The Altoona Rail Kings were a former independent baseball team, playing their home games at Veterans Memorial Field in Altoona, Pennsylvania averaging nearly 1,200 fans per game.
They played two seasons, 1996 in the North Atlantic League, and 1997 in the Heartland League. In 1996, the Rail Kings finished 36-42. In 1997, they finished 22-14 in the Northern Division's first half, and 14-22 in the second. They finished second and third place in their respective leagues. They did make the playoffs, losing in two straight games to the Anderson Lawmen.
When the Pittsburgh Pirates-affiliated AA franchise was awarded to Altoona, the Rail Kings relocated to Huntington, West Virginia, for the 1998 season—playing at the St. Cloud Commons, they retained the Rail King name but redesigned their logo to feature a crowned H rather than an A.
The Rail Kings remained in the Heartland League. The Huntington Rail Kings did not finish the 1998 season, closing due to poor attendance. The Altoona Curve arrived in Altoona in 1999.
Today, the Rail Kings name lives on at Blair County Ballpark, where the best seats are designated "Rail King." The Rail Kings' mascot was R.K. Two other names considered for the team were used later by affiliated teams: the Spikes, now used by State College, and the Curve, used by the current AA team.
Players for the initial season included:
Jeff Andrews Eric Burroughs Mike Cacciotti Peter Dallas Howard Hill Mark Hilyard Anthony Iasparro Karun Jackson Farley Love Travis Maxwell Carlos Mirabal Tim Mitchell Paul Neatrour Manny Perez Billy Reed Stanley Scales Ray Schmittle Anthony Sharer John Smith Doug Smyly Tony Webster Eric Yelding Tommy Seasoltz (batboy)
Player Information PlayerBatsThrowsBirthdayHeightWeightHometownJeff AndrewsRROctober 22, 19716'0"185 Arab, AL USEric BurroughsLLOctober 31, 19695'9"165 Thomasville, AL USMike CacciotiLLJon ChoateLRSeptember 14, 19735'11"185 Houston, TX USStacy ChupailoRRFebruary 16, 19766'4"195 Muskegon, MI USPeter DallasRRMay 30, 19746'4"205 Deerfield, IL USTommy HearnRRDominic HernandezRRHoward HillLLMark HilyardRRAnthony IasparroRRK. J. JacksonRRMay 3, 19715'9"170 Mobile, AL USDarren JonesRRHank LottLLNovember 27, 19666'6"205 Chicago, IL USFarley LoveRRApril 21, 19736'6"200 Fort Ord, CA USTravis MaxwellRR5'9"160Carlos MirabalRRApril 24, 19736'0"169Tim MitchellLLJune 7, 19716'2"230Paul NeatrourRRManny PerezRRWilliam PostelukLLTobias PriceLLAugust 11, 19746'2"225 San Diego, CA USBilly ReedRRMay 9, 19735'10"160 Birmingham, AL USMichael RichmondRRWillie RolandRROctober 23, 19735'10"190 Corpus Christi, TX USJake ScaffidiSRStan ScalesRRMay 20, 19715'11"172 Talladega, AL USRay SchmittleLLAugust 10, 19745'11"200 Altoona, PA USTony SharerRRJuly 22, 19756'1"185 Tyrone, PA USJohn SmithRROctober 21, 19766'2"220 Passaic, NJ USDoug SmylyRRJanuary 29, 19736'5"205 Miami, FL USJoey VreonisRRDecember 17, 19716'4"235 Pittsburg, CA USMatt WeberRRTony WebsterRRGrey WilkinsonRRAugust 29, 19746'2"185 Houston, TX USEric YeldingRRFebruary 22, 19655'11"170 Montrose, AL US Management included:
Owner/President: Eric Reichert General Manager: Mike Richmond Director of Media Relations: Dave Shannon Director of Sales and Marketing: Shawn McIntire Account Executive: Eddie Depp Manager: Tommy Hearn Coach: Michael Richmond Athletic trainer: Bryant Musselman
References