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Pioneer League: Pro baseball is back as Voyagers open 96-game schedule on road Saturday

Yes, it's still professional baseball.

Pioneer League baseball fans in Missoula, Idaho Falls, Ogden, and Colorado Springs will be welcoming their local ballclubs back Saturday evening, a joy the remaining four Pioneer League clubs - including the Great Falls Voyagers - will enjoy this coming Wednesday.

For Saturday, however, the Voyagers are opening their first season in two years at Missoula's Allegiance Field at Ogren Park against the Paddleheads, the team formerly known as the Osprey.

Yes, friends, it's still the month of May, but the Voyagers and the remainder of the former Advanced Rookie League circuit have gone from affiliated baseball to independent ball as a partner league to Major League Baseball.

In fact, there is no Rookie League baseball at all, after MLB contracted 42 teams completely out of pro ball, leaving only 120 affiliated clubs spread between Triple-A, Double-A, full-season-A and short-season-A.

So, instead of the Chicago White Sox sending young ballplayers to Great Falls to season for the big leagues, Voyagers' manager Tommy Thompson hand-picked his 24-man roster, offering the players a shot at pro ball.

To some, it will be the last chance. And for others, it's their introduction to pro baseball. And for Thompson, his role is the same as when he last made a stopover in Great Falls back in 2016: molding 24 star-eyed hopefuls into MLB material.

"It looks like we have a very good, athletic group of guys, and the pitchers seem to have an idea of what they're doing," Thompson told the reporters during Media Day at Centene Stadium this past Tuesday.

Thompson has been in professional baseball as a manager/coach since 1988 and spent nine of the last 10 years in the White Sox organization - including his lone season as Voyagers' skipper in 2016, when his club was a league-best 47-28 during the regular campaign.

In short, Thompson has his connections when it comes to finding on-field talent: "I used some references, I trusted scouts, other coaches, people in other organizations," he said. "We've got some (Toronto) Blue Jay players, some Texas Ranger players, I used agents and scouts, and they referred guys (to me).

"I called and talked to them, so they were basically hand-picked. So if we don't do good, I guess it's on me ... you can blame it all on me; you can yell at me at third base and boo at me all you want!"

Scott Reasoner has been with the Voyagers' front office since 2011 and has been GM of the club since 2014, said there's going to be a lot of fun at the ballpark this year. With a 96-game schedule in the Pioneer League this season, 48 of those games will be at Centene Stadium.

"We couldn't be more excited," Reasoner said. "Tommy is already coaching the guys up.

"It's going to look a little different, but the play is going to be outstanding and exciting every night. I don't think many of these guys have ever seen snow before ... there's a lot of guys from Alabama on this roster!"

There are a couple of players with connections to big-name athletes. Outfielder Jason Nall's claim to fame is that he is the brother-in-law to retired MLB outfielder Coco Crisp.

"I went to a baseball scouting league camp in Florida," Nall, from Los Angeles, said. "I had a couple of good games, met some great people, and they gave me the shot to keep my dream going. I had to take the opportunity and run with it.

"I was planning on jumping into last year, but with COVID ... you know how that went. Was locked in the house, felt like a caged animal. I wanted to come here and make a difference."

Mike Howard also has a professional sports connection ... and even a musical connection: his uncle is none other than the late former heavyweight boxing champion, Joe Frazier.

The Bronx, N.Y. native said if it hadn't had been for Thompson, Howard would have still been in the Pioneer League.

"I was set to play in Ogden, but then Tommy offered me the opportunity to play here," Howard, a middle infielder, said. "Now I'm blessed to be here in Montana. It's an awesome place.

"I can't wait to be back here on the 26th and get it going!"

The Voyagers will have Ross Drishinski calling the play-by-play for each home game on FOX Sports Radio KXGF, AM-1400 and FM-98.3. 

The Voyagers open the new season with a three-game road swing to Missoula Saturday through Monday. After taking Tuesday off (every Tuesday is an off day in the Pioneer League), the Voyagers open a six-game homestand next Wednesday, May 26, against the Ogden Raptors at 7 p.m. at Centene Stadium.

Lee Vernoy covers sports and much more for the Tribune. Email him at [email protected] or [email protected], and follow him on Twitter @GFTrib_LVernoy.seball 

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Tommy Thompson returns to manage Great Falls Voyagers

GREAT FALLS — A new chapter in Great Falls Voyagers history starts this summer as the Pioneer League begins its time as an independent league. Luckily for the Voyagers, that new chapter will start with a familiar face.

The club announced on Wednesday that Tommy Thompson will return as manager after signing a three-year contract. Thompson previously managed the team in 2016, when he led them to a 47-28 regular-season record, the top in the league that year.

"I'm extremely excited, and so is my wife, on coming back to Great Falls," Thompson told MTN Sports via Zoom on Wednesday. "We had a tremendous time. The booster club, the fans, the ownership, the team was great. We had a real nice experience."

Thompson’s second stint in the Electric City won’t be without its challenges. Since the Pioneer League is now called an MLB Partner League and no longer affiliated with MLB, teams like Great Falls will largely have to build from scratch. Thompson will play a pivotal role in compiling rosters, but he has numerous connections in baseball after more than three decades in various roles with the Chicago White Sox organization.

"We're going to have to field our own players from released professional players, other independent players, or quality college players that didn't have a chance to get drafted or didn't get signed. So it's going to be a mix and match," he said.

Once the season starts, Voyager fans will once again get to enjoy Thompson for his fiery on-field personality and antics with umpires.

"Well, I'm going to have to work out a deal with (president Scott Reasoner) and (owner and CEO Vinney Purpura) to make sure they pay for my fines," Thompson joked. "If they do that, at times, I could be entertaining. But also I got to respect the game, you know what, I'm going to respect the players, I'm going to fight for them."

Great Falls will open its 96-game schedule on the road against the Missoula Paddleheads on May 22. The first home game is May 26 against the Ogden Raptors.

Results from around the state

2024 Great Falls Voyagers Schedule

• May 21 (Tue)
• 7:00 PM MDT
• May 22 (Wed)
• May 23 (Thu)
• May 24 (Fri)
• May 25 (Sat)
• May 26 (Sun)
• 11:30 AM MDT

• May 28 (Tue)
• May 29 (Wed)
• May 30 (Thu)
• May 31 (Fri)
• 7:05 PM MDT
• Jun 01 (Sat)
• Jun 02 (Sun)
• 1:05 PM MDT

• Jun 04 (Tue)
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• Jun 07 (Fri)
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• Jun 09 (Sun)
• 2:05 PM MDT
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• Jul 09 (Tue)
• 7:35 PM MDT
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• Jul 14 (Sun)

• Jul 16 (Tue)
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• Aug 20 (Tue)
• 6:35 PM MDT
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