Bullpen Ventures inks deal to join Prospect League with new team
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Baseball took another step closer to making its return to Kokomo in 2026. This week, Bullpen Ventures agreed to join the Prospect League with the team it will establish at Kokomo Municipal Stadium.
Former Kokomo High School and Major League Baseball hurler Joe Thatcher led a press conference at the stadium to announce the deal, with Prospect League Commissioners David Brauer and Mayor Tyler Moore joining him to announce the move and answer questions about the team, the league, and the upcoming season.
“We’re extremely excited to make this announcement that new Kokomo baseball team will be the 19th franchise for the Prospect League in 2026,” said Thatcher. “Working with Commissioner Brauer and his group has been a pleasure. For us, the Prospect League feels like home. We look forward to competing in 2026 in the Prospect League.”
Moore expressed his pleasure to bring baseball back to the community after the collapse of the city’s partnership with the owners of the Kokomo Jackrabbits occurred last year. He is hopeful that the new team will reinvigorate the city’s love for baseball at the stadium.
“We couldn’t be happier to be back in the Prospect League,” said Moore. “It’s where summer collegiate baseball started when it was first brought here to Kokomo. We had hoped to have been here last October or November, making this announcement. But good things come to those who wait, and I think we’re in for some really good things and a really positive future moving forward. I can’t wait for baseball in ’26!”
Commissioner Brauer was gracious in welcoming the new Kokomo team to the Prospect League, pointing out that there are now four Indiana teams in the league, which will generate or renew rivalries that fans can enjoy.
“It’s a welcome home to the Prospect League,” said Brauer. “(Kokomo’s) time in the Prospect League previously resulted in a championship, so there’s some history there. It’s tremendous fit in the state of Indiana, with natural rivalries right there. Fans will get used to the cities that are going to come in here.”
Brauer added that the Prospect League attracted more than 1.8 million fans to its games over the past three years, and the league is experiencing the largest growth among collegiate baseball leagues across the country. The league has its own streaming network online so that fans can follow their teams on the road, and its players are gaining national attention.
“There are a lot of great things going on, and adding Kokomo back in the fold is just another feather in the hat for the Prospect League,” Brauer said.
Thatcher was similarly enthused by the idea of in-state rivalries. The Jackrabbits had developed a rivalry with the Lafayette Aviators during their initial run in the Prospect League, and the new team owners are confident that “State Road 26 Rivalry” can be rekindled. The Prospect League also features the DuBois County Bombers and the Terre Haute Rex; two Indiana teams that will become familiar to Kokomo fans in short order.
“I think one of the things that was missed most when Kokomo left the Prospect League, was our rivalry with the Lafayette Aviators,” said Thatcher. “It was something our community got excited about. We look forward to recreating that rivalry, and we fully anticipate and expect the competition level to rise in those games.”
The team will play 56 regular season games; 28 of them at home in Kokomo. As a collegiate summer league, players will be recruited from the ranks of Division I and III NCAA schools, as well as NAIA, junior colleges, and even recent high school graduates.
“It’s important for every player to be out there, not only to get reps but to potentially have themselves seen,” said Thatcher.
Thatcher recalled that he played in the Prospect League during his college days, competing for the Quincy (Ill.) Gems. Eventually, Thatcher played nine years in Major League Baseball as a middle reliever for the San Diego Padres, the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Los Angeles Angels, and the Houston Astros. His experience in the league helped him get recognized by scouts and eventually drafted. That history was definitely a factor in the decision to rejoin the organization.
But the Prospect League is just the platform. Thatcher is committed to the team and the community when it comes to bringing baseball back to Kokomo.
“We want to put a team on the field that our community can be a proud of,” said Thatcher. “Winning is going to be important for us. We’re going to try to win championships for our community, but it goes beyond that. We want to put a team together that really appreciates the City of Kokomo when they make their home here for those summer months.”
To achieve that close relationship, the team will need families and individuals to step up and open their homes to the young men who will compete for Kokomo. Just like the Jackrabbits’ days, foster families will be needed.
“That is going to be a huge priority of ours,” said Thatcher. “The player experience is important to the Prospect League. It’s going to be just as important for us. Having played college summer baseball and through the minor leagues, I had numerous host families, and I still have a lot of relationships with those families today.
“Those same families attended my wedding. I stay in contact with those families. Part of the player experience is where they live, where they stay while they’re with us. If the player enjoys their time here, they’re going to want to come back. They’re going to tell their friends, their teammates, their peers much they enjoy playing here. When they’re happy here, they’re going to be even better members of our community for the time that they’re here.”
The call for host families will come some time in early 2026.
Prospect League baseball will not be the only events featured at Kokomo Municipal Stadium under the guidance of Bullpen Ventures. Thatcher explained that the stadium will continue to serve as the home for the Indiana University Kokomo NAIA baseball team and will be accessible to local high school teams and youth baseball and softball leagues.
The organization is also committed to continuing traditional events at the stadium, such as the Frozen Sandlot. But Kokomo residents should expect even more opportunities to visit the stadium throughout the year, Thatcher said.
“This beautiful facility is a community asset,” said Thatcher. “We want this to be diverse. We want other events to happen here, whether they’re concerts or continuing the things that happen here. But we’re actively going out and finding new ways to let our community enjoy this facility and use this facility so that it truly becomes the heart of Kokomo.”
Thatcher disclosed that ticket pricing and similar financial decisions have yet to be determined, but he said his group is committed to providing a family-friendly and affordable experience at the stadium.
Also, no announcement was made concerning the naming of the baseball team, and no timeline was given for the decision. Last week, the City of Kokomo released a list of four potential names for the team and invited the community to pick its favorite.
The list has received an overwhelmingly negative response across social media. Three of the four choices -- Tropics, Torque, and Steel – were generated by an out-of-state public relations firm completely unfamiliar with the community. The fourth name – the Creek Chubs – allegedly was proposed as a joke by a city administrator, but was embraced by the PR firm and was added to the list.
The community appears to have embraced the Creek Chubs name, also as a joke, as the overtly sexual connotation of the name was not lost on many people.