Chico State to Honor Steve Nettleton

Chico State Athletics will be holding a celebration of the life of Steve Nettleton on Saturday at the stadium bearing his name, Nettleton Stadium.  His lifelong interest in baseball and dream of owning a baseball team came to fruition when Nettleton and his partners brought the Chico Heat (Independent Professional, Western Baseball League) to town in 1997.  Nettleton passed away in January.  Read more here.  Read more about the Heat here.

Heat Extend Ballpark Lease with Chico State

The Chico Heat (Summer Collegiate, Great West League) have announced they will be playing baseball in Nettleton Stadium on the campus of Chico State University in Chico (CA) until 2020.  The agreement extends the former two-year agreement the Heat had with the University Foundation from 2016 – 2017.  Read more here.

Heat to Host 2017 GWL All-Star Game, Unveil Logo

PRESS RELEASE – The Chico Heat will host the 2017 Great West League All-Star Game. The marquee event of the GWL season will be played at Nettleton Stadium on Monday, July 24th at 6:35 pm.

Chico Heat Unveil Championship Rings

PRESS RELEASE – The Chico Heat unveiled their 2016 Great West League Championship Ring today via social media outlets. The rings were custom manufactured by Signature Style Jewelry, one of the leading providers of high-end custom jewelry for college sports teams.

Great West League Begins Inaugural Season

The summer collegiate Great West League kicked off its inaugural 2016 season on Friday.  The Marysville Gold Sox opened at home against the Chico Heat in front of 1,384 fans.  Read more here.  The Medford Rogues hosted the Portland Pickles in front of a crowd of 1,142.  Read more here.  The Lodi Crushers hosted the Sacramento Stealth  in front of a approximately 150 fans.  Read more here.

Lodi Franchise Names GM, Chico Heat Looking for Coach

The ownership group of a yet-to-be-named summer collegiate baseball team in Lodi (CA) said this week that everything is on track for its inaugural opener next year in the start-up Great West League, including bringing Doug Leary on board as general manager.  Read more here.  Meanwhile, the Chico Heat, a soon-to-be-rival of the Lodi club, are already looking for a head coach.  View job posting here.

Chico Heat Name General Manager

PRESS RELEASE – THe Chico Heat announced today that Hunter Hampton has joined the organization as General Manager to bring baseball back to Chico. The Heat have joined the Great West League and will begin play next June.

Chico Heat Return as Great West League Franchise

PRESS RELEASE – The Chico Heat is back! The Great West League is proud to welcome the Heat to the new summer collegiate league. The popular ball club last played in 2002, ending a six-season run in the independent Western League. The announcement was made at the regular meeting of the Rotary Club of Chico at the Chico Elks Lodge.

Outlaws No Match for Beloved Heat

Chico Enterprise Record sports writer Travis Souders compares the Golden Baseball League’s Chico (CA) Outlaws to the late Chico Heat from the defunct Western Baseball League.  Interestingly, the president of Chico State University, the Outlaw’s landlord, doesn’t pull any punches in comparing the two teams.  Read article here.

Chico Outlaws on the Brink?

Once the darling market of the defunct indy pro Western Baseball League and now the Golden Baseball League, Chico (CA) might not be hosting indy pro ball next season. The Chico Outlaws are at the end of a six year lease agreement with Chico State University for the use of Nettleton Stadium, and the team has outstanding contractual obligations that will stifle lease renewal negotiations if they are not satisfied.  Read more here.