2023 Austin Weirdos Season Ending Recap
The 2023 Austin Weirdos season became one of the most difficult and unusual seasons in the history of the franchise. What began as an attempt to establish the Weirdos at a new home in Austin quickly changed into a season spent almost entirely on the road.
The Weirdos moved to Govalle for the 2023 season with hopes of establishing a home for Pecos League baseball in Austin. However, it quickly became apparent that the park was not suited for Pecos League play.
That changed the direction of the entire season.
Instead of playing a normal schedule with a combination of home and road games, the Weirdos essentially became a travel team. Austin was forced to spend most of the summer away from home, playing opponent after opponent on the road.
A Season Unlike Any Other
Professional independent baseball is difficult under normal circumstances. Teams deal with long bus rides, roster changes, injuries, pitching shortages and games on nearly every day of the week.
For the 2023 Weirdos, those challenges were magnified by the loss of a suitable home field.
The schedule became dominated by road games. The Weirdos traveled throughout the Pecos League while attempting to keep a constantly changing roster together.
The results reflected those circumstances. Austin struggled throughout the summer and suffered a number of difficult losses, but the players continued to take the field and complete the schedule.
That perseverance became one of the defining stories of the 2023 Weirdos.
June 10 - Austin Breaks Through
The biggest result of the early season came on June 10 when Austin earned a 9-5 victory.
After a difficult opening stretch, the Weirdos finally broke through with nine runs and their first recorded victory of the season.
The win demonstrated what the Austin lineup was capable of producing when everything came together.
View June 10 Box Score
An Offense That Continued Fighting
Although wins were difficult to find, Austin's offense had several games where it produced significant run totals.
On June 9, the Weirdos scored 12 runs in a 16-12 game.
On June 17, Austin scored 12 runs in a wild 41-12 game.
Three days later, Austin produced its largest offensive total of the season when the Weirdos scored 22 runs in a 30-22 game on June 20.
The Weirdos nearly earned another victory on June 30, scoring 12 runs before falling 13-12.
View June 30 Box Score
July Brings Several Close Games
Austin continued its road-heavy schedule throughout July.
The Weirdos came close to breaking through on several occasions.
On July 13, Austin scored 11 runs in a 12-11 loss.
On July 22, the Weirdos were involved in another one-run game, falling 9-8.
The following night brought another close finish when Austin lost 11-10 on July 23.
On July 29, Austin again came within a single run, losing 9-8.
Those games showed that despite the difficult circumstances surrounding the season, the Weirdos continued competing and had opportunities to win late in games.
A Roster Built Around Texas Players
The 2023 Austin roster featured a large number of players from Texas.
Pitchers Anthony Alvarez, Brice Rivenbark, Carlos Mendoza, Dean Starch, DeMarcus King, Hayden Barnett, Ian Farris, Jared Chapman, Jaxson Bradshaw, Jesus Rosillo, Khalil Randall, Monte Maley and others were listed from Texas.
The position player group also had a strong Texas presence.
Andrew Brewer and Austin Brewer were part of the catching group. Infielders included Andrew Lopez, Austin Micheli, Carlo Francisco, Derrick Dominguez, Dylan Reed, Kyle Suina, Luke Bowman, Markus Bracey, Nathan Woolridge and Trey Woosley.
Austin's outfield group included Alex Westman, Antonio Martinez, Darius Simple, Elijah Crowell, George Dellos, Jackson Olson, Jaden Neely, Kyler Leroux, Marcus Corrales, Markell Reyes, Rex Jackson, Ryan Germany and Yamil Matos.
Vyncent Manson Brings Previous Professional Experience
Right handed pitcher Vyncent Manson came to Austin after previous experience with the Portland Mavericks.
The Indianapolis native was one of the players on the roster with previous professional experience and became part of a pitching staff that faced an extremely demanding schedule.
For Austin's pitchers, the challenge was particularly difficult. The combination of constant travel, high scoring games and a long summer required the Weirdos to continually find innings from throughout the roster.
Jaden Neely Joins the Austin Outfield
Jaden Neely was one of the younger players on the 2023 roster.
The Atlanta, Georgia outfielder came to Austin after playing with GA Connections and joined a Weirdos roster that provided opportunities to young players looking to begin their professional baseball careers.
The Reality of Becoming a Travel Team
The most important story of the 2023 season was not found in any single box score.
It was found in the schedule.
Once Govalle proved unsuitable for Pecos League play, Austin lost the advantage and stability that comes with having a true home ballpark.
The Weirdos effectively became a travel team.
Instead of returning home after road trips, Austin continued moving from city to city. The Weirdos played game after game in opposing ballparks while dealing with all of the logistical challenges associated with operating a professional baseball team on the road.
For players, that meant fewer normal home routines and considerably more travel.
For the organization, it meant trying to keep the season moving despite losing one of the most important pieces of any baseball operation - a suitable home field.
The Schedule Became the Opponent
By the second half of June and throughout July, Austin's schedule consisted almost entirely of road games.
The Weirdos traveled through the league playing long stretches without the benefit of a normal home series.
There were difficult nights, including several games where opponents scored more than 20 runs. There were also games where Austin fought to the final inning.
The 13-12 game on June 30, the 12-11 game on July 13, the 9-8 game on July 22, the 11-10 game on July 23 and another 9-8 game on July 29 were all decided by a single run.
Those games demonstrated that even during a difficult season, the Weirdos continued competing.
2023 Austin Weirdos Season By The Numbers
Biggest Recorded Win: 9-5 on June 10
Highest Offensive Output: 22 runs on June 20
One-Run Games: Austin played several one-run games during the second half of the season
Home Field: The Weirdos began the season attempting to play at Govalle before the park proved unsuitable for Pecos League play
Season Reality: Austin became essentially a travel team and played the majority of its remaining schedule on the road
More Than Wins and Losses
The 2023 Austin Weirdos season cannot be properly explained by looking only at the standings.
Losing a suitable home ballpark fundamentally changed the season.
The Weirdos went from attempting to establish themselves at Govalle to operating as a traveling professional baseball team. Players continued showing up, traveling to the next city and taking the field despite a schedule that offered very little stability.
There were difficult losses and long road trips, but there were also players receiving professional opportunities that otherwise might not have existed.
The roster featured players from Texas and around the country who were willing to continue playing through an exceptionally difficult summer.
A Difficult Chapter in Weirdos History
Every independent baseball organization eventually has seasons that test whether it can simply keep going.
For the Austin Weirdos, 2023 was one of those seasons.
The move to Govalle did not develop as planned. The facility was not suited for Pecos League play, and the Weirdos were forced onto the road.
What followed was a summer of constant travel, roster changes, difficult games and a schedule that became increasingly challenging as the season progressed.
Still, Austin finished the season.
The players kept taking the field. The organization continued traveling. The Weirdos continued representing Austin even when they could no longer regularly play there.
The 2023 season will be remembered as a difficult chapter in Austin Weirdos history, but also as a season in which the club continued forward under circumstances very different from what had been planned when the year began.
