The Lubbock Crickets were the first minor league baseball team to play in Lubbock, Texas after a 39-year hiatus. The Crickets joined the

Texas-Louisiana League The Central Baseball League, formerly the Texas–Louisiana League, was a independent baseball league whose member teams were not affiliated with any Major League Baseball (MLB) franchises. In 1991, potential owners, Dallas businessman Byron P ...

in 1995 as the first team not known as the Lubbock Hubbers. The team was named after Buddy Holly's band,

The Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, ...

1995

The Crickets started off strong, going 31-19 in the first half of '95 season. They fell to 22-28 in the second half, but then beat the Amarillo Dillas in the playoffs and the Alexandria Aces in the finals. The Crickets finished the '95 season with an overall record of 53-47, while also winning the league championship. Managed by

Greg Minton Gregory Brian Minton (born July 29, 1951), nicknamed "Moon Man", is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) right-handed pitcher who played for the California Angels and San Francisco Giants. Minton enjoyed a 16-year major league career, from to , ...

, Lubbock had one All-Star,

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists wh ...

Rouglas Odor Rouglas José Odor (born January 26, 1968) is a Venezuelan professional baseball infielder and coach. Odor is the manager of the Akron RubberDucks, the Double-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. Career Odor attended the University of New Or ...

. Odor was added to the team midseason and hit .287.

Third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...

Frank Bolick (.355) was second in the TLL average while the staff was led by

Frank DiPino Frank Michael DiPino (born October 22, 1956) is a former American professional baseball pitcher who played for the Milwaukee Brewers, Houston Astros, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). On Se ...

(9-5, 12 Sv, 3.39).

1996

The Crickets went 27-23 in the first half of the '96 season, and 32-17 in the second half, finishing with an overall record of 59-40. Lubbock beat the Rio Grande Valley WhiteWings in two games in the first round of the playoffs, but lost the championship game to the

Abilene Prairie Dogs The Abilene Prairie Dogs were an independent professional baseball team based in Abilene, Texas. They were members of the Texas–Louisiana League from 1995 to 1999, and returned in the North American League in 2012. Team history Texas–Lou ...

. Minton's team included several All-Stars: utility player Mike Hardge (.303, 28 SB), starting pitcher Steve Duda (11-8, 3.76) and starting pitcher Ron Gerstein (14-4, 3.56).

1st Baseman A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majori ...

Chris Norton batted .380 with 15

home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team. A home run i ...

1997

In 1997 The Crickets struggled under new manager Glenn Sullivan, finishing with a record of 38-50. Mike Hardge was again named to the All-Star team as a utility player.

1998

1998 would be the Lubbock Crickets' last season. Finishing 39-45,

outfielder An outfielder is a person playing in one of the three defensive positions in baseball or softball, farthest from the batter. These defenders are the left fielder, the center fielder, and the right fielder. As an outfielder, their duty is to c ...

Derek Vaughn (.350, 46 SB) made the All-Star team, while outfielder Jason Landreth (.377, 22 SB) was third in the TLL in average.

1999

The Crickets suspended operations for the 1999 season because of uncertain stadium availability, according to

President Byron Pierce. The Crickets had leased

Dan Law Field Dan Law Field at Rip Griffin Park, nicknamed "The Law", is the home stadium of the Texas Tech Red Raiders baseball team in Lubbock, Texas. It is located on the Texas Tech University campus, adjacent to Jones AT&T Stadium and Fuller Track. Dan L ...

from

Texas Tech Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas. Established on , and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the main institution of the five-institution Texas Tech University Sys ...

since their inception in 1995, but the expansion of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

baseball playoffs to 64 teams in 1999 created a stadium availability issue. This wasn't a new issue for the Lubbock Crickets. In 1996, The Crickets' first 10 games were played on the road followed by a home opener on May 30. In 1997, the Crickets played their home opener on May 29, seven days after the season started. In 1998, the season started on May 21 but the Crickets did not play a single home game until June 1. Team officials and Texas-Louisiana league informally discussed the idea of a building a new stadium in Lubbock. The $2 million proposal included a 4,000-seat facility with lights, dressing rooms and adequate concessions. However, with attendance numbers declining, financial woes, and stadium uncertainty, the team franchise dissolved following the 1998 season.

References

{{Reflist Defunct minor league baseball teams Defunct baseball teams in Texas Professional baseball teams in Texas Defunct independent baseball league teams Baseball teams disestablished in 1999 Baseball teams established in 1995 1995 establishments in Texas 1999 disestablishments in Texas Sports in Lubbock, Texas