ONEOK Field, Drillers to Host Team in Elite Collegiate League
Baseball is coming back to ONEOK Field this summer with an elite, collegiate team, as the Tulsa Drillers announced plans today to organize and host a team in the Texas Collegiate Baseball League.
Baseball is coming back to ONEOK Field this summer with an elite, collegiate team, as the Tulsa Drillers announced plans today to organize and host a team in the Texas Collegiate Baseball League.
The team will play a 30-game regular season schedule beginning on June 30 and ending on August 2 with 15 home games played at ONEOK Field.
The TCL featured five teams last summer, but with the Minor League Baseball season on hold, it will have ten teams this year. Along with Tulsa, other minor league organizations entering the league include Amarillo, Frisco, Round Rock and San Antonio. All teams in these markets will also play in the city’s minor league stadium with Amarillo hosting two teams.
Other cities in the league include: Lafayette, LA, Bryan-College Station, TX, Texarkana, TX and Victoria TX.
“As we all cope with the changing landscape in sports in 2020, it is a true honor for all of our ownership groups to team up with these great operators from Triple & Double-A minor league baseball to help propel the TCL forward as one of the best summer wood-bat leagues in the country,” said Uri Geva, Texas Collegiate League President.
Tulsa is expected to be in a division with Texarkana, Frisco and the two Amarillo teams and will play a schedule primarily against those clubs.
Operated similar to the historic Cape Cod League, the Texas Collegiate Baseball League was formed in 2004 to give high-level collegiate players an opportunity to play against other college players during the summer months. The league features the use of wooden bats and has featured players from some of the more nationally-recognized baseball schools including Alabama, Arkansas, Baylor, Cal State Fullerton, Dallas Baptist, Houston, Long Beach State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts, Rice, Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech and Wichita State, among others.
Tulsa’s team will be run by the Drillers front office staff and will be operated similar to the Drillers minor league team with several familiar promotions, including Fireworks on both Fridays and Saturdays, Thirsty Thursdays and more. The team will also feature the Drillers nickname.
Fans will be allowed to attend games, but, because of COVID-19, restrictions and limitations will apply. Drillers season ticket holders will receive the first right to purchase tickets with single game tickets eventually being offered online. Capacity at ONEOK Field will be less than half of normal capacity as safe distancing standards will be observed.
“The Drillers organization is excited to find a way to provide live baseball at ONEOK Field this season,” said President Mike Melega. “We are currently working on a top-level coaching staff that we believe will bring a high-level team of future professional players to Tulsa with many coming from nearby schools. While it is not Double-A professional baseball, we think it will be an outstanding alternative to a normal Drillers season.”
“We have plans to make ONEOK Field a safe environment for fans to watch live baseball while maintaining social distancing,” added Melega. “Because of these factors, our capacity will be reduced, but we still plan to provide a comfortable and fun setting for fans to enjoy live baseball.”
The Tulsa coaching staff and a complete schedule will be released in the coming days.
Anyone interested in tickets or sponsorships with the team can contact the Drillers at (918)744-5901 during normal business hours.
*ABOUT THE TEXAS COLLEGIATE BASEBALL LEAGUE_
*The Texas Collegiate League exists to provide the best summer league experience for the best professional prospects from top colleges throughout the country. The league allows those players with college eligibility remaining to showcase and improve their skills in a wholesome, minor league-type atmosphere while using wooden bats. The league is committed to providing quality, inexpensive entertainment while helping to promote the game of baseball in the communities involved.
Former players in the Texas Collegiate Baseball League include: Jake Arrieta, Brandon Belt, Matt Carpenter, Chris Davis, Paul Goldschmidt and Hunter Pence. Former Drillers players Logan Bawcom and Colt Hynes and current Drillers hitting coach Brett Pill have also played in the TCL.
