Posted on April 6th, 2012 by Michael Lycklama
A screen shot of the new Chukars app.
Fans of the Idaho Falls Chukars have a new way to follow the team after the club released a free mobile app Wednesday. It is available on the iPhone and Android markets.
The free app will feature a season schedule, news stories, updated rosters, stats, weather reports and will enable fans to listen to live online broadcasts of the games.
“We are really excited to be able to offer this new technology to our fans,” Chukars Assistant General Manager Andrew Daugherty said in a news release. “Eventually, the app will even allow fans the opportunity to buy tickets through their phone, although that may be a year out.”
Fans looking to download the app can find it by searching “Chukars” on their iPhone or Android mobile device.
I downloaded the app yesterday and it has some fun features, like the “Fan Zone,” which allows fans to upload photos and video and have their phone make all sorts of annoying noises (a charge call, a cow bell, a vuvuzela, etc.). But I have to say, I was disappointed a Chukar call wasn’t among them.
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Posted on January 9th, 2012 by Michael Lycklama
The Kansas City Royals announced Monday that it has promoted Omar Ramirez, the club’s hitting coach in 2011, to the Chukars’ manager for 2012.
Prior to last season, his first year in Idaho Falls, Ramirez served as the hitting coach with the Royals’ former Low-A affiliate in Burlington, Iowa, and played eight seasons in the minors with the Cleveland Indians and the Houston Astros.
The Dominican native led Idaho Falls to a .287 batting average last season, the club’s highest since 2004, and 63 home runs, the most since 2005.
Joining his staff is pitching coach Jerry Nyman, who returns for his third straight season in Idaho Falls and 25th as a professional coach. Justin Gemoll will fill Martinez’s shoes as the hitting coach after holding the same position last summer with the Royals’ High-A affiliate in Wilmington, Del. Nathan Dine joins the staff as the strength and conditioning coach.
Buck Buchanan, who’s managed the Chukars the past two season, moved up in the Royals system to manage its Low-A affiliate in Kane County, Ill., which is one step higher than Idaho Falls.
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Posted on October 18th, 2011 by Michael Lycklama
The Idaho Falls Chukars will have a new opponent in 2012.
The Grand Junction City Council unanimously approved a lease late Monday night that will bring the franchise formerly known as the Casper Ghosts to Grand Junction for the 2012 season.
Rumors of the move have swirled since Dick and Charlie Monfort, the principle owners of the Colorado Rockies, bought the Casper franchise in January. The club will remain a Rockies affiliate and will take the name the Grand Junction Rockies.
Grand Junction appears to be a long-term home for the franchise as the city and the club agreed to a 15-year deal with club options for three five-year extensions.
An $8.3 million renovation project at Suplizio Field will boost its seating to more than 12,000, easily the largest in the Pioneer League. The stadium also hosts Division II Colorado Mesa University and the Junior College World Series.
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Posted on September 22nd, 2011 by Michael Lycklama
Chukars second/third baseman Daniel Mateo attempts to slide safely into home during a July 15 game against the Helena Brewers. Post Register file.
Baseball America’s ranking of the top prospects in the Pioneer League reflected the Idaho Falls’ Chukars mediocre summer with just one player named in its Top 20.
Second/third baseman Daniel Mateo ranked 20th in the preeminent minor league baseball publication’s annual rankings, which it released Thursday.
The 20-year-old from the Dominican Republic finished the summer hitting .348 with four home runs and 40 RBIs in 56 games for the Chukars. He posted a .389 on-base percentage and a .478 slugging percentage.
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Posted on September 9th, 2011 by Jeff Pinkham
The 2011 season ended with a bang for the Idaho Falls Chukars on Thursday night.
The bang of 21 Orem Owlz hits.
The Owlz built an early 10-1 lead, pounded out 21 hits and cruised to a 17-9 Pioneer League win in the final game of the regular season for both teams.
The season is over for the Chukars, who finished the second half with a record of 16-22. The Owlz (24-14 second half) open the playoffs at home tonight against the Ogden Raptors. The winner of that best-of-three series will face the winner of the Great Falls-Missoula series for the Pioneer League title.
