KALISPELL — Since their home-opener June 15 the Glacier Range Riders have been making noise for their newly founded fan base.
"As a new organization we’re still looking to find our stride, stride on the field," said Glacier Range Riders general manager Erik Moore. "I think the fans are having a great experience here at the ballpark, which is great. So from a fan perspective, I think they’re really enjoying it. You know, the smiles are what make this job worth it, and there are a lot of smiles."
And those smiles can be seen all across the stadium from all ages of Range Riders fans as they enjoy the phenomenal venue, but the best is still yet to come.
"Right now we’re building a fan base in this valley. And it’s been great so far, the reception’s been unbelievable," exclaimed Moore. "Moving forward we still have a lot more construction to get accomplished here at the stadium: visitor's clubhouse, home clubhouse, a bar restaurant. So we’ve got our work cut out for us, we’ve come a long way, but there’s still a long way to go."
As the front office side of things continues to work on providing the optimal fan experience, Range Riders manager Nick Hogan is in charge of the on-field performance.
"We’ve been really close so far to turning the corner," said Hogan. "We’ve had, I think we’re 2-9 in one-run games, you know if we can flip that in the second half and be 9-2, you know we’re right in the hunt for winning a half."
Although they sit on the bottom half of the Pioneer League standings with a 13-24 record, the brand new team has shown it’s potential with several wins so far this season and team moral seems high.
"The last couple days it seems that they’re in great spirits, they’re bouncing around, they’re here early you know trying to get better every day," said Hogan with an optimistic smile. "The guys are working hard to make the adjustments they need to help them compete and to be successful."
As the team looks forward to the second half of the season, Hogan had a message for the 20,000 fans who have made it out so far and those yet to come.
"You know, hang with us, we’re turning it around, the guys are playing hard for you and they want to win," Hogan added.
With an outstanding field, staff, and up-and-coming roster, the Range Riders look to be a newfound, must-see sporting event in the Flathead Valley.
