clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Tulsa Drillers are fielding a collegiate baseball summer league team

Minor league teams are shifting gears with the 2020 MiLB season in doubt.

If you buy something from an SB Nation link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

ONEOK Field in the early evening
ONEOK Field in the early evening
Rich Crimi

The 2020 minor league season is very much in doubt, so teams have to figure out how to get by economically. Some are hosting drive-in events at ballparks, others are selling food to go. The Tulsa Drillers, the Dodgers’ Double-A affiliate, is using their ballpark to host a completely different team.

ONEOK Field will host a team in the Texas Collegiate League, a summer league for college prospects whose alumni include Paul Goldschmidt, Brandon Belt, Jake Arrieta, and several other future major league players.

The Tulsa team that will play in this collegiate league will also be called the Drillers, and will play a 30-game season in 34 days beginning June 30 and ending August 2.

That’s as good a sign as any that affiliated minor league baseball won’t happen this year, or at least not until August at the earliest.

Longtime Oklahoma State pitching coach Tom Holliday was announced Tuesday as the Drillers manager. His staff is headlined by Mickey Tettleton, a 14-year major league veteran catcher who hit 245 home runs, and also includes Randy Whisler and Cody Semler.

The TCL Drillers are in the northern division of the 10-team league. Playoffs consist of a best-of-3 series between the top two teams in each division, with the winners facing off in a single-game league championship hosted by the team with the best record.

Links