Applications Now Being Accepted for Drillers Scholarships
Applications are now being accepted for the Tulsa Drillers Higher Education Scholarship Awards. The awards are presented annually to a pair of high school seniors who participated in at least two seasons of high school baseball or softball. The awards consist of $2,000 scholarships for each individual for two or
Tulsa Drillers 2025 Job Fair
The Tulsa Drillers will be holding a job fair on Tuesday, February 4 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at ONEOK Field. The fair will be used to hire part-time works for the upcoming season. A number of positions are currently open and include concessions workers, bartenders, Ushers and promotion team members. For
Former AL Manager of the Year Named Drillers New Manager
For the first time in seven seasons, the Tulsa Drillers will have a new leader in the clubhouse. The Drillers and the Los Angeles Dodgers announced today, that 10-year major league veteran manager and 2007 American League Manager of the Year, Eric Wedge, will be the team’s 24th full-time manager,
Drillers 2025 Single-Game Tickets Go On Sale
Single-game tickets for all 69 regular season Tulsa Drillers home games are now on sale for the 2025 season and can be purchased HERE. The Drillers 2025 home and season opener will take place at ONEOK Field on Friday, April 4 when they host the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. The schedule
Drillers Set 2025 Start Times
The Tulsa Drillers have announced starting times for all 69 home games at ONEOK Field during the 2025 season. The standard starting time for most Tuesday through Saturday games will remain at 7:00 p.m. with a few exceptions. Two of those exceptions will take place on Saturday, April 19 due
Hennessey Departing Drillers as Tulsa's Second Winningest Manager
The Tulsa Drillers will have a new manager in 2025. It was announced today that Scott Hennessey will take over the newly named Oklahoma City Comets, the Triple-A affiliate of the National League Champion Los Angeles Dodgers. Hennessey will leave the Drillers as one of the most successful managers in
BOOMTown Coney Named MiLB's Most Unique Concession Item
The Coney I-Lander restaurant first opened its doors in 1926 in downtown Tulsa by Greek Immigrant Christ Economou. Now a chain, Coney I-Lander restaurants sell hundreds of thousands of hot dogs a year, with their specialty being slow-grilled hot dogs topped with chili, onions & mustard. In 2024, the Drillers
Rushing and Freeland Honored as Texas League All-Stars
Dalton Rushing and Alex Freeland both spent part of the 2024 season in a Tulsa Drillers uniform, and the duo made a big impact before being transferred to Triple A by the Los Angeles Dodgers on August 6. Today, they were both recognized for their performances with the Drillers by
Drillers Drop Season Finale in Wichita
Wichita, KS – The 2024 season concluded on Sunday afternoon for the Tulsa Drillers with a 4-2 loss to the Wichita Wind Surge at Wichita’s Riverfront Stadium. The Wind Surge never trailed in the game, scoring three runs before Tulsa recorded the first of its two runs in the seventh
Drillers Wait Until Late to Rally Past Wichita
Wichita, KS – In the next-to-last game of the 2024 season Saturday night, it appeared it was going to be a case of missed opportunities for the Tulsa Drillers. Through eight innings, the Drillers had ten hits, but just one run. They made up for those lost opportunities thanks to
Drillers Win Streak Snapped in Loss
Wichita, KS – One night after the Tulsa Drillers clinched their third straight Propeller Trophy in the Coors Light Propeller Series with a shutout win, the Wichita Wind Surge held Tulsa to four hits and one run in a 9-1 final on Friday night. The loss at Riverfront Stadium snapped
Ferris Shines as Drillers Win Propeller Series
Wichita, KS – On August 1, in his final appearance in High A before his promotion to Tulsa, Jackson Ferris threw eight no-hit innings for the Great Lakes Loons. On Thursday night in Wichita, Ferris, who is ranked as the #5 prospect in the Los Angeles Dodgers minor league system,
Big Inning Gives Drillers Second Straight Win
