The Orem Owlz were a Minor League Baseball team located in

Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Me ...

, United States, from 2001 to 2020. The team competed in the Pioneer League as a Rookie League affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels. The Owlz played their home games at Home of the Owlz on the campus of

Utah Valley University Utah Valley University (UVU) is a public university in Orem, Utah. UVU offers master's, bachelor's, associate degrees, and certificates. Previously called Utah Valley State College, the school attained university status in July 2008. History ...

. They were previously known as the Provo Angels from 2001 to 2004. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball in 2021, the Pioneer League, of which the Owlz had been members since 2001, was converted from an MLB-affiliated Rookie Advanced league to an

independent baseball league An independent baseball league is a professional baseball organization in the United States or Canada that is not overseen by Major League Baseball and is outside the Minor League Baseball clubs affiliated to it. The Northern League and Frontie ...

and granted status as an MLB Partner League. Concurrent to this change, the Owlz relocated to

Windsor, Colorado Windsor is a home rule municipality in Larimer and Weld counties in the U.S. state of Colorado. According to the 2020 census, the population of the town was 32,716. Windsor is located in the Northern Colorado region. History In 1873, a settl ...

, and became the

Northern Colorado Owlz The Northern Colorado Owlz are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are based in Windsor, Colorado and will play their home games at the u ...

History

Formerly known as the Provo Angels (2001–2004), the team originally played at the

Larry H. Miller Field Larry H. Miller Field is a stadium in Provo, Utah, United States. The field is named for businessman Larry H. Miller, the field is primarily used for baseball and is part of the Larry H. Miller Sports Complex. The ballpark has a capacity of 2,204 ...

on the campus of

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

in northeastern Provo. After the 2004 season, the team changed ownership and moved from Provo to a new stadium in neighboring Orem. While retaining its affiliation with the Angels

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

club, the team introduced a new name and logo at the time of their move. The Owlz also introduced a new mascot named Hootz, a red owl with a head in the shape of a large

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

. Hootz was married in 2009 in an on-field ceremony to Holly, a female owl. According to team lore, the two Mascot Owlz lived in an abandoned oak tree that was offered by an Orem host family. The Owlz played in the Pioneer League, which was a Rookie League with an abbreviated schedule (

short-season Class A Short Season (officially Short-Season A) was a level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States from 1965 through 2020. In the hierarchy of minor league classifications, it was below Triple-A, Double-A, Class A-Advanced (cre ...

). The team won five Pioneer League titles; one while in Provo (2004), and four while in Orem (2005, 2007, 2009, and 2016). With its championship victory in 2016, the Orem Owlz became the quickest franchise in Pioneer League history to win five championships, doing so in just 17 years. The team also finished first in the South Division of the Pioneer League eight times. The team is prominently mentioned in the book '' Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound with a Minor League Misfit'', a memoir recounting the author's one season playing for the Provo Angels. Team owner Jeff Katofsky planned to relocate the team to

Pueblo, Colorado Pueblo () is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality of Pueblo County, Colorado, Pueblo County, Colorado ...

, in 2020, where they would be known as the Pueblo Owlz, but the plan was abandoned due to financial concerns by the city of Pueblo. Ultimately, they relocated to

, in 2021 and became the

. This move was made in conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball in 2021 in which the Pioneer League was converted from an MLB-affiliated Rookie Advanced league to an

and granted status as an MLB Partner League.

Playoffs

* 2017: Lost to Ogden 2–0 in semifinals. * 2016: Defeated Ogden 2–1 in semifinals; defeated

Billings Billings is the largest city in the U.S. state of Montana, with a population of 117,116 as of the 2020 census. Located in the south-central portion of the state, it is the seat of Yellowstone County and the principal city of the Billings Metrop ...

2–0 to win championship. * 2015: Lost to Idaho Falls 2–1 in semifinals. * 2014: Defeated Ogden 2–0 in semifinals; lost to

2–0 in finals. * 2011: Lost to Ogden 2–1 in semifinals. * 2010: Lost to Ogden 2–1 in semifinals. * 2009: Defeated Ogden 2–0 in semifinals; defeated Missoula 2–1 to win championship. * 2008: Lost to

Great Falls Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements * Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size * Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent People * List of people known as "the Great" *Artel Great (born ...

2–1 in finals. * 2007: Defeated

2–0 to win championship. * 2005: Defeated

Helena Helena may refer to: People *Helena (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Katri Helena (born 1945), Finnish singer *Helena, mother of Constantine I Places Greece * Helena (island) Guyana * ...

2–0 to win championship. * 2004: Defeated

2–0 to win championship. * 2003: Lost to

2–0 in finals. * 2002: Lost to

2–1 in finals. * 2001: Lost to

2–0 in finals.

All-stars

Players with MLB experience

Players are listed by the season(s) they played for the Provo Angels (2001–2004) or Orem Owlz (2005–present).

References

External links