| Evansville Otters | |
| Founded: | 1995 |
| City: | Evansville, Indiana |
| Ballpark: | Bosse Field |
| Cap Logo: | EvansvilleOttersCap.png |
| League: | Frontier League |
| Division: | West Division |
| Colors: | Navy blue, red, blue, white |
| League Champs: | 2 (2006, 2016) |
| Division Champs: | 3 (1997, 2000, 2019) |
| Owner: | Wilfred “Bill” Bussing III |
| Manager: | Andy McCauley |
| Media: | Evansville Courier & Press |
The Evansville Otters are a professional baseball team based in Evansville, Indiana. They compete in the Frontier League (FL) as a member of the West Division. Since their establishment in 1995, the Otters have played at historic Bosse Field, which originally opened in 1915.[1] The Otters are the oldest current team in the Frontier League and have won two championships (2006 and 2016).
When the Otters began play in 1995, they returned baseball to Evansville for the first time in a decade. The city had been without a team since the Evansville Triplets relocated following the 1984 season.
The Otters have been a success on the field and off since their first season of play in Evansville. On the field the Otters have reached the playoffs in 9 seasons, including six Frontier League Championship series with FLCS wins in 2006 and 2016.
Off the field, the Otters set numerous league attendance records in their early seasons. The Otters drew 90,000 fans in their first season, more than the entire Frontier League had in its inaugural season two years earlier.[2] The Otters have averaged over 2,500 fans per game since they started playing at Bosse Field in Evansville, most recently setting a 2013 league best with 3,200 fans per game.
The first Evansville Otters game was played on June 15, 1995. The Otters were awarded the Frontier League Organization of the Year Award in 1997, and the Commissioner's Award of Excellence in 2004. They earned their 689th win, a league record, on August 18, 2011. The team hosted the largest crowd ever at Bosse Field on July 24, 2013, with 8,253 fans in attendance. The Otters welcomed their 2,000,000th fan to the ballpark on August 18, 2013.
The Otters have promoted over 50 of their players to Major League Baseball franchises. Four Otters have gone on to careers at the major league level including George Sherrill, Andrew Werner, Brandyn Sittinger, and Randy Wynne.[3]
The success of the Otters in Evansville led to the move of more Frontier League teams to larger cities, many of which have built new ballparks, leading to the increased stability and success of the league in recent years.
On May 27, 2014, the Otters became the first team in the Frontier League to reach 800 wins.[4]
The Otters reached the Frontier League Championship Series in 2023 for the first time since 2016 but lost in five games to the Quebec Capitales.[5]
| Lancaster Scouts (Frontier League) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Division | W–L | Win % | Place | Postseason | |
| 1993 | West | 22–33 | .400 | 3rd | Did not qualify | |
| 1994 | West | 25–39 | .391 | 2nd | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Chillicothe Paints 2–1. Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Erie Sailors 2–0. | |
| Total | — | 47–72 | .395 | — | — | |
| Playoffs | — | 2–3 | — | .400 | 1 Playoff appearance, 0 Championships | |
| Evansville Otters (Frontier League) | ||||||
| 1995 | — | 31-38 | .449 | 6th | Did not qualify | |
| 1996 | West | 34–40 | .459 | 3rd | Did not qualify | |
| 1997 | West | 46–33 | .582 | 1st | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Richmond Roosters 2–1. Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Canton Crocodiles 2–0. | |
| 1998 | West | 43–36 | .544 | 3rd | Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. Springfield Capitals 2–1. | |
| 1999 | West | 43–41 | .512 | 1st | Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. Chillicothe Paints 2–0. | |
| 2000 | West | 45–38 | .616 | 2nd | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. River City Rascals 2-0. Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Johnstown Johnnies 3-1. | |
| 2001 | West | 44–40 | .524 | 4th | Did not qualify | |
| 2002 | West | 33–51 | .393 | 6th | Did not qualify | |
| 2003 | East | 51–37 | .580 | 3rd | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Chillicothe Paints 2–1. Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Gateway Grizzlies 3–0. | |
| 2004 | East | 54–42 | .562 | 2nd | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Washington Wild Things 3–0. Lost Frontier League Championship vs. Rockford Riverhawks 3–0. | |
| 2005 | East | 52–43 | .547 | 4th | Did not qualify | |
| 2006 | West | 46–50 | .479 | 2nd | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Rockford Riverhawks 3–2. Won Frontier League Championship vs. Chillicothe Paints 3–0. | |
| 2007 | West | 34–62 | .354 | 4th | Did not qualify | |
| 2008 | West | 39–57 | .406 | 6th | Did not qualify | |
| 2009 | West | 28–66 | .298 | 6th | Did not qualify | |
| 2010 | West | 35–59 | .372 | 6th | Did not qualify | |
| 2011 | West | 39–57 | .406 | T-5th | Did not qualify | |
| 2012 | East | 45–50 | .474 | 5th | Did not qualify | |
| 2013 | East | 51–45 | .531 | 4th | Did not qualify | |
| 2014 | East | 57–37 | .606 | 2nd | Lost East Division Wild Card Game vs. Washington Wild Things. | |
| 2015 | East | 48–48 | .500 | 4th | Did not qualify | |
| 2016 | West | 55–40 | .579 | 2nd | Won 1st Round Playoff vs. Joliet Slammers 3–1. Won Frontier League Championship vs. River City Rascals 3–2. | |
| 2017 | West | 52–44 | .542 | 2nd | Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. Schaumburg Boomers 3–1. | |
| 2018 | West | 51–45 | .531 | 2nd | Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. Washington Wild Things 3–1. | |
| 2019 | West | 57–39 | .531 | T-1st | Lost 1st Round Playoff vs. River City Rascals 2–0. | |
| 2020 | West | - | - | - | Season not played due to COVID-19 | |
| 2021 | West | 57–39 | .594 | 2nd | Did not qualify | |
| 2022 | West | 52–44 | .542 | 3rd | Lost Wild Card Game to Schaumburg Boomers 5–1. | |
| 2023 | West | 52–44 | .542 | 3rd | Won Wild Card Game over Schaumburg Boomers 4–3 Won 1st Round Playoff over Gateway Grizzlies 2–1 Lost Championship vs. Québec Capitales 3–2 | |
| Total | — | 1,217–1,226 | .494 | — | — | |
| Playoffs | — | 24–28 | .462 | — | 14 Playoff appearances, 2 Championships | |