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Texas AirHogs Splitting from Amarillo

Texas Airhogs

Following a vote from the American Association, the Texas AirHogs will no longer play games at Amarillo’s Potter County Memorial Stadium

Last fall, it was announced that the Grand Prairie AirHogs would merge with the Amarillo Thunderheads, thus creating the Texas AirHogs. The transaction gave the American Association an even, 12-team circuit, while allowing Grand Prairie and Amarillo to split the team’s home games.

After a one-season experiment, the American Association says that Potter County Memorial Stadium is not a viable venue for the league, something that commissioner Miles Wolff emphasized in his explanation of the decision. More from the Amarillo Globe-News:

Wolff told the Amarillo Globe-News the Airhogs will play all their games in Grand Prairie, a suburb of Dallas, next season.

The decision for the AirHogs to not return to Amarillo was made at a recent meeting attended by owners of the league’s 12 teams. Wolff said a decision to come back would not be considered “until improvements to Potter County (Memorial) Stadium are made.”

“I mean, (visiting) teams literally threatened not to play (in Potter County Memorial Stadium),” Wolff said. “They would forfeit rather than play in those conditions.”

Southern Independent Baseball, which owns the AirHogs and the former Thunderheads, has a contract for Potter County Memorial Stadium that runs through next year. While nothing has been finalized, the Globe-News reports that the Pecos League is considering a team in Amarillo for the 2017, though such an arrangement would require a sublease. That same circuit has been tied to Joplin’s Joe Becker Stadium, which no longer has a tenant after the Joplin Blasters ceased operations.

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