Cleburne Railroaders

Cleburne Railroaders

Logo
Information
LeagueAmerican Association of Professional Baseball (East Division)
LocationCleburne, Texas
BallparkLa Moderna Field
Founded2017
ColorsRailroad Navy, Texas Red, Spike Silver, Cleburne Blue
       
OwnershipREV Entertainment
General managerJimmy Frush
ManagerPete Incaviglia
Websiterailroaderbaseball.com

The Cleburne Railroaders are a professional baseball team based in Cleburne, Texas, that plays in the American Association of Professional Baseball, an official Partner League of Major League Baseball.[1] The team, which began play in 2017, plays its home games at La Moderna Field.[2]

History

The history of professional baseball in Cleburne goes back to the original Cleburne Railroaders, which played in the Texas League, winning the 1906 league championship. However, this team lasted only one season.[3] A second iteration of the Railroaders competed in the Texas–Oklahoma League in 1911-1912, winning the 1911 championship. They played their home games at Gorman's Park, now part of Hulen Park.

The modern Railroaders were announced as an expansion franchise in the American Association on October 6, 2016.[4] The team plays in The Depot at Cleburne Station (now La Moderna Field), a new $25 million stadium that was recognized as a fan-favorite independent league stadium by Ballpark Digest in 2017.[5]

On June 12, 2020, it was announced that the Railroaders were one of six teams that would go on hiatus during an abbreviated 2020 American Association season due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[6]

In 2021, the Cleburne Railroaders announced three new additions to their ownership group: Neil Leibman, Alan Miller, and Jon Ryan.[7] Leibman is the Texas Rangers Chief Operating Officer and President of Business Operations and owns multiple professional sports teams.[8] Miller is the owner of COLLiDE Agency and Ryan is a former NFL player and are part owners of the Portland Pickles independent baseball team located in Oregon.

In 2023, the Railroaders announced a new majority partnership group, Railroaders Baseball Partners LLC, with REV Entertainment (the official events partner of the Texas Rangers) serving as managing partner for the team.[9]

Branding and mascots

The Railroaders’ colors were originally orange and blue. In 2021, the team's colors were changed to reflect the red, blue, and white of the flag of Texas: “caboose red,” “steel rail blue,” and “whistle post white.”[10] Additionally, the Railroaders also introduced a new mascot to their team, known as Gandy. Gandy joined Spike, the original mascot (a cartoon rail spike), in representing the Railroaders and what they stand for. Gandy's background is that he was a part of the Santa Fe railroad track maintenance gang. These maintenance gangs were known as Gandy Dancers because they would sing a variety of songs while they were working on the track.[10]

Prior to the 2026 season, the Railroaders once again refreshed their branding and changed their primary colors to "Railroad Navy", "Texas Red", "Spike Silver", and "Cleburne Blue". The Gandy mascot was retired, and the Spike mascot was updated. The team also announced several new logos, along with its three jerseys for the season: White/Primary (home), Red/Heritage (away), and a new alternate Blue/Cleburne Pride.[11]

Season-by-season records

Cleburne Railroaders season records
Season League Division Regular Season Postseason Manager Ref
Record Win% Division GB Record Win% Result
2017 AA South 47–53 .470 2nd 14.5 Did not qualify Gabe Suárez
2018 AA South 33–66 .333 5th 37.5 Did not qualify Gabe Suárez
2019 AA South 57–43 .570 3rd 1 Did not qualify Brent Clevlen
2020 AA South On hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021 AA South 54–46 .540 2nd 15 0–1 .000 Lost Wild Card Game 4–0 to Sioux City Explorers Mike Jeffcoat (19–18),
Logan Watkins (35–28)[a]
2022 AA East 50–50 .500 4th 4 2–3 .400 Won East Division Semi Finals 2–1 to Kane County Cougars, Lost East Division Championship 2–0 to Milwaukee Milkmen Logan Watkins
2023 AA East 46–54 .460 4th 10 1–2 .333 Lost East Division Semi Finals 2–0 to Chicago Dogs Pete Incaviglia
2024 AA East 60–40 .600 1st – 1–2 .333 Lost East Division Semi Finals 2–1 to Chicago Dogs Pete Incaviglia
2025 AA East 43–57 .430 5th 12 Did not qualify Pete Incaviglia
  1. ^ On June 30, 2021, Jeffcoat announced his retirement and Watkins was named interim manager.[12]

Roster

Cleburne Railroaders Roster
Active (25-man) Roster Coaching Staff

Pitchers

  • 10 Jaime Arias
  • 26 Bryce Bonnin
  • 18 Luke Boyd
  • 27 Taylor Broadway
  • 32 Derek Craft
  • 40 Trey Dillard
  • 24 Austin Faith
  • 37 Blair Henley
  • 12 Gabe Klobosits
  • 30 Cristian Lopez
  • 16 Kade Mechals
  • 39 Nick Paciorek
  • 28 Kristian Scott
  • 29 Mike Shawaryn
  • 31 Zeke Wood


Catchers

  • 23 Jacob Morrow
  • 21 Andres Sosa

Infielders

Outfielders

Manager

Coaches

  • 14 Brooks Carey (bench)
  • 22 Billy Horn (pitching)
  • 13 Rudy Jaramillo (hitting)
  •    Jacob Popoff (clubhouse manager)
  •    Arturo Valles (trainer)

Notable alumni

Further reading

  • Cleburne Baseball: A Railroader History by Scott Cain[13]

References

  1. ^ Reichard, Kevin (September 24, 2020). "American Association, Frontier League now MLB Partner Leagues". Ballpark Digest. Retrieved February 18, 2021.
  2. ^ Smith, Matt (June 13, 2016). "The Depot stadium construction begins". Cleburne Times-Review. Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2025.
  3. ^ "League Champions". October 2015. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
  4. ^ "Cleburne Railroaders join American Association". American Association of Independent Baseball. October 6, 2016. Archived from the original on October 9, 2016.
  5. ^ "Best of the Ballparks 2017, Independent Baseball: The Depot at Cleburne Station". Ballpark Digest. July 3, 2017. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  6. ^ "Independent American Association to start baseball season July 3 with limited fans". ESPN. June 12, 2020. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
  7. ^ Francis, Robert (March 18, 2021). "Texas Rangers executive, others added to Cleburne Railroaders ownership group". Fort Worth Business Press. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  8. ^ Stevenson, Stefan (March 17, 2021). "Texas Rangers President, Former NFL Punter Join Cleburne Railroaders Ownership Group". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  9. ^ "CLEBURNE RAILROADERS ANNOUNCE NEW OWNERSHIP TEAM AND MANAGEMENT PARTNER". railroaderbaseball.com. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  10. ^ a b Crisp, A. J. "Railroader makeover; New colors, logos, uniforms 'put Cleburne on the map'". Cleburne Times-Review. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
  11. ^ Lutz, Armando. "Railroaders: Next Stop – New Era Revealed". Cleburne Times-Review. Retrieved January 29, 2026.
  12. ^ "Railroaders Manager Mike Jeffcoat Announces Retirement". railroaderbaseball.com. Cleburne Railroaders. Retrieved June 26, 2025.
  13. ^ Cain, Scott (2017). Cleburne Baseball: A Railroader History. Charleston, South Carolina: The History Press. ISBN 9781467137010. OCLC 959035985.
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