About the Pecos League

The End of the Continental Baseball League and the Beginning of the Pecos League

The Pecos League was founded in 2010 following the collapse of the Continental Baseball League, an independent professional baseball league that operated throughout the southwestern United States.

Near the conclusion of the 2010 season, Ryan Stevens, Donnie Randal, JR Smith, Andrew Dunn and Bob Ward met in Van Horn, Texas, to discuss the possibility of establishing a new independent baseball league.

The goal was straightforward but challenging: create a league that would allow the Las Cruces Vaqueros and the Big Bend Cowboys to continue playing professional baseball.

At the time, only two viable organizations remained from the Continental League. Andrew Dunn owned the Las Cruces Vaqueros, while Bob Ward and a group of supporters in Alpine, Texas, wanted to preserve professional baseball in the Big Bend region.

The original Big Bend Cowboys franchise had been owned by Frank Snyder, a law professor based in Fort Worth, Texas.

Ron Baron had already informed the remaining teams that 2010 would be the Continental Baseball League's final season. With the league preparing to cease operations, the remaining organizations faced a difficult choice: establish a new league or abandon professional baseball in their communities.

The group in Van Horn chose to move forward. The new league was organized in August 2010 and named the Pecos League, after the Pecos River that runs through the region from northern New Mexico toward West Texas.

Andrew Dunn became commissioner of the Pecos League and agreed to take responsibility for owning half of the proposed league's teams. He had already reached an agreement to establish a franchise in Roswell, New Mexico.

The founders believed that six teams would give the new league a realistic opportunity to succeed. A six-team schedule would provide enough opponents, regional rivalries and games to establish a legitimate independent baseball operation.

What initially appeared to be a manageable goal would prove far more difficult than anyone anticipated.

The First Four Teams Join the Pecos League

The first official team to commit to the Pecos League was located in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

The franchise was originally expected to be called the Alamogordo Kingfish. However, Matt McNeile renamed the team the White Sands Pupfish, creating one of the most distinctive identities in independent baseball.

McNeile strongly believed that Alamogordo needed professional baseball and confidently predicted that the Pupfish would become the most successful team in the new league.

His prediction proved remarkably accurate during the league's inaugural season.

The Las Cruces Vaqueros became the second franchise to join, followed by the Roswell Invaders as the third team.

All three organizations — White Sands, Las Cruces and Roswell — were owned by Andrew Dunn.

The fourth franchise was the Alpine Cowboys.

Rather than continuing under the ownership structure of the former Big Bend Cowboys, a group of Alpine supporters established a new organization operated by a nonprofit board. The team would preserve the Cowboys baseball tradition and provide the Big Bend region with a place in the new league.

With four teams committed, the Pecos League appeared to be making progress toward its six-team goal. However, finding the final two franchises would become the greatest challenge of the league's formation.

Bisbee Arizona: The Perfect Baseball Town That Wouldn't Join

One of the most obvious candidates for expansion was Bisbee, Arizona.

Bisbee was home to historic Warren Ballpark, one of the most recognizable baseball facilities in the Southwest. The community had a strong baseball tradition, an established fan base and a team known as the Bisbee Copper Kings.

What Bisbee lacked was a consistent group of opponents. Joining the Pecos League appeared to be an ideal solution.

Andrew Dunn met in Las Cruces with Copper Kings owner Tom Mosher about becoming the league's fifth franchise. Mosher brought his manager, Bill Moore, to the meeting.

Mosher had previously operated a successful baseball organization in Bisbee, and the opportunity to join a regional league offered an obvious advantage: a regular schedule against established opponents.

Unfortunately, the negotiations quickly reached an impasse.

Mosher was unwilling to commit to playing road games, paying a league entry fee or covering hotel accommodations for visiting teams.

Those requirements were essential to operating a professional league. Without a commitment to travel and share the financial responsibilities of league membership, Bisbee could not participate.

Bill Moore attempted to persuade Mosher to join, but the two sides could not reach an agreement.

The Bisbee Copper Kings ultimately folded and did not play another season.

Although Bisbee did not become a founding member, Bill Moore would go on to have a major impact on the Pecos League. He helped establish the Santa Fe franchise in 2012 and eventually became the winningest manager in Pecos League history.

Bisbee would later host a Pecos League team for one season in 2014, and Warren Ballpark would host selected Sunday games for the Tucson Saguaros in 2016 and 2017.

The failure to secure Bisbee was an early lesson for the new league: having a great ballpark and a strong baseball tradition did not necessarily mean a community could support the financial demands of independent professional baseball.

Clovis New Mexico: Another Opportunity Falls Apart

The next serious opportunity came in Clovis, New Mexico.

Clovis had Bell Park, an established baseball facility, and appeared to be a strong geographic fit for the league.

In September 2010, discussions with Bill Bizzell and representatives of the City of Clovis produced an initial agreement to bring Pecos League baseball to the community.

Former Major League Baseball player John Harris agreed to serve as the team's field manager.

The pieces appeared to be coming together. However, an unexpected problem emerged regarding the ballpark itself.

Although the Pecos League had been negotiating with city officials, Bell Park was no longer controlled by the City of Clovis. The facility was owned by the Clovis School District.

When the agreement was scheduled to be finalized in January 2011, the league learned that the school district wanted $50,000 for use of the ballpark and would not permit beer sales.

Those conditions made the proposed franchise financially impractical.

Complicating matters further, John Harris accepted a managerial position in Amarillo with the United League.

With the ballpark agreement unresolved and the proposed manager departing, the Clovis franchise never materialized.

For the second time, a seemingly promising expansion opportunity had fallen apart.

