Northern Nevada baseball fans will be cheering for the Reno Aces when the region's first-ever Triple-A baseball team takes the field in its new downtown ballpark for the 2009 season. The Aces are part of the Pacific Coast League, a Major League Baseball-affiliated 16-team league that stretches from California to Tennessee. They will be a part of the Pacific Conference's South Division along with the Fresno Grizzlies, Las Vegas 51s, and Sacramento River Cats.
The search for a name for Reno's first Triple-A baseball team began with a community-wide Name the Team Contest in which fans submitted nominations online. At the close of the contest, names were judged on regional relevance and family-friendliness, as well as the ability to create a logo, mascot and chant. More than 3,500 entries were submitted, with 1,100 unique names, between May 5-June 1. There were more than 50 submissions for the Reno Aces.
"After receiving all the nominations, Reno Aces stood out because of its obvious association to the area and the connection it will create with the fans from the beginning," said Stuart Katzoff, managing partner of the Aces. "It has a nice ring to it."
In addition to the name's Nevada ties, it also has meaning in baseball lingo - a team's "ace" is its best pitcher. Reno's affiliation with Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks should mean that Reno fans will see many ace pitchers in the coming years as Diamondbacks pitchers have won five of the last nine National League Cy Young Awards, given annually to the league's top pitcher.
The Reno Aces are northern Nevada's first-ever Triple-A baseball team. The Aces franchise was purchased by SK Baseball, led by managing partner Stuart Katzoff, in 2007. The team will begin play in Reno for the 2009 season in an all-new, $40 million outdoor stadium in the heart of downtown. In addition to the 10,000-seat ballpark, SK Baseball has plans to develop an exciting Stadium Entertainment District that includes retail, dining and nightlife venues.
In late 2006, it was formally announced that the Tucson Sidewinders, the Toros' successor, would be moving to Reno, Nevada after the 2008 season. The Aces are currently building an as-yet-unnamed new 10,000-capacity ballpark in downtown Reno. They will remain a Triple-A affiliate of the Diamondbacks through 2010.
Season Tickets
| Category | Season Ticket | Price Per Game | Single Game Price |
| Home Plate Premium | $1,800 | $25 | $29 |
| Infield Premium | $1,368 | $19 | $23 |
| Infield Reserved | $864 | $12 | $15 |
| Outfield Reserved | $720 | $10 | $12 |
| Right Field Reserved | $576 | $8 | $9 |
| General Admission | N/A | N/A | $7 |
| General Admission- Kids 3-12, Seniors 62+, Military |
N/A | N/A | $6 |
2009 Schedule
April (all times local unless noted)
9 @ Salt Lake 5:35 PM
10 @ Salt Lake 5:35 PM
11 @ Salt Lake 1:05 PM
12 @ Salt Lake 1:05 PM
13 @ Colorado Springs TBD
14 @ Colorado Springs TBD
15 @ Colorado Springs TBD
16 @ Colorado Springs TBD
17 vs. Salt Lake TBD
18 vs. Salt Lake TBD
19 vs. Salt Lake TBD
20 vs. Salt Lake TBD
21 vs. Colorado Springs TBD
22 vs. Colorado Springs TBD
23 vs. Colorado Springs TBD
24 vs. Colorado Springs TBD
25 @ Fresno 7:05 PM
26 @ Fresno 2:05 PM
27 @ Fresno 7:05 PM
28 @ Fresno 7:05 PM
30 vs. Portland TBD
May
1 vs. Portland TBD
2 vs. Portland TBD
3 vs. Portland TBD
4 @ Sacramento TBD
5 @ Sacramento TBD
6 @ Sacramento TBD
7 @ Sacramento TBD
8 vs. Fresno TBD
9 vs. Fresno TBD
10 vs. Fresno TBD
11 vs. Fresno TBD
12 @ Nashville TBD
13 @ Nashville TBD
14 @ Nashville TBD
15 @ Nashville TBD
16 @ Memphis TBD
17 @ Memphis TBD
18 @ Memphis TBD
19 @ Memphis TBD
21 vs. New Orleans TBD
22 vs. New Orleans TBD
23 vs. New Orleans TBD
24 vs. New Orleans TBD
25 vs. Oklahoma City TBD
26 vs. Oklahoma City TBD
27 vs. Oklahoma City TBD
28 vs. Oklahoma City TBD
29 @ Salt Lake 6:05 PM
30 @ Salt Lake 6:05 PM
31 @ Salt Lake 11:05 AM
June
1 @ Salt Lake 6:05 PM
2 @ Tacoma 7:00 PM
3 @ Tacoma 7:00 PM
4 @ Tacoma 7:00 PM
5 @ Tacoma 7:00 PM
6 @ Portland TBD
7 @ Portland TBD
8 @ Portland TBD
9 @ Portland TBD
11 vs. Salt Lake TBD
12 vs. Salt Lake TBD
13 vs. Salt Lake TBD
14 vs. Salt Lake TBD
15 vs. Las Vegas TBD
16 vs. Las Vegas TBD
17 vs. Las Vegas TBD
18 @ Tacoma 7:00 PM
19 @ Tacoma 7:00 PM
20 @ Tacoma 7:00 PM
