A sale of the Missoula Osprey (Rookie; Pioneer League) is taking shape, as the team will be purchased by Peter Davis and Susan Crampton Davis of Seattle, pending final approvals.
Mike and Judy Ellis have held the majority stake in the Osprey franchise’s ownership for years, but that is about to change. As was announced on Friday, an agreement is in place for the Ellis’ Mountain Baseball LLC to sell the Osprey to the Davises’ Big Sky Professional Baseball LLC.
The new ownership group would keep the Osprey in Missoula and leave the current front office staff intact, with ballpark upgrades potentially on the way. The terms of the sale have not been disclosed, but both sides took part in a press conference at the Osprey’s Ogren Park-Allegiance Field on Friday afternoon. More from the Missoulian:
Peter Davis was managing director of the Intiman Theater in Seattle for 10 years before taking over Gaco Western, a manufacturing firm his father founded in 1955. The Davises sold Gaco Western last year after 22 years. He’s held Seattle Mariners season tickets for 26 years and said he scores every game in a scorebook he designed, including speed and location of every pitch, “which admittedly is a little bit crazy.”
Susan Crampton Davis has a background in human resources and business, including nearly three years with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation before opening a successful coaching and spiritual practice in 2008.
“The perfect couple for the Osprey and Missoula,” Mike Ellis said at an afternoon press conference at Ogren Park-Allegiance Field. “They are so very impressive.”
“I’ve been looking for a franchise such as this for over 20 years — a distant dream, a wish, a hope that I never knew would get here,” Peter Davis said. “To be on the cusp of making this dream a reality, in the good city of Missoula, is absolutely thrilling for me.”
The sale is pending approvals from the Pioneer League and Minor League Baseball, as well as a review from Major League Baseball. It is expected to close within 30 days of Friday’s announcement, according to a press release from the Osprey.