Springfield To Lose, Then Get Independent Baseball Team

The future of independent professional baseball in southwest Missouri should remain intact, but in a new league. The current franchise will be moving from Ozark to Pensacola, Florida to join the Southeast League. The Springfield News-Leader reports today that a Frontier League team, based in Kenosha, Wisconsin is expected to move to Ozark and become the new Springfield-Ozark Ducks (dropping the word “Mountain” from their nickname). The team debuted in 1999 as the Ozark Mountain Ducks and drew 3,000 fans per game in its first two seasons. If the move happens, Springfield-Ozark will join the Mid-Missouri Mavericks and River City Rascals as the other Missouri teams in the Frontier League.