Parkersburg wants to talk Frontier League

Parkersburg, W.Va., officials are planning a series of meetings to gaugue the area's interest in building a ballpark and bringing a Frontier League team back to the city.

Parkersburg was home to the Ohio Valley Redcoats for the league's first six seasons (1993-98) at Bennett Stump Field, which was basically a high school field. By 1998, Parkerburg was the smallest market in the league and was last in attendance in 1997 and '98. The Redcoats moved to Huntingburg, Ind.

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Parkersburg interested in return to Frontier League

Officials from Parkersburg, W. Va., were in Washington Wednesday to check out Consol Energy Park and reportedly met today with Frontier League commissioner Bill Lee to gauge the possibility of building a ballpark for a FL team.

Parkersburg was a charter member of the Frontier League and home to the original Ohio Valley Redcoats, who played from 1993 through 1998.

Here are links to two stories about Parkersburg's interest in returning to the league. The most interesting part of the two stories is the photo of the Ohio Valley College baseball team practicing on Bennett Stump Field, where the Redcoats played. You can see just how far the Frontier League has grown from its early years.

Read the first story here.

Read the second story here.

Why stop at Bridgeport?

Last week, Wild Things ownership announced plans to put a Frontier League team in Bridgeport, W.Va. Today, the News and Sentinel reported that local officials from Parkersburg, W.Va., will meet with Wild Things officials about establishing a team and ballpark in that city.

According to the report, Parkersburg mayor Bob Newell is putting together a delegation that will be in Washington next week.

"They are excited. Very excited with the possibility of a team being in Parkersburg," Newell said of the Frontier League. "When (the league) expanded they need to do two teams and Parkersburg is a choice for one of them."

Wild Things owner Stu Williams confirmed that his group is interested in a Parkersburg team.

"Is there interest on our part? Yes," Williams told the newspaper. "There is serious interest. Is there a path forward? Yes."

Read the story here.