Kokomo Jackrabbits

Kokomo Jackrabbits

Logo
Information
LeagueNorthwoods League (Great Lakes East, 2019–present)
LocationKokomo, Indiana
BallparkKokomo Municipal Stadium
Founded2014
Playoff berths2 (2016, 2018)
Last season31–29
Former leagueProspect League (2014–2018)
ColorsBrown, orange, yellow, white, gray[1]
         
OwnershipMichael Zimmerman
ManagementRoc Ventures
General managerNathan Martin[2]
MediaFacebook Twitter
Websitewww.kokomojackrabbits.com
Current uniforms
Home
Away

The Kokomo Jackrabbits are an inactive collegiate summer baseball team based in Kokomo, Indiana. They are a member of the summer collegiate Northwoods League, beginning with the 2019 season. Previously, the team played in the Prospect League.[3] The Jackrabbits play at the 4,000-seat Kokomo Municipal Stadium in downtown Kokomo. The Jackrabbits will not play in 2025 while the team ownership and the city of Kokomo are in court over a contract dispute.[4]

Namesake

Kokomo's baseball team went through a naming contest in the summer of 2014 before landing on the winning name of "Jackrabbits." Of around 1,000 entries in the online naming campaign, 15 people suggested the name "Jackrabbit" for Kokomo's Prospect League team.[5] The name is the same as a popular automobile developed by the Apperson Brothers in a building adjacent to where Kokomo Municipal Stadium now stands.[6]

Colors & uniform

The Kokomo Jackrabbits have adopted a look that is reminiscent of the San Diego Padres uniforms during the 1970s and 1980s with brown, mustard and orange colors.[7]

Seasons

The Jackrabbits have canceled their 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8][9]

Season Manager Record Win % League Division GB Post-season record Post-season win % Post-season result Notes
2016 Greg VanHorn/

Matt Howard

31–29 .517 6th 2nd 3.5 0–2 .000 Lost Eastern Division championship series
2017 Gary McClure 27–33 .450 7th 5th 10.0 – –
2018 Gary McClure 37–22 .627 1st 1st 0.0 2–3 .400 Lost Prospect League championship series
Prospect League totals 95–84 .531 2–5 .286
2019 Hayden Carter 29–42 .408 20th 5th 22.5 _ _ Inaugural season in the Northwoods League
2020 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Did not compete due to COVID-19
2021

Coaches

On October 20, 2014, Greg Van Horn was named the first Field Manager in Jackrabbits history.[10] After a tumultuous first thirty games to the 2015 season (in which he was ejected three times), Van Horn was relieved of his duties by Matt Howard, who remained in place for the 2016 season.

Howard lead the Jackrabbits to a 46–45 record across his one and a half seasons. Howard then moved on to accept the same position at Indiana University Kokomo, where he became the baseball team's first field manager in school history.

The Jackrabbits then hired former Austin Peay coach and all time Ohio Valley Conference wins leader Gary McClure.[11] McClure posted a 64–55 (.538) record in his two seasons with the club. After leading the team to the Prospect League Championship Series in the 2018 season, it was announced that McClure would be taking over as the first manager of the American Association of Independent Professional Baseball expansion team, the Milwaukee Milkmen (also owned by the Jackrabbits' parent company, ROC Ventures).

In 2022 Johnston Hobbs was hired by Nathan Martin, the general manager. Martin won general manager of the year for Indiana Northwoods League teams.

Jackrabbits drafted by MLB teams

Kokomo Jackrabbits in MLB Draft
Year Player Position College Drafting Team Round
2021 Denzel Clarke Outfielder California State University, Northridge Oakland Athletics 4th round
2021 Evan Elliott Pitcher Lethbridge Community College Texas Rangers 15th round
2022 Chase Meidroth Infielder University of San Diego Boston Red Sox 4th round
2022 Jakob Marsee Outfielder Central Michigan University San Diego Padres 6th round
2022 Adam Crampton Infielder Stanford University Baltimore Orioles 9th round
2022 Chris Santiago Infielder/Pitcher Saint Mary's College of California New York Mets 18th round
2023 T. J. Fondtain Pitcher San Diego State University Tampa Bay Rays 14th round
2023 Rio Britton Pitcher North Carolina State University Arizona Diamondbacks 15th round
2023 Hector Garcia Pitcher Hope International University Minnesota Twins 18th round
2023 Bayden Root Pitcher Oklahoma State University Milwaukee Brewers Undrafted free agent
2024 Michael Snyder Infielder University of Oklahoma Miami Marlins 10th round
2024 Jon Jon Gazdar Infielder Austin Peay State University St. Louis Cardinals 11th round
2025 Payton Graham Pitcher Gonzaga University St. Louis Cardinals 7th round
2025 Jack Moroknek Outfielder Butler University Washington Nationals 11th round

Bold indicates that player has made their MLB debut.

References

  1. ^ "Northwoods League Official Colors (1994 through present)". TruColor.net. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  2. ^ "Front Office Staff". Kokomo Jackrabbits. Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  3. ^ Spedden, Zach (July 5, 2018). "Jackrabbits Shifting to Northwoods League". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  4. ^ Durham, Spencer (January 3, 2025). "Kokomo Jackrabbits pull the plug on 2025 season". Kokomo Tribune. Retrieved January 7, 2025 – via Yahoo News.
  5. ^ "MKE Sports & Entertainment Unveils Kokomo Baseball Team Name and Logo, Introduces Field Manager" (Press release). Ballpark Business. October 20, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  6. ^ Lance (July 13, 2011). "Apperson Brothers Automobile Company (1902–1926)". Lances Car Site. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
  7. ^ "Jackrabbits Go 1980s Retro Padres with Unis". Ballpark Business (ballparkbiz.com). October 21, 2014. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
  8. ^ "Kokomo Jackrabbits". Facebook. June 23, 2020. Retrieved June 23, 2020. We are reaching out to ticket holders and sponsors regarding this years season cancellation and starting to plan for 2021. While there is no Jackrabbits season in 2020, we are working to still have plenty of baseball being played at Kokomo Municipal Stadium this summer.
  9. ^ Velazco, Pedro (June 17, 2020). "Mayor: Kokomo Jackrabbits decide not play in 2020". Kokomo Tribune. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
  10. ^ Munsey, Pat (October 21, 2014). "Baseball team name, coach announced". Kokomo Perspective. Retrieved December 7, 2018.
  11. ^ Saluke, Mark (May 27, 2017). "Jackrabbits Ready to Roll". Kokomo Tribune. Retrieved December 7, 2018.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.