Ruidoso New Mexico: A Community Willing to Give Baseball a Chance

With the inaugural season approaching and only four confirmed franchises, Andrew Dunn decided to establish a team in Ruidoso, New Mexico.

Dunn was willing to organize the franchise himself and lease its operation to another owner under a one-year agreement. The immediate priority was to get the Pecos League onto the field for its first season.

Unlike some of the other communities the league had approached, the Village of Ruidoso was extremely supportive of the idea.

There were significant obstacles.

White Mountain Park did not have lights, meaning games would have to be played during daylight hours. Beer sales were also unavailable, eliminating a potential revenue source for the team.

Nevertheless, local officials and baseball supporters were enthusiastic about bringing professional baseball to the mountain community.

Many Ruidoso baseball fans were already familiar with the Pecos League's emerging teams, having attended games in Roswell and Alamogordo.

There were also efforts to add lighting to White Mountain Park, which would have made the facility more practical for professional baseball.

Despite its limitations, Ruidoso provided something the league desperately needed: a community willing to participate.

The Ruidoso Osos would become the fifth team in the inaugural Pecos League.

Del Rio Texas: A Team That Could Have Changed the League

Another community the Pecos League strongly wanted to include was Del Rio, Texas.

Del Rio offered the possibility of expanding the league's geographic footprint and creating additional regional baseball opportunities.

League officials pursued the possibility of establishing a full-time franchise in the community.

However, the mayor blocked the proposal to bring a permanent Pecos League team to Del Rio.

The league was ultimately permitted to stage four exhibition games in Del Rio during its inaugural season, but the community would not become a full-time member.

Once again, the Pecos League was forced to look elsewhere for its sixth team.

The Carlsbad Bats: The Final Piece of the Puzzle

With five teams in place and the 2011 season rapidly approaching, the Pecos League still needed one final franchise.

The solution would be a travel team known as the Carlsbad Bats.

Carlsbad, New Mexico, was geographically located near the center of the league's original territory and had a proud baseball tradition.

Despite having a population of approximately 30,000, Carlsbad had produced several Major League Baseball players and was widely regarded by local baseball supporters as one of New Mexico's great baseball communities.

A Carlsbad identity made sense for the league, even though the Bats would operate primarily as a road team rather than a conventional home-based franchise.

The City of Carlsbad would not permit the team to use its municipal baseball fields for a regular home schedule. Despite the city's ideal geographic location between Alpine and the New Mexico franchises, the Bats would be forced to operate entirely as a travel team.

Carlsbad did eventually permit a three-game series at Caveman Corral on Father's Day weekend during the inaugural season.

Andrew Dunn arranged to lease the travel team to the New York State League, operated by Jay Acton.

Acton had extensive experience organizing and operating travel teams throughout independent baseball dating back to 1990.

His involvement provided the Pecos League with an experienced operator capable of fielding a competitive team while handling the unusual demands of a road-based schedule.

The Carlsbad Bats became the sixth and final franchise needed to launch the league.

Six Teams and One Opportunity

After months of negotiations, setbacks and changes in direction, the Pecos League finally had its six founding teams.

The inaugural schedule called for six teams playing four days per week during May before expanding to seven days per week in June and July.

The process of assembling those six franchises had revealed just how difficult it was to establish an independent professional baseball league in the Pecos region.

The founders had encountered ownership disagreements, unsuccessful ballpark negotiations, prohibitive facility costs, restrictions on alcohol sales, communities without adequate stadium lighting and local governments unwilling to approve professional baseball.

Bisbee had a historic stadium but would not accept the financial obligations of league membership.

Clovis had a ballpark and an experienced manager but lost its opportunity because of facility costs and restrictions.

Del Rio offered potential but would not permit a permanent franchise.

Ruidoso was willing to participate despite lacking lights and traditional stadium revenue opportunities.

Carlsbad provided the identity for a travel team that would make the six-team schedule possible.

Each of these decisions helped shape the Pecos League's original operating model.

Major Improvements Over the Continental Baseball League

The Pecos League introduced several important operational changes that distinguished it from the Continental Baseball League.

One of the most significant improvements was joining Pointstreak as a professional statistics partner. This allowed the Pecos League to maintain official statistics, standings, player records and game information through a centralized professional baseball statistics platform.

The league also moved its operational center from Dallas, Texas, to Las Cruces, New Mexico, placing its administration much closer to the teams and communities it served.

Another important decision was to eliminate the designated hitter rule. Pecos League pitchers would be required to bat, creating a more traditional style of baseball and adding another strategic element to every game.

These changes reflected the league's intention to establish a more organized, geographically focused and sustainable model for independent professional baseball.

The Beginning of a New Era in Independent Baseball

The Pecos League was not created through a major financial investment, an established ownership group or a collection of fully developed professional baseball franchises.

It was created because a small group of baseball people refused to allow independent professional baseball to disappear from the region after the Continental Baseball League folded.

The original vision was to preserve baseball in Las Cruces and Alpine while creating opportunities for new franchises in communities that larger professional leagues had overlooked.

Andrew Dunn's willingness to own and organize multiple teams, the commitment of the Alpine nonprofit ownership group, the support of community leaders in Alamogordo and Ruidoso, and the involvement of experienced baseball operators all contributed to making the league possible.

The challenges were considerable, and there was no guarantee that the new league would survive even one season.

But by the time preparations for 2011 were complete, the Pecos League had accomplished its first major objective.

It had six teams, a plan for an inaugural season and an opportunity to keep independent professional baseball alive in the Southwest.

What began with a meeting in Van Horn, Texas, in 2010 would become the foundation of the Pecos League.

The league was ready to play ball in 2011.