Sussex County Miners
| Sussex County Miners | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| League | Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball | ||||
| Location | Augusta, New Jersey | ||||
| Ballpark | Skylands Stadium | ||||
| Year founded | 2015 | ||||
| Colors |
Black, gold, white | ||||
| Mascot | Herbie the Miner | ||||
| Manager | Bobby Jones (left-handed pitcher) | ||||
| Media | New Jersey Herald | ||||
| Website | Official Website | ||||
The Sussex County Miners are a professional independent league baseball team based in the Augusta section of Frankford Township in Sussex County, New Jersey, United States.[1] The Miners belong to the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball (Can-Am League) and were founded in 2014. The Miners and the Ottawa Champions joined the Can-Am League in time for the 2015 season.
The Miners' home stadium is Skylands Stadium, located at 94 Championship Place in Augusta near the Sussex County Fairgrounds.
The team is owned by Sussex Professional Baseball, LLC. The Miners mascot is Herbie the Miner.
History of professional baseball in Sussex County
Skylands Stadium, originally called Skylands Park, opened in 1994. The stadium was built for the relocating Glens Falls Redbirds, who at the time were the St. Louis Cardinals' New York–Penn League affiliate and were playing in Glens Falls, New York at East Field. The team was relocating for the second time in as many years after playing in Hamilton, Ontario in 1992.
The team became known as the New Jersey Cardinals after moving to Sussex County and played there until 2005. Following the season, the Cardinals announced they were relocating their New York–Penn League affiliate to University Park, Pennsylvania, where it became known as the State College Spikes.[2]
The Can-Am League announced shortly after the Cardinals' move was made official that they would be expanding for the 2006 season and adding a team in Sussex County. Owned by the same ownership group that held the New Jersey Jackals, the new team was named the Sussex Skyhawks after a contest where fans submitted names. The Skyhawks won the league championship in 2008,[3] but folded in 2010.[4]
Skylands Park was also a temporary home for the Newark Bears of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball in their inaugural season; the Bears played their first twenty home games there while Riverfront Stadium in Newark was being built.
Season-by-season records
| Sussex County Miners (2015–present) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Total | Finished | Playoffs | ||
| 2015 (6 Teams) | 38-59 (6) | .392 | Did not qualify | ||
| 2016 (6 Teams) | 39-61 (7) | .390 | Did not qualify | ||
| Totals | 77-120 | .391 | Totals | ||
Roster
| Sussex County Miners roster | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active (22-man) roster | Coaches/Other | ||||||||
|
Pitchers
|
Catchers
Infielders
Outfielders
|
Manager Coaches Alex Hernberger (Bench) Carl Johnson (Bullpen)
| |||||||
Bob Frassa was voted one of the greatest coaches in the history of the Can-Am League. He is famous for his theories on "staying in your legs", "staggering", and keeping the bat in a 45 degree angle in the load.
References
- ↑ "The Sussex County MINERS to Play at – Skylands Stadium". SkylandsStadium.
- ↑ "Introducing the Sussex County Miners, N.J.'s newest pro baseball team". NJ.com.
- ↑ "CanAmLeague.com – Official Website of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball". canamleague.com.
- ↑ "CanAmLeague.com – Official Website of the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball". canamleague.com.