21 @ Tacoma 1:30 PM
23 @ Portland TBD
24 @ Portland TBD
25 @ Portland TBD
26 @ Portland TBD
27 vs. Tacoma TBD
28 vs. Tacoma TBD
29 vs. Tacoma TBD
30 vs. Tacoma TBD
July
1 @ Las Vegas 7:05 PM
2 @ Las Vegas 7:05 PM
3 @ Las Vegas 7:05 PM
4 vs. Sacramento TBD
5 vs. Sacramento TBD
6 vs. Sacramento TBD
7 vs. Sacramento TBD
8 vs. Las Vegas TBD
9 vs. Las Vegas TBD
10 vs. Las Vegas TBD
11 vs. Las Vegas TBD
12 vs. Las Vegas TBD
16 @ Sacramento TBD
17 @ Sacramento TBD
18 @ Sacramento TBD
19 @ Sacramento TBD
20 vs. Portland TBD
21 vs. Portland TBD
22 vs. Portland TBD
23 vs. Portland TBD
24 @ Fresno 7:05 PM
25 @ Fresno 7:05 PM
26 @ Fresno 6:05 PM
27 @ Fresno 7:05 PM
28 vs. Tacoma TBD
29 vs. Tacoma TBD
30 vs. Tacoma TBD
31 vs. Tacoma TBD
August
1 vs. Colorado Springs TBD
2 vs. Colorado Springs TBD
3 vs. Colorado Springs TBD
4 vs. Colorado Springs TBD
5 @ Iowa 5:05 PM
6 @ Iowa 5:05 PM
7 @ Iowa 5:05 PM
8 @ Iowa 5:05 PM
9 @ Omaha TBD
10 @ Omaha TBD
11 @ Omaha TBD
12 @ Omaha TBD
14 vs. Round Rock TBD
15 vs. Round Rock TBD
16 vs. Round Rock TBD
17 vs. Round Rock TBD
18 vs. Albuquerque TBD
19 vs. Albuquerque TBD
20 vs. Albuquerque TBD
21 vs. Albuquerque TBD
22 @ Colorado Springs TBD
23 @ Colorado Springs TBD
24 @ Colorado Springs TBD
25 @ Colorado Springs TBD
26 @ Las Vegas 7:05 PM
27 @ Las Vegas 7:05 PM
28 @ Las Vegas 7:05 PM
29 @ Las Vegas 7:05 PM
30 @ Las Vegas 7:05 PM
31 vs. Sacramento TBD
September
1 vs. Sacramento TBD
2 vs. Sacramento TBD
3 vs. Sacramento TBD
4 vs. Fresno TBD
5 vs. Fresno TBD
6 vs. Fresno TBD
7 vs. Fresno TBD
Current Reno Aces Roster
Pitchers
* 23 Brent Porter *
* 47 Jon Coutlangus *
* 49 Doug Davis *
* 53 Emiliano Fruto *
* 25 Dustin Glant
* 24 Clint Goocher
* 38 Matthew Green
* 52 Juan Gutiérrez *
* 21 Chris Kinsey
* 28 Evan MacLane
* 19 Jailen Peguero *
* 49 Yusmeiro Petit *
* 54 Connor Robertson
* 45 Leo Rosales *
* 46 Esmerling Vasquez *
* 26 Abe Woody
* 16 Reid Mahon
Catchers
* 29 Matt Morgan
Infielders
* 30 Jamie D'Antona
* 34 Donnie Kelly
* 13 Jesús Merchán
* 39 Chad Tracy *
* 32 Josh Whitesell *
Outfielders
* 8 Phil Avlas
* 36 Javier Brito *
* 10 Trent Oeltjen
* 11 Tim Raines, Jr.
* 17 Alex Romero *
Manager
* Brett Butler
Coaches
* 18 Joel Youngblood (hitting)
* 20 Mike Parrott (pitching)
* Greg Barber (trainer)
* On Arizona Diamondbacks 40-man roster
The Teams Origins
The Aces were originally known as the Tucson Sidewinders from 1998 to 2008. Before that, the team was first known as the Tucson Toros. They were Tucson's Triple-A baseball club, playing at Hi Corbett Field in midtown Tucson from 1969 to 1997. Part of the old 10-team configuration of the Pacific Coast League, the Toros won the PCL Championship in 1991 and 1993. The Toros were preceded by a number of other Tucson teams between 1915 and 1958, such as the Tucson Cowboys and the Tucson Lizards.
After the MLB expansion that added the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the Toros moved to Fresno, California as the Fresno Grizzlies. The Phoenix Firebirds relocated to Tucson, briefly became the Tucson Toros (1997), and then became the Sidewinders (1998), the Triple-A affiliate of the new Diamondbacks. This was accomplished by what amounted to a "swap" in ownership in 1997, with Firebirds owner Martin Stone purchasing the Toros and Toros owner Rick Holtzman receiving interest in the Firebirds. The Tucson team retained management and staff primarily from the Toros, and traces its history from the Toros rather than the Firebirds.
The Phoenix Firebirds had played from 1958 through 1997 as an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The franchise joined the Pacific Coast League as a charter member in 1903 as the San Francisco Seals, relocating to Phoenix when the major league New York Giants moved to San Francisco. Seals alumni include Joe DiMaggio.
The Tucson Toros have been affiliated with the Chicago White Sox (1969 - 1972), the Oakland Athletics (1973 - 1976), the Texas Rangers (1977 - 1979), the Houston Astros (1980 - 1996), and the Milwaukee Brewers (1997 only, with one Diamondbacks prospect, Travis Lee, playing with them by special arrangement). At the time of the change in venue and affiliations (1998), a new Tucson team name, the "Sidewinders" was chosen after a name the team contest was held.
