Team Sports New Players for Second Half of the Season
Trevor Phipps
Now that the summer season is in full swing, nobody has a good excuse to not see a baseball game.
Another key fact to consider: Not wanting to make the crazy drive to Denver to watch a game is not a viable excuse. In case you haven’t checked the local baseball reports, the Rocky Mountains Vibes are located just down the down the hill from Teller County in the east part of Colorado Springs, and they have played more than half of their season games in 2024.
But fret not, the last half of the season for the Vibes is always the prime time, when the team seems to turn things around. Last year, the Vibes had a less than impressive first half of their season before manager Les Lancaster went to work.
At the season’s halfway point last year, Lancaster revamped the roster in a really good way. In fact, the Vibes had an amazing rebound and earned the chance to compete in the first post-season playoff game in franchise history. However, they were eliminated in the first round, finishing just shy of a Pioneer League Championship.
This year, Vibes fans hope for more of the same. And the way the season is shaping, they just might get this result. Luckily the Vibes started the second half of their season in July with a slightly better record than they had last year.
For the first half of the 2024 season, the Vibes finished with a record just below .500 at 21-25. Although their record doesn’t seem that bad, they still have some work to do because they were ranked in ninth place out of 12 teams.
Luckily, Lancaster is back leading the Vibes this year and he has started to make some changes to the roster. Like previous years, the Vibes have done well when it comes to hitting but struggle on the mound.
However, after the season’s halfway point, Lancaster realized where his team has struggled. As a result, he has made moves to cut some players and sign new additions. His bullpen has seen the most movement as some Vibes’ pitchers have hit the road to make room for hopefully better talent.
This year, many fans have noticed that the size of the team has grown with many players (especially pitchers) standing well over six-feet tall. The new pitchers recently signed also fit the bill of being big, scary-looking men on the mound.
At the time of this writing, the Vibes had a 3-3 record to start the second half of the season. The Vibes played six games against the sixth place Ogden Raptors to start the second half of the season and the series was split 3-3. However, two of the three games the Vibes lost were settled by one point.
Team Celebrates League Attendance Record
Despite their mediocre record, the Vibes have proven that there fans still have faith in them. On the Fourth of July, the Vibes set a new Pioneer League single game attendance record with 8,427 fans. The Vibes actually came close to hitting their all-time attendance record of 9,505 fans that watched the Colorado Springs Sky Sox battle the Omaha Royals on July 4, 2004.
Even though the Vibes season is halfway over, there will be plenty of good matches and star players to watch for the next month or so. Currently the Missoula Paddleheads and the Northern Colorado Owlz are the two teams to beat in the Pioneer League. The Vibes don’t play Missoula for the rest of the season, but they have a home series against the Owlz that kicks off on August 13.
In the beginning of the season, fans were thrilled that the Vibes added Josh Day to the roster. Day played for the Arizona Diamondbacks franchise. Day has met all of the expectations and is currently the best hitter on the team.
In fact, Day is ranked as the 12th best hitter in the league, sporting a .379 batting average, capped by 74 hits, 62 runs, 43 RBIs and 11 homeruns. Shortstop Ernie Yake is the next best hitter on the team with a .347 batting average, 66 hits, 48 runs, 29 RBIs and three homeruns.
As a team, their offense has really shined this season as they currently have a .310 batting average, along with a .404 on base percentage and a .490 slugging percentage. However, their team pitching stats are less impressive with a combined earned run average of 7.90.
The Vibes just finished a series on the road versus the Grand Junction Jackalopes. And this week they face off at home against the 27-25 Yolo High Wheelers for six games. This Friday, Teller residents can enjoy the Rocky Mountain Vibes’ special “Woodland Park Night” where tickets for residents in the mountain town will be available at a discounted price of $5. Check out the city of Woodland Park’s website for details. Next week, the Vibes play another six-game home series against the Jackalopes.
On Saturday, the Vibes have a baseball card set giveaway and there will be more themed games for the rest of the season. August 17 is Army vs. Air Force Night. Sept. 7 is Super Hero Night and Sept. 8 is First Responders Day at the ballpark.
