As summer begins to come to a close, so do warm nights at the baseball field surrounded by soda and Cracker Jacks. “America’s Pastime” returned to Casper this season with the Expedition League’s Horseheads.
Chuck Heeman, the owner of the Horseheads, was eager to bring another team to Casper. He knew the history of local baseball teams, from the Rockies to the Cutthroats, and knew the community would be supportive.
While the team confidently kicked off their opening day on May 25 with a win against the Western Nebraska Pioneers, the Horseheads finished their inaugural season with a discouraging record of 18-45. Referring to the on-field performance of the team, “We didn’t do what we wanted to,” Heeman says.
Despite the losses on the field, there were some silver lining moments for the team behind the scenes. Heeman says the final home game of the summer on July 29 had the largest attendance of the season. The large crowds and acceptance from the spectators were encouraging for Heeman and the rest of the Horseheads team. They finished second in the Expedition League for attendance numbers.
The team announced Tuesday afternoon that Scott Stover would be taking over as the team’s Head Coach and Director of Baseball Operations for the 2019 season. “I look forward to building a team that the City of Casper will be proud of,” Stover says in a press release. Heeman adds that the team is already recruiting and signing players – “We will definitely be back next year.”