Affiliated Baseball To Remain In Colorado Springs

The Elmore Sports Group today announced plans to relocate the Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox to San Antonio, Texas for the 2019 season, and will move the Short Season Rookie-level Helena Brewers from Helena, Montana to Colorado Springs.

The rookie-level club will be members of the Pioneer Baseball League and will continue to play as the Colorado Springs Sky Sox at Security Service Field, where over the past 12 years, the Elmore Sports Group has committed over $10 million in capital improvements, including the installation of a new state-of-the-art HD video board and a new field lighting system.
"We are pleased to be able to continue providing affiliated professional baseball to the great city of Colorado Springs for many years to come as part of this transition," said Elmore Sports Group President D.G. Elmore. "The Pioneer Baseball League schedule is a much better fit for this climate here, as the schedule begins in June and runs into early September, a time where fewer games will be impacted by weather and fans will be able to enjoy the ballgames throughout the summer months."
The move is part of a realignment of several Elmore-owned clubs, which will also see the current Double-A San Antonio Missions club move to a new ballpark in Amarillo, Texas.
"For many years, it has become increasingly difficult to find a Major League Baseball team that is interested in Colorado Springs as a long-term home for their Triple-A club due to the weather and elevation, which make it hard to develop and evaluate players, particularly in the early spring months," said Elmore. "Moving a short season club to Colorado Springs is a perfect fit, as we have tremendous fan support, particularly during those summer months, a beautiful ballpark that will be among the finest in the Pioneer Baseball League and a solution that is beneficial for Minor League Baseball and Major League Baseball."
The Pioneer Baseball League, which began play in 1939, is among the best of Minor League Baseball's rookie-level leagues, providing fans a glimpse of many of professional baseball's next wave of talented young stars, many just weeks after being drafted and signed. The PBL season is divided into two halves, with the first and second half winners of each conference meeting in the playoffs, providing more teams a chance to reach the postseason than the current full season schedule in the Pacific Coast League, where the Sky Sox have not reached the postseason since 1997.
These moves are contingent upon the approval of the Pioneer Baseball League, the Texas League, the Pacific Coast League, the President of Minor League Baseball and the review of the Baseball Office of the Commissioner.