by Jon Oden, staff writer

Colorado Springs has had a long standing tradition of baseball in town, even before the Colorado Rockies were a team.

Colorado Springs began having baseball in town in 1988 with the Colorado Springs Sky Sox who at the time was the AAA affiliate to the Cleveland Indians until 1992. Further after the Sky Sox came along the Rocky Mountain Vibes, who would become the Single A Affiliate team to the Milwaukee Brewers.

Colorado Springs Sky Sox

Upon the drought of baseball in Colorado Springs for 30 years, the Hawaii Islanders  relocated to Colorado Springs to bring back the Sky Sox (Baseball Reference). Upon the restart of the Sky Sox in 1988, the team was the AAA Affiliate of the Cleveland Indians from 1988 to 1992. In 1993, the Denver Area was awarded an MLB team in the Colorado Rockies and the Sky Sox became their top farm team. In 2015, the team was handed over as the top farm team for the Milwaukee Brewers, until the move in 2018 to San Antonio, Texas. Over the years, the Sky Sox had used the field located on North Powers Boulevard known as Security Service Field.

Rocky Mountain Vibes

The Vibes moved to Colorado Springs and assumed Security Service Field in 2019. Previous to the move the team was known as the Helena Brewers out of Montana. There was a contest held to name the eventual Vibes in June 2018, including “Happy Campers”, “Lamb Chops”, “Punchy Pikas”, “Throttle Jockeys”, and “Rocky Mountain Oysters.”

Finally, the name of the team would be revealed in November as the “Rocky Mountain Vibes” (Ballpark Digest Editors). Later the stadium would be renamed to UCHealth Park. In 2021, the team would no longer be an affiliate to an MLB team and become a part of the Independent Circuit for baseball in the Minors as part of the Pioneer League.

In closing, Colorado Springs has had a vibrant history with Minor League Baseball, with a continuous team in town dating back to 1988 with the return of the Sky Sox to the current team in the Rocky Mountain Vibes, there has been opportunities for people to go and watch a baseball game without having to travel to Denver.

Photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash

References

Ballpark Digest Editors. Finalists Unveiled for Colorado Springs Pioneer League Team Name. n.d. 7 May 2023. <https://ballparkdigest.com/2018/07/18/finalists-unveiled-for-colorado-springs-pioneer-league-team-name/>.

—. New Name on Tap for Colorado Springs Pioneer League Team. n.d. 7 May 2023. <https://ballparkdigest.com/2018/06/13/new-name-on-tap-for-colorado-springs-pioneer-league-team/>.

Baseball Pilgrimages. Security Service Field. n.d. 7 May 2023. <https://www.baseballpilgrimages.com/AAA/coloradosprings.html>.

Baseball Reference. Baseball Reference. n.d. 7 May 2023. <https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?city=Colorado%20Springs&state=CO&country=US&empty=0>.

Rocky Mountain Vibes. n.d. 7 May 2023. <https://www.vibesbaseball.com/landing/index>.