Evansville Otters
Team logo Cap insignia
Information
LeagueFrontier League (West Division)
LocationEvansville, Indiana
BallparkBosse Field
Founded1995
League championships2 (2006, 2016)
Division championships3 (1997, 2000, 2019)
ColorsNavy blue, red, blue, white
       
OwnershipWilfred “Bill” Bussing III
ManagerAndy McCauley
MediaEvansville Courier & Press
Websitewww.evansvilleotters.com

The Evansville Otters are a professional baseball team based in Evansville, Indiana. They compete in the West Division of the independent Frontier League. Since their establishment in 1995, the Otters have played at historic Bosse Field, which originally opened in 1915.[1] The Otters are the oldest current team in the Frontier League and have won two championships (2006 and 2016).

History

When the Otters began play in 1995, they returned baseball to Evansville for the first time in a decade. The city had been without a team since the Evansville Triplets relocated following the 1984 season.

The Otters have been a success on the field and off since their first season of play in Evansville. On the field the Otters have reached the playoffs in 9 seasons, including six Frontier League Championship series with FLCS wins in 2006 and 2016.

Off the field, the Otters set numerous league attendance records in their early seasons. The Otters drew 90,000 fans in their first season, more than the entire Frontier League had in its inaugural season two years earlier.[2] The Otters have averaged over 2,500 fans per game since they started playing at Bosse Field in Evansville, most recently setting a 2013 league best with 3,200 fans per game.

The first Evansville Otters game was played on June 15, 1995. The Otters were awarded the Frontier League Organization of the Year Award in 1997, and the Commissioner's Award of Excellence in 2004. They earned their 689th win, a league record, on August 18, 2011. The team hosted the largest crowd ever at Bosse Field on July 24, 2013, with 8,253 fans in attendance. The Otters welcomed their 2,000,000th fan to the ballpark on August 18, 2013.

The Otters have promoted over 50 of their players to Major League Baseball franchises. Four Otters have gone on to careers at the major league level including George Sherrill, Andrew Werner, Brandyn Sittinger, and Randy Wynne.[3]

The success of the Otters in Evansville led to the move of more Frontier League teams to larger cities, many of which have built new ballparks, leading to the increased stability and success of the league in recent years.

On May 27, 2014, the Otters became the first team in the Frontier League to reach 800 wins.[4]

Season-by-season records

Lancaster Scouts (Frontier League)
YearDivisionW–LWin %PlacePostseason
1993West22–33.4003rdDid not qualify
1994West25–39.3912ndWon 1st Round Playoff vs. Chillicothe Paints 2–1.
Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Erie Sailors 2–0.
Total—47–72.395——
Playoffs—2–3—.4001 Playoff appearance, 0 Championships
Evansville Otters (Frontier League)
1995—31-38.4496thDid not qualify
1996West34–40.4593rdDid not qualify
1997West46–33.5821stWon 1st Round Playoff vs. Richmond Roosters 2–1.
Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Canton Crocodiles 2–0.
1998West43–36.5443rdLost 1st Round Playoff vs. Springfield Capitals 2–1.
1999West43–41.5121stLost 1st Round Playoff vs. Chillicothe Paints 2–0.
2000West45–38.6162ndWon 1st Round Playoff vs. River City Rascals 2-0.
Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Johnstown Johnnies 3-1.
2001West44–40.5244thDid not qualify
2002West33–51.3936thDid not qualify
2003East51–37.5803rdWon 1st Round Playoff vs. Chillicothe Paints 2–1.
Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Gateway Grizzlies 3–0.
2004East54–42.5622ndWon 1st Round Playoff vs. Washington Wild Things 3–0.
Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Rockford Riverhawks 3–0.
2005East52–43.5474thDid not qualify
2006West46–50.4792ndWon 1st Round Playoff vs. Rockford Riverhawks 3–2.
Won Frontier League Championship vs. Chillicothe Paints 3–0.
2007West34–62.3544thDid not qualify
2008West39–57.4066thDid not qualify
2009West28–66.2986thDid not qualify
2010West35–59.3726thDid not qualify
2011West39–57.406T-5thDid not qualify
2012East45–50.4745thDid not qualify
2013East51–45.5314thDid not qualify
2014East57–37.6062ndLost East Division Wild Card Game vs. Washington Wild Things.
2015East48–48.5004thDid not qualify
2016West55–40.5792ndWon 1st Round Playoff vs. Joliet Slammers 3–1.
Won Frontier League Championship vs. River City Rascals 3–2.
2017West52–44.5422ndLost 1st Round Playoff vs. Schaumburg Boomers 3–1.
2018West51–45.5312ndLost 1st Round Playoff vs. Washington Wild Things 3–1.
2019West57–39.531T-1stLost 1st Round Playoff vs. River City Rascals 2–0.
2020West---Season not played due to COVID-19
2021West57–39.5942ndDid not qualify
2022West52–44.5423rdLost Wild Card Game to Schaumburg Boomers 5–1.
2023West52–44.5423rdWon Wild Card Game over Schaumburg Boomers 4–3
Won 1st Round Playoff over Gateway Grizzlies 2–1
Lost Championship vs. Québec Capitales 3–2
Total—1,217–1,226.494——
Playoffs—24–28.462—14 Playoff appearances, 2 Championships

Current roster

Evansville Otters roster
Active (24-man) roster Coaches/Other

Pitchers

  • 18 Jon Beymer
  • 13 Parker Brahms
  • -- Devin Buckner ‡
  • 66 Kevin Davis
  • 29 Leoni De La Cruz
  • 45 Austin Gossmann
  • 50 Tim Holdgrafer
  • 35 Hunter Kloke
  • 21 James Krick
  • 27 Jake Polancic
  • 24 Zach Smith
  • 36 Tyler Vail
  • 34 Jhon Vargas
  • 20 Justin Watland



  

Catchers

  •  5 Justin Felix
  • 31 Jake Green
  •  7 Dakota Phillips

Infielders

  •  6 George Callil
  • 28 Jomar Reyes
  •  1 Ethan Skender
  •  8 Troy Viola
  •  0 Yoel Yanqui ‡

Outfielders

  • 33 Jeffrey Baez
  • 39 Aaron Beck
  •  9 Noah Myers
  •  2 Jacob Olson
  • 19 Kona Quiggle
  • 12 Bryan Rosario
  

Manager

  • Andy McCauley

Coaches

  • Phil Britton (assistant)
  • Billy Easley (assistant)
  • Rick Korte (bench)
  • Max Peterson (pitching)
  • Bobby Segal (hitting)
  • Rob Watson (assistant)

Disabled list
‡ Inactive list
§ Suspended list

Roster updated June 6, 2023
 Transactions

Notable alumni

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bosse Field Facts". Evansville Otters. Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  2. ↑ "Frontier League History". Frontier Professional Baseball. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
  3. ↑ "Former Otter Randy Wynne makes MLB Debut with Cincinnati Reds". 26 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "EVANSVILLE OTTERS FIRST IN FRONTIER LEAGUE HISTORY TO 800 WINS". Frontierleague.com. 2014-05-27. Retrieved 2015-04-25.
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