Springfield Sliders
| Springfield Sliders | |
|---|---|
 Team Logo |
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| League | Prospect League (West Division) |
| Location | Springfield, Illinois |
| Ballpark | Robin Roberts Stadium at Lanphier Park |
| Year founded | 2007 |
| League championships | 1 (2008) |
| Former name(s) | Springfield Sliders (2008-present) |
| Former league(s) | Central Illinois Collegiate League (2008) |
| Ownership | Todd Miller |
| Management | Todd Miller (GM) |
| Manager | Cameron McMullen |
| Media | The State Journal-Register |
| Website | springfieldsliders.com |
The Springfield Sliders are a collegiate summer league baseball team in the United States Prospect League. They play at Robin Roberts Field at Lanphier Park and are based in the city of Springfield, Illinois. The Sliders formed in November 2007 and were an expansion franchise for the 2008 season. The Sliders and other collegiate summer leagues and teams exist to give top college players professional-like experience without affecting NCAA eligibility.
The Central Illinois Collegiate League (CICL) season was divided into two halves with the first half winner playing the second half winner in a best-of-three series. The Sliders dominated the first half of the 2008 season with a 20-4 record, winning by seven games. Springfield won the CICL Regular Season Championship with a 30-17 record, leaving the 2nd place team 4.5 games behind. In the 2008 playoffs, Springfield defeated the Danville Dans in three games to win the 2008 CICL Championship.
The team has struggled to match the success from the first season, finding themselves at or near the bottom of the Prospect League's West Division for the last four seasons.
The Sliders are the 3rd CICL franchise in Springfield, Illinois. The Springfield Capitals ceased operations to make way for a minor league team in 1978. The Springfield Rifles were members of the league from 1983 until the team folded after the 2006 season because of financial constraints. The Rifles played their home games at Lincoln Land Community College for all but one season, and suffered from extremely low attendance. The Sliders won their first game in franchise history against the Quincy Gems (winning pitcher - Dan Marcacci) 7-3.
The Sliders play at historic Lanphier Park. The stadium opened in 1928 and was renovated/expanded over the years to its current 5,000-seat capacity. Midwest league stats note that it is a hitters' park. The stadium has been the home to a number of minor league and independent teams since it opened in 1928.
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