Durham, N.C. 鈥� Following this week鈥檚 American Association meetings in Sioux City, Iowa, league commissioner Miles Wolff announced the addition of the Joplin (Mo.) Blasters as a member for the 2015 season.
Joplin will play in the AA鈥檚 South Division along with the Amarillo Sox, Grand Prairie AirHogs, Laredo Lemurs, and Wichita Wingnuts, the 2014 league champions.
鈥淭his is an outstanding division for our team to compete in, and we are looking forward to a strong schedule next season,鈥� said Blasters鈥� co-owner Gabe Suarez. 鈥淣ot only do you have the defending champions in Wichita, but also the wild-card-winning Laredo Lemurs in our division, so our fans will be exposed to top-notch professional baseball talent right out of the gate. We expect to be in a battle every night.鈥�
The Blasters will begin play at a renovated Joe Becker Stadium in May 2015.聽The 100-game schedule will be released in the coming months.
鈥淭his is always an exciting time of year when you get to start thinking about who will be on the field,鈥� said Blasters鈥� GM Shawn Suarez. 鈥淲e have a lot of work to do, as far as finding a field manager and putting together the best possible roster to compete. We have definitely kept tabs on certain players, and we will really start to be aggressive in free agency and trades.鈥�
The remainder of the league alignment will remain unchanged, with the Central Division featuring the Lincoln Saltdogs, Gary SouthShore Railcats, Kansas City T-Bones, and Sioux City Explorers; and the North Division consisting of the Winnipeg Goldeyes, St. Paul Saints, Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks, and Sioux Falls Canaries.
