Editing Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks

{{Infobox baseball team
|name             = Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks
|founded          = [[1998 in baseball|1998]]
|disbanded        = [[2004 in baseball|2004]]
|city             = [[Ozark, Missouri]]
|ballpark         = [[Price Cutter Park]]
|logo             = Ozark Mountain Ducks logo.png
|cap_logo         = Ozark Mountain Ducks Cap.png
|league           = 
|division         = 
|former_leagues   = {{plainlist|
* [[Texas–Louisiana League]] (1999–2001)
* [[Central Baseball League]] (2001-03)
* [[Frontier League]] (2004)
}}
|former_names     = {{plainlist|
* Ozark Mountain Ducks (1999-2000)
* Springfield-Ozark Ducks (2004)
}}
|nicknames        = 
|uniform          = 
|retired_numbers  = 
|colors           = Royal Blue, Yellow<br>{{colorbox|royalblue}}{{colorbox|gold}}
|former_ballparks = 
|league_champs    = None
|division_champs  = None
|owner            = [[Horn Chen]] <br />($3 million purchase)<ref>{{Cite web | title=Ducks GM wary of Springfield stadium {{!}} Springfield Business Journal | url=https://sbj.net/stories/ducks-gm-wary-of-springfield-stadium,45578 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808072018/https://sbj.net/stories/ducks-gm-wary-of-springfield-stadium,45578 | access-date=2024-12-20 | archive-date=2024-08-08}}</ref>
}}

The '''Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks''' was an unaffiliated [[Minor league baseball|minor league]] team that previously played in [[Ozark, Missouri]], a suburb of [[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]]. The team was a member of the [[Texas-Louisiana League]], later named the [[Central Baseball League]] from 1999 to 2003. The team played in [[Price Cutter Park]], now known as Ozark Mountain Sports Complex.

==History==

In April 1998, Texas-Louisiana League president and co-founder Byron Pierce announced that the league would put a new team in [[Ozark, Missouri|Ozark]] pending financing for a new ballpark. In August the funding was secured. Construction on the stadium started in late fall and took four months to complete.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-springfield-news-leader-new-ballpark/152874327/|title=Sight for Ozark Ballpark Announced|first=Traci|last=Shirley|website=Springfield News-Leader}}</ref>

The peculiar team name and mascot was picked from a name-the-team contest in 1998. The winning entry{{emdash}}by Craig Cremer of Ozark{{emdash}}was picked out of 65,000 submissions. Cremer says the kid-friendly name was derived from a combination of the [[Ozark Mountains]] and the [[Ride the Ducks]] boat ride in [[Branson, Missouri|Branson]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-springfield-news-leader-mountain-duc/152873316/|title=Mountain Ducks Make Nest in Ozark|first=Scott|last=Puryear|website=Springfield News-Leader}}</ref>

The Mountain Ducks played their inaugural game on May 27, 1999 on the road, a 7-4 loss to the [[Amarillo Dillas]]. Their first home game came two weeks later on June 10 in front of 4,764 people, a 5-2 loss, also against Amarillo.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-springfield-news-leader-ducks-come-u/107040496/|title=Ducks Come Up Short|first=Eric|last=Bailey|website=Springfield News-Leader}}</ref>

Success on the field was hard to come by for the team. The Mountain Ducks only made the postseason one time during its tenure, a first round exit in 2000.

Two players with Major League experience played for Springfield-Ozark: Outfielder [[Mel Hall]] (2002) played 13 seasons, mostly with the [[Cleveland Guardians|Cleveland Indians]] and [[New York Yankees]] and Pitcher Mike Smith (1999-2001). Smith played in 15 games over two seasons with the [[Baltimore Orioles]].<ref>{{Cite web | title=Mike Smith  Minor, Mexican & Independent Leagues Statistics {{!}} Baseball-Reference.com | url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=smith-006mic | access-date=2024-12-20 | website=www.baseball-reference.com}}</ref>

The team joined the [[Frontier League]] in 2004. The Mountain Ducks rights to the club's spot in the CBL were sold in 2004 to the [[Pensacola Pelicans]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ccheadliner.com/stories/horn-chen-sells-ducks,86205|title=Horn Chen sells Ducks|first=Ron|last=Schott |website=Christian County Headliner News}}</ref> of the discontinued [[Southeastern League]].

The franchise's time in Ozark ended for good after only one season in the Frontier League once hotel magnate John Q. Hammons purchased the rights to the Double-A [[Texas League]]'s [[El Paso Diablos]], renamed them the [[Springfield Cardinals|Cardinals]] and moved them to downtown [[Springfield, Missouri|Springfield]]. The Ducks moved to Ohio/Indiana and were renamed the [[Ohio Valley Redcoats]]

==Team Record==

The Mountain Ducks had a combined record of 261-312 over six seasons.{{cn|date=August 2024}}

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Season !! Wins !! Losses !! Finish !! Manager !! Playoffs

|-
| 1999 || 32 || 50 || 5th || Barry Jones || Missed Playoffs
|-
| 2000 || 59 || 53 || 4th || Barry Jones || '''Lost First Round <br /> '''[[Amarillo Dillas|Amarillo]] 1–2
|-
| 2001 || 33 || 58 || 6th || Barry Jones || Missed Playoffs
|-
| 2002 || 45 || 51 || 6th (3rd, East)|| Phil Wilson || Missed Playoffs
|-
| 2003 || 40 || 56 || 8th (4th, East) || Phil Wilson || Missed Playoffs
|-
| 2004 || 52 || 44 || 6th (4th, West) || Greg Tagert || Missed Playoffs
|-
|}

==All-Stars==
{|
|'''1999''': Brent Bubela, C;  Sergio Cairo, OF; Mike Smith, P
|-
|'''2000''': Mike Smith, P; Jim Wollscheid, P
|-
|'''2001''':  Andre Johnson, OF; Mike Smith, P
|-
|'''2002''': None
|-
|'''2003''': None
|-
|'''2004''': None
|-
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=0c0cb201 1999 Ozark Mountain Ducks statistics]
* [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=dfd9f071 2000 Ozark Mountain Ducks statistics]
* [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=d23b7d10 2001 Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks statistics]
* [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=cb06aed9 2002 Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks statistics]
* [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=881223a5 2003 Springfield-Ozark Mountain Ducks statistics]
* [https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/team.cgi?id=a721a0fe 2004 Springfield-Ozark Ducks statistics]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Springfield Ozark Mountain Ducks}}
[[Category:Defunct minor league baseball teams]]
[[Category:Baseball teams disestablished in 2004]]
[[Category:Defunct independent baseball league teams]]
[[Category:Defunct baseball teams in Missouri]]
[[Category:Baseball teams established in 1998]]
[[Category:Christian County, Missouri]]