History of the Orem Owlz

Before the Owlz were the Owlz they were the Provo Angels.

They played their first season in 2001 at the Larry H Miller Field that they shared with Brigham Young University. That first season Tom Kotchman was their General Manager.

In 2001 they finished out the season with a league-leading record with 53-23. Jason Dennis their LHP had a 2.05 ERA which was the best in the league. In the playoffs, they won against the Casper Rockies, now the Grand Junction Rockies. They lost to the Billings Mustangs in the final round.

In 2002, their top hitter Alberto Callaspo led the league with 101 hits, 10 triples, and 70 runs. They made it to the playoffs again where they beat the Ogden Raptors. They ended up losing to the Great Falls Dodgers, who are now the Great Falls Voyagers.

2003 was a better year with a 54-22 record. Their catcher Robert Wilson led the league in RBIs with 62. They made it to the playoffs beating the Ogden Raptors again but lost to the Billings Mustangs in the final round.

In 2004 they had the league's best regular season record with 44-32. The RHP Mitchell Arnold led the league with 14 saves. After 3 years of postseason appearances, they beat the Idaho Falls Chukars and the Billings Mustangs to win their first League Championship.

After the 2004 season, the Provo Angels picked up and moved to a new ballpark sharing the field with Utah Valley University and became the Orem Owlz.

 Tom Kotchman stayed the manager and led the Orem Owlz to win their first championship as the Orem Owlz in 2005.

In 2006 they lost in the first round of the championship to the Idaho Falls Chukars. Their RHP Chris Sullivan led the league with a 2.14 ERA going 4-0.

In 2008 they a 52-23 record which was another league best. They lost to the Great Falls Voyagers in the first round of the playoffs that year. They won the Championship again in 2009 but were eliminated in the first round in their next two seasons. Tom Kotchman left as General Manager in 2012 and Bill Richardson took over in 2013, with Dave Stapleton coming in, in 2014.

In 2016 Dave Stapleton led the Owlz to their 4th Championship as the Orem Owlz but their 5th Championship as a franchise. This made the Orem Owlz the quickest franchise in the Pioneer League to win 5 champions in only 17 years.

In 2017 Tom Nieto took over as manager but Dave Stapleton came back for the 2018 season.

After talk of the Orem Owlz moving to Pueblo, Colorado in 2020, we are here to say that the Owlz are staying in Orem.

This season we have Jack Santora coming in as our General Manager. We are excited to get playing so mark your calendars for June 14th where we will take on the Rocky Mountain Vibes at home in the first game of the season.

Where Are They Now?

Before we get into this season lets take a look at a few former players and where they are now!

Martin Maldonado - C

Martin Maldonado played for the Orem Owlz in 2005. In 2007 he signed a major league contract with the Milwaukee Brewers and made his Major league debut in September of 2011. In 2016 he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels where he played 138 games, batting a .221 with 14 home runs and 38 RBIs. He spent the 2018 season with the Houston Astros and is now playing with the Kansas City Royals on a one year contract.
This season he's had 50 AB, batting a .180, with .508 OPS.

Tyler Skaggs - LHP

In 2009 the Los Angeles Angels drafted Skaggs first round and he played for the Owlz for part of that 2009 season. In 2010 he was traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks. He made his Major League debut in August of 2012 with the Diamondbacks. In 2013 he was traded back to the Angeles. In 2014 he had Tommy Johns surgery and was unable to play until 2016 season where he played for the Salt Lake Bees. he started in the Angels pitching rotation in 2017.
The season he has pitched 3 games, 15 innings, with a 4.20 ERA and 14 strikeouts.

Kole Calhoun - OF

Calhoun was drafted in 2010 by the Los Angeles Angels, he was assigned to play with the Orem Owlz where he played 56 games, batting a .292. He also played for the Salt Lake Bees and made is majors debut with the Los Angeles in 2012 and has a full-time spot playing right field since then.
This season he's had 68 AB, batting a .191, with 4 home runs, 13 hits, 9 RBIs with a .688 OPS.

Brennon Lund - OF

Lund played for the Owlz for the first half of 2016 season before being assigned to the Burlington Bees. In 2017 he played for the Inland Empire 66ers and the Mobile Baybears. He was invited to the Los Angeles Angels Spring Training in 2019 and is now playing with the Salt Lake Bees.
This season he's had 45 AB, batting a .178, with 8 hits, 1 home run, 4 RBIs with a .578 OPS.

Jo Adell - OF

Adell was the 10th pick overall in the 2017 MLB draft. He played for the Owlz for 18 games, batting a .376 with 1 home run, and 9 RBIs.
He played the 2018 season with the Burlington Bees, Inland Empire 66ers,  and the Mobile Baybears (all Angel affiliate teams). He was invited to the 2019 Los Angeles Angels Spring Training in February. He is still assigned to the Mobile Baybears but has been on the injured list for a left hamstring strain and a sprained right ankle that he got rounding bases during Spring Training. He has been unable to play bur his recovery is looking good.

Cole Duensing - RHP

Cole played for the Orem Owlz for part of the 2017 season and all of 2018's season before being assigned to the Burlington Bees where he is now playing.
This season he's pitching a 2.31 ERA with 11.2 innings, with 12 strikeouts and only allowing 12 hits, 12 walks, and only has 3 errors.

Livan Soto - SS

After signing a  Minor League contract with the Atlanta Braves in 2016 and opting for free agency in 2107, the Angels signed him to a Minor League contract. He was assigned to play for the Orem Owlz in 2018. He is now playing for the Burlington Bees.
This season he's had 47 AB, batting a .255, with 12 hits, 4 runs, 1 home run, 7 RBIs and a .719 OPS.

Welcome to Our Blog!

Welcome to our blog! We want this blog to give you a behind the scenes look of what it takes to run our Orem Owlz team. You will get to know our staff and players throughout the season and stay up to date on our games and upcoming events.

The first event of the season is our preseason kickoff! Join us on April 20th from 11:30-2 at University Place for a day of bounce houses, games, face painting, live music, and discounted Owlz merchandise. The first 200 people will get a free hotdog and the first 100 people will get a free snow cone. Bring your family out and join us for a day of fun!

OPENING DAY!!! Opening day is June 14th where our Orem Owlz will take on the Rocky Mountain Vibes at home. You can find our season schedule here.

If there is anything you would like to see let us know! We can't wait to share this season with you!