alton is slated to play home games at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Gordon Moore Park. Alton has previously hosted a minor league team when the 1917 Alton Blues played as members of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League.[1][2][3][4]

The Alton franchise owner was announced as Steve Marso, who owned previous franchises in summer collegiate baseball. Dallas Martz was tabbed as the Alton General Manager.[5][6]

The "River Dragons" moniker was announced for the Alton franchise on August 14, 2020. The name was chosen after a public submittal process.[5][3]

On November 12, 2020, the Alton River Dragons announced the hiring of Darrell Handelsman to manage the 2021 Alton team. The Alton franchise had previously hired Brock Moss to manage the first team, but Moss had since accepted a position at Texas A&M International University, making him unavailable to coach Alton in the summer.[7][8][9][10]

The ballpark

The 2021 Alton River Dragons will play at Lloyd Hopkins Field At Gordon Moore Park. Renovations are being discussed for the ballpark in anticipation of the 2021 season. The ballpark had previously hosted the Bluff City Bombers of the Central Illinois Collegiate League. The ballpark is located at 98 Arnold Palmer Road, Cottage Hills, Illinois, 62018[11][5][4]

References
  1. "Prospect League Announces Expansion To Alton, Illinois for 2021 | Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC". www.prospectleague.com.
  2. "1917 Alton Blues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com.
  3. Writer, Colin Feeney, Contributing Sports. "Alton Awarded Prospect League Baseball Franchise, Team Name Set To Be Revealed At Lloyd Hopkins Field Friday". RiverBender.com.
  4. Telegraph, The (January 29, 2020). "Alton to field new Prospect League baseball franchise". Alton Telegraph.
  5. Reporter, Chris Rhodes. "New Prospect League Team Announces Name: It's The Alton River Dragons". RiverBender.com.
  6. "Alton River Dragons to Start Play in 2021". Alton Daily News.
  7. "River Dragons Hire Darrell Handelsman As Field Manager | Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC". www.prospectleague.com.
  8. "Alton River Dragons Name Brock Moss Inaugural Field Manager | Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC". www.prospectleague.com.
  9. "Moss Steps Down As River Dragons Manager | Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC". www.prospectleague.com.
  10. Hayes, Pete (November 13, 2020). "BASEBALL: Alton River Dragons manager brings experience, enthusiasm". Alton Telegraph.
  11. "Alton River Dragons | Prospect Collegiate Baseball LLC". www.prospectleague.com.
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