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Posted on September 8th, 2011 by Michael Lycklama
The Orem Owlz tagged Chukars starting pitcher Kellen Moen for six runs Thursday night through the first two innings. And that’s all the offense Orem needed as it held on for a 6-5 home win against Idaho Falls in the second to last game of the regular season.
Moen surrendered a two-run homer to Orem designated hitter Wes Hatton, the second batter in Orem’s lineup, in the first inning. Orem tacked on two more runs in the first before a Jett Bandy double and an Abel Baker triple in the second made it 6-0.
Moen finished the night with six earned runs and seven hits allowed in two innings.
Idaho Falls mounted the ultimately unsuccessful comeback in its next at-bat. Shortstop Michael Antonio put the Chukars on the board with a sacrifice fly and first baseman Dean Espy drove in two runs with a double to right field that cut the lead to 5-3 in the third inning.
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Posted on September 7th, 2011 by admin
The Idaho Falls Chukars tied the game twice and survived a late surge by the Ogden Raptors to win 5-4 with a ninth-inning home run Tuesday in Ogden, Utah.
Chris Elder led off the ninth for the Chukars (33-40, 16-20 second half) with a solo home run to break a 4-4 tie, the second tie of the game. Idaho Falls pitcher Spencer Patton sealed the win with four strikeouts and one hit allowed in two innings pitched.
The Raptors (39-35, 17-19 second half) scored the first run of the game with a solo homer by James Baldwin in the bottom of the third inning. The Chukars tied the game in the top of the fourth when Michael Antonio scored off a throwing error by Raptors shortstop Justin Boudreaux. Luis Piterson scored off a single by Daniel Mateo to give Idaho Falls a 2-1 lead in the top of the sixth.
Noel Cuevas, Kevin Thompson and Baldwin scored for the Raptors in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Ogden a 4-2 lead. However, the Chukars rallied to tie the game at 4 when Henry Moreno hit a two-run homer in the top of the eighth, his 11th home run of the season.
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Posted on September 6th, 2011 by admin
The Ogden Raptors didn’t treat Brian Peacock like one of the top pitchers in the Pioneer League on Monday night.
Peacock, among the league-leaders in earned run average (3.79) and strikeouts (85) entering the game, gave up seven earned runs in three innings, and the Raptors rolled past the Idaho Falls Chukars 8-3 in Ogden, Utah.
The Idaho Falls lefty gave up six hits — including two home runs — and four walks as Ogden built a 7-0 lead.
Scott Schebler belted a two-run home run in the first inning and added a two-run single in the second. Chris O’Brien smacked a two-run home run in the third.
Idaho Falls inched closer in the fourth, scoring three runs on a wild pitch, an RBI groundout by Cameron Gallagher and an RBI single from Nick DelGuidice.
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Posted on September 4th, 2011 by Jeff Pinkham
Aaron Brooks added to his successful season while Chris Elder and Tyler Chism belted home runs, and the Idaho Falls Chukars took down the Ogden Raptors 6-2 on Saturday in front of 4,663 fans in Utah.
Brooks improved to 6-1 and lowered his earned-run average to 3.36 with another strong performance. The big right-hander allowed one earned run on three hits while striking out eight in six innings. Jonathon Dooley gave up a run but got the final nine outs to earn the save.
Elder and Chism sparked the offense, each hitting their ninth home runs of the season.
The Chukars trailed 1-0 entering the sixth, but Elder changed that with a leadoff home run. I.F. tacked on four runs in the inning, the big hit coming on Henry Moreno’s two-run double that plated Luis Piterson and Daniel Mateo.
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Posted on September 3rd, 2011 by Michael Lycklama
The Boys of Summer bid farewell to Melaleuca Field on Friday night as the Idaho Falls Chukars closed the home season with a 7-5 loss to the Orem Owlz.
The loss drops Idaho Falls to 14-18 in the second half and eliminates the Chukars from postseason contention.
Playing in front of a season-high 4,101 fans in the home finale, Idaho Falls gave locals reason to cheer with a pair of early runs.
The Chukars got things going in the bottom of the first with an RBI triple by Michael Antonio followed by an RBI double by Dean Espy.
Orem opened a 5-2 lead of its own with four runs in the top of the fourth, highlighted by an RBI triple off the bat of Kaleb Cowart.
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