1/4/2013-The Las Cruces Vaqueros have been removed from 2013 Pecos League Schedule Season. With The San Diego Padres moving into El Paso with their AAA Team in 2014 it is going to be very hard for the Las Cruces to have a Professional Team in Independent Baseball within the radius of a AAA affiliated market. This is a big move for the Pecos League leaving New Mexico's second largest city. But small towns have been great for the Pecos League model and mid market suburban towns like have not. El Paso and Las Cruces are excited about the 2014 season when the San Diego Padres are moving their AAA team into downtown El Paso. They will play in a state of the art 50+ million dollar stadium. This move is a real curveball to Vaquero fans as the Vaqueros had their best year ever and Apodoca Park is one of the best ballparks in the league.

Statement from Andrew Dunn of the Pecos League


"LAS CRUCES VAQUEROS IN PRO BALL-With The San Diego Padres moving into El Paso with their AAA Team in 2014 it is going to be very hard for the Las Cruces Vaqueros to have a team in Independent Baseball within the radius of a AAA affiliated market. The Pecos League was formed with Las Cruces as one of the anchor cities. In 2014 neither the Vaqueros or El Paso Diablos stand a chance to go head to head with the El Paso Padres in the Pacific Coast League. Apodoca Park is 40 miles to downtown El Paso. The Padres will logically take sponsors, fans and support from the Vaqueros in a large scale. They are building a state of the art stadium in downtown El Paso that will be one of the best in the Pacific Coast League AAA Baseball. (The same league as ABQ Isotopes and Colorado Springs Skysox). The Vaqueros were the founding members of the Pecos League and the only team from remaining from the Continental Baseball League remaining in the Pecos League. The Vaqueros had their best year ever on the field and with attendence. But in the Pecos League the Las Cruces Vaqueros were dead last in sponsors and attendance in 2011 and 2012 despite having a great team in 2012. The Vaqueros also have one of the best ballparks in the league in Apodoca Park. The Ballpark renovations were amazing to fans and league but made no difference to sponsors. When I was recruited to bring a team here in the Continental League in 2009 I was promised a lot of things that never happened. I was assured a level of support and demand for a team that didn't exist. The business community never supported this from day 1. The sponsorship dollars aren't here. "