GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — The Grand Junction Rockies are no more.
The Pioneer League minor league baseball team changed its name and logo on Friday to the Grand Junction Jackalopes.
For those unfamiliar, a jackalope is a mythical animal of American West folklore described as a jackrabbit with antelope horns.
According to the team, its new logo has nods to a lucky rabbits foot, Colorado's Grand Mesa, a baseball diamond, the "Old Western way of finding," and the legend that Jackalopes only mate during lightning strikes.
The Jackalopes' team colors will be purple, blue and gold for the colors of purple majesty, sky blue and a desert sunset.
The baseball team moved to Grand Junction in 2012 from Casper, Wyoming, where its name was the Casper Ghosts. The team was renamed the Grand Junction Rockies as an affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, an affiliation that ended in 2019 when Major League Baseball reduced its minor league system.
Future Legends, owners of division rival Northern Colorado Owlz, purchased the Grand Junction Rockies in August.
The Jackalopes will continue as a member of the ten-team Pioneer League in 2023 alongside the Rocky Mountain Vibes, Northern Colorado Owlz, Ogden Raptors, Boise Hawks, Missoula PaddleHeads, Great Falls Voyagers, Idaho Falls Chukars, Billings Mustangs and Glacier Range Riders.
The 2023 season begins May 23 for the Jackalopes on the road in Ogden. A new Jackalope mascot will likely make its home debut at Grand Junction's Suplizio Field on Tuesday, June 6.
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