Wichita, KS – The Tulsa Drillers made it two for two in Wichita Wednesday night in the second game of their season-ending series with the Wind Surge. The Drillers used a big, five-run fourth inning to take a lead they would not lose and defeated the Wind Surge 5-3. The
Drillers Begin Final Series in Wichita with Win
Wichita, KS – The Tulsa Drillers and the Wichita Wind Suge have been eliminated from playoff contention, but there is still something to play for in the final six-game series of the 2024 regular season. Tulsa entered the series with a two-game advantage in the Coors Light Propeller Series and
Drillers Fall in ONEOK Field Finale
Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers played their final game at ONEOK Field for the 2024 season on Sunday evening and fell 6-4 to the San Antonio Missions. The Drillers had two first-inning home runs and tried to rally with runs in the eighth and ninth innings, but it was
Casey’s Hit Gives Drillers Another Walk-Off Win
Tulsa, OK – On Saturday’s Harry Potter Night at ONEOK Field, the Tulsa Drillers entertained a sellout crowd with some extra-innings wizardry of their own. After giving up a pair of first-inning runs to San Antonio, the Drillers trailed for most of the night until rallying to take a temporary
Tough Eighth Inning Drops Drillers
Tulsa, OK – A disastrous eighth inning for Tulsa pitchers turned a tight game into a blowout Friday night at ONEOK Field. The San Antonio Missions scored six runs in that fateful inning on just two hits thanks to four walks, a hit batter, an error, two wild pitches and
San Antonio Powers Past Drillers
Tulsa, OK – The long ball was the demise of the Tulsa Drillers on Thursday night. After the top of the fifth inning, Tulsa was behind 4-1 on two home runs from the San Antonio Missions. Tulsa rallied to tie the game with a double and a home run in
Late Rally from Missions Overcomes Gem from Ortiz-Mayr
Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers got 6 1/3 no-hit innings from starting pitcher Orlando Ortiz-Mayr Wednesday afternoon, but it was not enough to produce a victory. San Antonio scored seven of its eight runs over the final three innings and rallied for an 8-6 victory over the Drillers at
Drillers Begin Final Home Stand with Shutout Victory
Tulsa, OK – The Tulsa Drillers opened their final home stand of the season Tuesday night, and they rediscovered the long ball to claim a series-opening win over San Antonio. Yeiner Fernandez and Jose Ramos belted home runs that led the Drillers to a 6-0 win over the Missions. It
Long Road Trip Ends with Another Loss
Corpus Christi, TX – A long, difficult road trip for the Tulsa Drillers concluded Sunday night in Corpus Christi with their eleventh loss in twelve games. The Drillers fell in an early four-run hole and could not overcome the deficit with a late-game rally, falling 4-3 at Whataburger Field. The
Walks Cost Drillers in Fifth Straight Loss
Corpus Christi, TX – The Tulsa Drillers pitching staff limited the Corpus Christi Hooks to four hits on Saturday night, but was hurt by ten walks. The walks helped produce six runs for Corpus Christi as the Drillers offense was also limited to four hits in a 6-2 loss at
Late Miscue Results in Tulsa’s Fourth Straight Loss
Corpus Christi, TX – The difficult road trip for the Tulsa Drillers did not get any easier on Friday at Whataburger Field. Tulsa once again struggled to score runs, but outstanding pitching helped the Drillers carry a 1-0 lead into the seventh inning. On one play, the Corpus Christi Hooks
Drillers Drop Third Straight to Hooks
Corpus Christi, TX – A tough road trip for the Tulsa Drillers continued Thursday in Corpus Christi. One night after falling in 11 innings for their seventh loss in the current trip, the Drillers surrendered runs in six of the first seven innings and never led in falling to the
Final Regular Season Home Stand Begins September 3
The Tulsa Drillers return to ONEOK Field on Tuesday, September 3 to open their final home stand of the 2024 regular season, and the series will be the Double-A version of one of Major League Baseball’s best rivalries. The Drillers will take on the San Antonio Missions in a six-game