| Rockford Rivets | |
| League: | Northwoods League |
| Division: | Great Lakes East 2019-pres) (South Division 2016-2018 |
| Location: | Loves Park, Illinois |
| Founded: | 2015 |
| League Champs: | 0 |
| Series: | Division |
| Series Champs: | 0 |
| Colors: | Black, Gold, Silver |
| Management: | President: Steve Malliet[1] |
| Manager: | Vincent Tornincasa |
| Website: | RockfordRivets.com |
The Rockford Rivets are a baseball team in the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The league's only team based in Illinois, their home games are played at Rivets Stadium in Loves Park.
Following the demise of the Frontier League's Rockford Aviators, their ballpark was put on the market. On October 14, 2015, the Northwoods League officially announced that Rockford Baseball Properties, LLC (composed of league president Dick Radatz, Jr. and Chad Bauer) had purchased the ballpark and would field a team in the league to begin play in the 2016 season. The team would be a member of the South Division, with the La Crosse Loggers moving to the North Division (taking the place of the recently folded Alexandria Blue Anchors).[2] [3]
On November 18, the team announced that Northern Illinois Huskies baseball and Madison Mallards alumnus Brian Smith would serve as the team's first manager.[4]
Finally, on February 11, the Rivets name, logo and colors were officially announced.[5] [6]
| Season | Record | Win % | Finish | Manager | Playoffs | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 33-39 | .458 | 6th in South | Brian Smith | Did not qualify | |
| 2017 | 39-33 | .541 | 3rd in South | Brian Smith | Lost in quarter-finals (0-1) to Battle Creek Bombers | |
| 2018 | 28-43 | .338 | 9th in South | Brian Smith | Did not qualify | |
| 2019 | 33-39 | .458 | 4th in Great Lakes East | Josh Keim | Did not qualify | |
| 2020* | 16-27 | .372 | 3rd in WI-IL East | Josh Keim | No playoffs due to COVID | |
| 2021 | 29-42 | .408 | 4th in Great Lakes East | JT Scarra | Did not qualify | |
| 2022 | 37-35 | .514 | 2nd in Great Lakes East | JT Scarra | Did not qualify | |
| 2023 | 45-27 | .625 | 2nd in Great Lakes East | Vincent Tornincasa | Did not qualify |
| Name | Highest Level Team | Professional Organization | Years with Rivets | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter Hargrove | Stockton Ports | Oakland Athletics (A Advanced) | 2016 | |
| Hunter Steinmetz | Dunedin Blue Jays | Toronto Blue Jays (A Advanced) | 2016 | |
| Kacey Murphy | West Michigan Whitecaps | Detroit Tigers (A) | 2016 | |
| Michael Smith | Bowling Green Hot Rods | Tampa Bay Rays (A) | 2016 | |
| Eric Cole | Lexington Legends | Kansas City Royals (A) | 2017 | |
| Hunter Fedducia | Great Lakes Loons | Los Angeles Dodgers (A) | 2017 | |
| Zach Rheams | Columbia Fireflies | New York Mets (A) | 2017 | |
| Bren Spillane | Dayton Dragons | Cincinnati Reds (A) | 2017 | |
| Michael Mateja | Rome Braves | Atlanta Braves (A) | 2018 | |
| Jesse Wilkening | Williamsport Crosscutters | Philadelphia Phillies (A Short-Season) | 2016 | |
| David Cronin | Great Falls Voyagers | Chicago White Sox (rookie) | 2016 | |
| Jordan Wicks | Chicago Cubs | Chicago Cubs (MLB) | 2020 |