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High Desert Mavericks

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High Desert Mavericks
Team logo Cap insignia
Minor league affiliations
ClassClass A-Advanced (1991–2016)
LeagueCalifornia League (1991–2016)
Major league affiliations
Team
Minor league titles
League titles (4)
  • 1991
  • 1993
  • 1997
  • 2016
Team data
Name
  • High Desert Mavericks (1991–2016)
ColorsRed, black, white
     
MascotWooly-Bully (1991–2016)
BallparkHeritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium (1991–2016)

The High Desert Mavericks were an American Minor League Baseball team in Adelanto, California, that operated from 1991 to 2016. They played in the Class A-Advanced California League, with home games at Heritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium. The franchise had eight different major league affiliations over its 25 seasons.

History

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In 1991, the Riverside Red Wave moved north to the city of Adelanto, part of the Victor Valley metro area in California's High Desert region, where they were renamed the High Desert Mavericks.[1] The Mavericks played their home baseball games at the 3,808-seat Heritage Field at Stater Bros. Stadium, opened in 1991 as Mavericks Stadium and renamed in 2007. The ballpark, which sits next to Hwy 395, is known to be an extremely hitter-friendly venue that tended to inflate home run totals drastically.[2] As a result, offensive statistics for High Desert players were discounted for comparative purposes, while the reverse was the case for statistics accumulated by High Desert pitchers.[3]

The Mavericks won the 1991 California League title in their first year of existence.[4]

The team's owners began seeking to sell the Mavericks in 2009, and on November 29, 2010, the team was sold to Main Street Baseball.[5] Rumors had the team moving to Chico, California, if a new proposed ballpark had been built there, but on August 12, 2012, it was reported that the Mavericks would be staying in the High Desert through the 2015 season and possibly through 2018.[6]

In January 2016, the Adelanto City Council voided the team's lease at Heritage Field.[7] The Mavericks were able to continue for the 2016 season at Heritage Field. However, on August 22, 2016, the California League announced the Mavericks would not return for the 2017 season and would cease operations.[8]

Before the California League announced the Mavericks would not return, it was rumored that the team would move to Kinston, North Carolina, and join the Carolina League while keeping the Rangers affiliation. Instead, Minor League Baseball announced on August 22 that two expansion teams would join the Carolina League in 2017 with the new Kinston team taking over the Rangers affiliation at the A-Advanced level from the Mavericks.

In their final game, the High Desert Mavericks defeated the Visalia Rawhide 7–4 on September 17, 2016, to capture the California League championship.[9] The Mavericks' Luke Tendler hit the final California League home run, a solo home run shot in the bottom of the 8th inning.[4]

In March 2019, the city and the Mavericks' owners settled a lawsuit brought by the owners over the city's 2016 attempt to void the stadium lease, with the city paying $3.8 million to the team owners.[10]

Achievements

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  • The Mavericks are the only California League team to win championships in the years that their major league parent clubs also came into existence.
  • The Mavericks were the first California League team to have cheerleaders. The Maverick Girls performed dance numbers atop the dugouts in between innings.
  • On June 28, 2009, the Mavericks performed two historic feats. They combined with the Lake Elsinore Storm to set a California League record for combined runs scored (51) in a 33–18 loss, and outfielder James McOwen set the California League record for longest hitting streak, hitting safely for the 36th straight game.

Notable High Desert Mavericks alumni

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Craig Breslow
Taylor Stanton pitching for High Desert in 2012

References

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  1. ↑ "Remembering the Riverside Red Wave, 25 years later". pressenterprise.com. The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  2. ↑ Cooper, J.J. (June 29, 2009). "Monday Dish: High Desert's Park Strikes Again". Baseball America. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011.
  3. ↑ Sickels, John (January 11, 2010). "Seattle Mariners Top 20 Prospects for 2010". Minor League Ball.
  4. 1 2 "High Desert Mavericks finish history in style, with California League championship". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Rancho Cucamonga, California. September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2016.
  5. ↑ Peters, Matthew (November 29, 2010). "Mavs sold to Main Street Baseball". Daily Press. Victorville, California. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  6. ↑ Glaser, Kyle (August 12, 2012). "Adelanto approves new lease with Mavericks". Daily Press. Victorville, California. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  7. ↑ Heller, Dave; Coufos, Jim (January 26, 2016). "An Open Letter from Mavericks Ownership". OurSports Central (Press release). High Desert Mavericks.
  8. ↑ "Cal League to Downsize in 2017". OurSports Central (Press release). California League. August 22, 2016.
  9. ↑ Avallone, Michael (September 18, 2016). "Mavs wave goodbye with a championship". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  10. ↑ Spedden, Zach (March 12, 2019). "Adelanto, Mavericks Ownership Reach $3.8 Million Settlement". Ballpark Digest. August Publications. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
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