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ROCKHOUNDS T U E S D A Y J U N E 3 0 2 0 2 0 Media Release

C O N T A C T : M O N T Y H O P P E L 4 3 2 - 5 2 0 - 2 2 5 5

For the Minors, Opening Day is Now 2021 MLB Officially Announces Cancellation of 2020 Minor League Season; RockHounds & League Look Ahead To 2021

For the RockHounds, and all of , “Opening Day” now means April, 2021.

As moves forward with its plan to begin a contracted 60-game schedule in late July, MLB has also announced the cancellation of Minor League Baseball’s 2020 season as a result of the Covid-19 virus.

“ It’s hard to believe,” said RockHounds general manager Monty Hoppel. “This is a first in my 37 years of baseball ... no season.”

The cancellation, which is the first in franchise history and a rarity for the Texas League (see below), comes after nearly four months of discussions on whether or not a revised minor league season was feasible.

Minor League Baseball is comprised of 189 teams in 17 leagues in the US and the Dominican Republic. The RockHounds are members of the (class Double-A) Texas League, which includes eight clubs (four in Texas, two in and one each in and ), and is one of 14 minor leagues with schedules involving extensive travel, one of the major considerations involved in MLB’s decision. (See note on MLB / MiLB comparison in “Sidebars,” below).

The RockHounds had just concluded their annual spring hosting of high school baseball and were preparing for the April 9 Texas League home opener when the Covid-19 outbreak began to have an impact. In late March it was announced that the start of the season would be delayed until at least May 21.

“ Safety has been the top priority throughout the process,” Hoppel said. “The possible start date kept getting pushed back but we were patiently holding out hope that we could start in July and play into October, roughly a half-season. But, as time passed, we could see the writing on the wall.”

With no baseball on the diamond in 2020, Hoppel indicated the RockHounds will begin working closely with season ticket holders and corporate partners to “give them great RockHounds Events / Summer & Fall, 2020 value and look ahead to the 2021 season. Those relationships are as important to us - High School Baseball Tournament as the game itself.” Teams comprised of graduating HS seniors in the Permian Basin (Confirmed for July 23-24) The club is also preparing a series of events at Momentum Bank Ballpark beginning in July and continuing until next “Opening Day.” - Victory 5 K Run (Confirmed for September 19) There is baseball on the schedule. The RockHounds will host a two-day tournament - Christian Concert featuring Matthew West on July 23 & 24, with teams comprised of graduating high school seniors from across (Confirmed for September 30) the Permian Basin. - RockHounds Golf Classic Benefitting the Scott Seator Foundation A Christian concert featuring Matthew West is set for September 30 and a Labor Day (Confirmed for October 16) Weekend Fireworks night is also “in the works.” Additional Events (Tentative) The club stressed that all events at Momentum Bank Ballpark will be conducted within - Labor Day Weekend Fireworks the latest safety guidelines. A copy of the team’s Covid-19 Safety Plan is available via - Thirsty Thursdays the club’s web site (midlandrockhounds.org). - RockHounds client events Hoppel summed up the sentiment of the RockHounds’ staff and ownership perfectly, - Back-to-School Night & Giveaway saying “we sure will miss our fans.” - Movies in the Park

Sidebars - This marks the first time in the franchise’s history (dating back to the Midland Cubs in 1972) that a season has not been played. - For the Texas League, the cancellation is the first in 75 years - - the league suspended play for three seasons (1943-45) due to World War II. - The cancellation comes at a significant point in franchise history and makes for an interesting bit of “arithmetic.” The 2021 season was to have marked the club’s 50th anniversary. Instead, while it will still be “year 50,” the season will be the 49th, pushing the half-century celebration to 2022. - Major League Baseball’s efforts to salvage its 2020 season indirectly offer a perspective on trying to do so at the minor league level. The big leagues consist of 30 teams. Excluding the Arizona, Gulf Coast and Dominican Leagues (with virtually no travel involved), Minor League Baseball’s “map” is made up of 160 clubs in 14 leagues nationwide (Rookie through Triple-A). Travel has been a significant concern and hurdle as MLB put together a truncated schedule for its 30 clubs. That issue would be greatly magnified when applied to more than 150 minor league clubs spread across the country.

Texas League Champions 2005♦2009 2014♦2015♦2016♦2017 Class AA Affiliate of the Oakland A’s