| Alton River Dragons | |
| League: | Prospect League |
| Division: | Western Conference – South Division |
| Stadium: | Lloyd Hopkins Field |
| Founded: | 2020 |
| League Champs: | 0 |
| Division Champs: | 1 (2022) |
| Owner: | Steve Marso |
| General Manager: | Dallas Martz |
| Manager: | Noah Suarez |
| Mascot: | Dinger |
The Alton River Dragons are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Alton, Illinois. They were founded in 2020 and began play in 2021 as members of the Prospect League.
The River Dragons play in the Prospect League's Western Conference – South Division along with the Cape Catfish, Jackson Rockabillys, O'Fallon Hoots, and Thrillville Thrillbillies.[1]
On January 29, 2020, the Prospect League of collegiate summer baseball announced that Alton, Illinois had been granted a franchise for the upcoming season.[2] [3] [4] Alton previously hosted a minor league team when the 1917 Alton Blues played as members of the Illinois-Indiana-Iowa League.[5]
The franchise owner was announced as Steve Marso, who had owned previous franchises in summer collegiate baseball. Dallas Martz was hired as the Alton General Manager.[6] [7]
The "River Dragons" moniker was announced for the Alton franchise on August 14, 2020. The name was chosen after a public vote.
On November 12, 2020, the Alton River Dragons announced the hiring of Darrell Handelsman to manage the 2021 Alton team. The Alton franchise had previously hired Brock Moss to manage the first team, but Moss had since accepted a position at Texas A&M International University, making him unavailable to coach Alton in the summer.[8] [9] [10] [11]
During the River Dragons second season in 2022, the team set a Prospect League record with 210 stolen bases.
The River Dragon's Eddie King Jr. from the University of Louisville was named the Mike Schmidt Prospect League Player of the Year. King Jr. led the league with 15 home runs and stole 31 bases in 2022.
Blake Burris set a new Prospect League record with 47 stolen bases and was the league batting champion, batting .361 for the season.
On September 21, 2022, it was announced that Darrell Handelsman was stepping down as Head Coach. On October 5, 2022, the River Dragons announced the hiring of Richard "Scotty" Scott as the team's next Head Coach.
After going 15-29 Head Coach Scotty Scott was replaced by River Dragons General Manager Dallas Martz to finish out the 2023 season. Under Martz's watch the River Dragons finished the season 5–7.
Steve Maddock of Frisco, TX was named the River Dragons 2024 Head Coach. However on December 13, 2023, Maddock stepped down as Head Coach.[12]
The Alton River Dragons play at Lloyd Hopkins Field in Gordon Moore Park. Renovations were discussed for the ballpark in anticipation of the 2021 season. The ballpark had previously hosted the Bluff City Bombers of the Central Illinois Collegiate League. The ballpark is located at 98 Arnold Palmer Road, Cottage Hills, Illinois, 62018.[13]
| Season | Manager | Record | Win % | League | Division | GB | Post-season record | Post-season win % | Post-season result | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Darrell Handelsman | 27–32 | .458 | 11th | 4th | 10.5 | 0–0 | .000 | Did not qualify | Inaugural season | |
| Darrell Handelsman | 32–28 | .533 | 4th | 1st | – | 3–2 | .600 | Won Prairie Land Division Championship (Springfield) Won Western Conference Championship (Quincy) Lost Prospect League Championship (Chillicothe) | |||
| 2023 | Richard Scott/Dallas Martz | 20–35 | .364 | 16th | 4th | 18.0 | 0–0 | .000 | Did not qualify | ||
| Noah Suarez | 0–0 | .000 | 0–0 | .000 | |||||||
| Totals | 79–95 | .454 | 3–2 | .600 |