Sikeston Bulls
The Sikeston Bulls are a summer collegiate baseball team based in Sikeston, Missouri. The team, which plays in the KIT League plays its home games in VFW Memorial Stadium, located in Sikeston, Missouri. The stadium has a seating capacity of 1,800 people.
The Bulls were inactive in 20081, but returned to play in the 2009 season, opening with a 6-4 win over the Fulton Railroaders in the first of a three-game series. The team's home-opener was on June 1st against the Union City Greyhounds as part of a two-game series (second game on June 2nd). The Bulls won their home-opener with a score of 3-2 in the first home game for the Bulls since July 31, 2007.2
In 2009, the Bulls have 25 home games with one double-header and 25 away games. The last home game of the season will be July 20th. After the last home game, the Bulls will play a two-game series against the Owensboro Oilers, followed by a three-game series against the Union City Greyhounds with the last game of the regular season on July 25th.
History
The Sikeston Bulls joined the KIT League in 2004 in Sikeston, Missouri, which had been the previous home of the ill-fated "Bootheel Bombers", not to be confused with the Dexter, Missouri boxing club of the same name. The Bootheel Bombers played for one season in Sikeston, but then disappeared. The new team, the Sikeston Bulls, participated in the regular season play of the KIT League since the team's inception.
2006
The General Manager for the 2006 season was Jason Compton, who had previously worked with the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx of the Southern League for five years. After departing the Bulls, Compton returned to the Diamond Jaxx, where he is now the Assistant General Manager.
2007
The General Manager in 2007 was Fred Johnson. The announcers were Tom and Carla Young. Jiggs Moore took care of the field and grounds.
The Manager for the 2007 season was Jamie Puckett, a 2001 graduate of Sikeston High School, which has produced other notable baseball players, such as Blake DeWitt, a player for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Eric Hurley, a pitcher for the Texas Rangers (baseball). Puckett was an all-star player for the Sikeston Bulldogs, then played four years for Blackburn College and was an assistant coach for the Charleston Bluejays.
2008
The team was listed as "inactive" in 2008 when team-owner, Will Jones opted not to play the team in 2008, leaving the Farmington Firebirds as the sole active KIT League team in Missouri for the 2008 season with the new Marion Bobcats taking the Bulls' place in the league.
In May 2008, an announcement was made that the team was for sale. In August 2008, a new owner was identified. John Crockett, a native of Sikeston expressed an interest in the team. He'd found out the team was for sale while serving as a Navy Reservist mobilized for a year in Iraq.
In November 2008, Crockett finalized the the purchase from the previous owner, Will Jones. Also in November 2008, Fred Johnson agreed to return as the General Manager and CJ Zeller was selected as the Manager.3 Fred Johnson had been the Bulls' General Manager for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. CJ Zeller had been the Assistant Manager of the Farmington Firebirds during the 2008 season.
2009
In 2009, the Bulls returned to KIT League play with a first-game win on May 29th against the Fulton Railroaders in Fulton. The Bulls replaced the Farmington Firebirds as the only KIT League team in Missouri when the Firebirds pulled out of the league for the 2009 season. The season was supposed to begin early for the Bulls with an exhibition game against the Charleston Riverdogs of Charleston, Missouri on May 26, 2009, but the game was cancelled due to rain. In June of 2009, Adam Williams joined the team as the Assistant Coach.
On June 5th, the Bulls played their first game ever against the Marion Bobcats in Marion, Kentucky, which ended in a 2-1 victory for the Bulls.
Team Performance
The Bulls have a history of 43 wins and 70 losses out of a total of 113 games (.381). Prior to the 2009 season, the Bulls' record was .361.
- 2009 Season: currently (as of June 19th, 2009), 8 wins 8 losses (.500).4 5
- 2008 Season: Inactive.6
- 2007 Season: 18 wins 32 losses (.360). The Bulls finished fifth out of six teams, 13.5 games behind the first-place team (Fulton Railroaders).
- 2006 Season: 17 wins 30 losses (.362).
Notable Players
Ryan Modglin, a right-handed pitcher for the Bulls in 2009, was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2008. 7