Baseball is about tradition. It’s quite possible to find an Atlanta Braves baseball fans in Boston, Milwaukee, just as easy as it is to find one in Atlanta, depending on the age of that particular fan. A true fan has followed his team no matter where that team happened to move – baseball never lets you forget. It’s no different here in Owensboro – a true fan will recall that the Oilers were the face of Owensboro baseball years ago. That memory is alive and well today, and you can get that feeling by visiting the ball-field this summer.
About 50 years separates Owensboro from its baseball glory days, when the Oilers played at Miller Field throughout the long and hot tri-state summers. Our class D team prepped players for the major leagues, including stints as the minor league affiliate for the Cleveland Indians from 1937-1938, the Boston Braves from 1939-1940 and 1946-1950, the Boston Red Sox from 1941-1942 and the New York Yankees from 1953 to 1955.
Those baseball glory days don’t really have to be relegated to the black and white past, though. Charlie pierce has this same team franchise going once again, and they have already charged into this season. The glory days of Oiler baseball can be revived!
The Oilers are now playing at Brescia University’s home field out on Todd Bridge Road, southwest of Owensboro. Kamuf Field has claimed the Oiler team as its summer occupant this year, and the field is really a good-looking baseball playground to be honest. Talking with the Oiler’s owner, Charlie Pierce revealed the fact that he has considered trying to get the seating capacity expanded.
The Oilers got off to a pretty hot start this year, capturing a 9-5 record before dropping their last three games, as of the date of this publication. The latest misstep was a 10-7 loss to league newcomers Dubois County (In.) Bombers, catapulting the Bombers into second place. The Oilers are not out just yet, though; that only leaves them 2.5 games out of first with plenty of time to right the ship.
Owensboro still has the weapons for a major comeback. The major offensive sparkplugs will have to come from the hot-hitting tandem from Trevecca Nazarene University. Tyler Tichenor (Ohio County ’12) and his collegiate teammate, Hunter Newman both have some huge numbers going on this year. These two Trojans both top the Oiler batting average chart at .319 and .303, respectively.
Adding to their resume only takes a little bit of baseball sense. Both of them have hit 1 long-ball, but their value comes from a look at their on-base-percentage and slugging percentage. These two percentages tell how often they reach base, and the power that they have. When combined together for their OPS %, these numbers allow the fan to see what the player’s overall production looks like. An OPS of .700+ is a good solid player. Tichenor has a .383 OBP & a .431 SLG for OPS of .814! Newman is not that far off with an .806 OPS (.382 OBP & .424 SLG)! In down-to-earth terms – these two are knocking the cover off the ball for the Oilers.
Runs batted in haven’t been too few for them, either! Tichnenor has 10 on the year, and Newman has driven in 12 so far. This also where a third musketeer enters the picture – Christian McHatton leads the Oilers with 13 RBI’s!
One more category that must keep opposing catchers on antacids leading up to a date with the Oilers is speed. The entire team brings the speed game to the table – it’s in their mentality, but one player in particular is doing just exactly as I’ve always seen him do. Tyler Tichenor has been like greased lightning on the base paths – he has 16 stolen bases in 17 attempts! This is the Tyler that I remember as the drag-racer that burned up the trail around the bags for the Ohio County Eagles for the last few years!
Tichenor and Newman are really just extending what they did this past season for the Trojans. Trevecca Nazarene enjoyed a fantastic season that was due, in part, to the heroics of these two. Newman even picked up the NCCAA Mid-East Region Player of the Year along with being named the Great Midwest Athletic Conference’s Freshman of the Year after hitting .348 with 6 homers and 56 RBI’s in 2013! Tichenor added his two cents in, as well, hitting .382 with 34 RBI’s to go along with 25 stolen bases, garnering him honors as an NCCAA Mid-East Region selection and a G-MAC All-Conference selection as well. Both players were also selected as members of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) All-American Team.
The Oilers are also gaining some pretty solid pitching from some fantastic pitchers. Shane Weedman and Cameron Wallace are both sporting sub-two ERA’s with strikeouts that mirror innings pitched – a recipe for dominance when it comes to pitching. Another pitcher, Bo Lewington, has managed to figure out a way to keep his ERA at zero after 14 innings! That’s some solid pitching for the Oilers.
Truth be told, a visit to the ball-park to catch an Oilers game is well worth the price of admission. You’re going to see some solid baseball played at a gorgeous field…there’s nothing better than that on a beautiful summer evening! Kamuf Field is the perfect place to claim all that was golden about our baseball past…it’s your ticket to the past!
