Baseball Returns to Hannibal, Officials Introduce ‘Hannibal Hoots’

PRESS RELEASE – In a press conference several weeks ago, the Prospect League and team officials announced Hannibal’s return to the league lineup for 2018 with a new ownership structure and completely new management. This is to be, for all intents and purposes, a new team, not a revival of the one that played at Clemens Field up until two seasons ago.

Cavemen Co-Owner Hopes to Get Team Back in the Game

Rick DeStefane, co-owner of the Hannibal Cavemen (Summer Collegiate, Prospect League), hopes a meeting on Tuesday can be the first step toward bringing summer collegiate baseball back to the city in 2018.   The city of Hannibal filed a lawsuit last Monday alleging that Clemons Field Management LLC is in breach of its lease agreement.  Read more here.

Sale of Hannibal Cavemen Still Pending

A California farmer who is in negotiations to purchase the Hannibal Cavemen (Summer Collegiate, Prospect League) outright says the deal is still “in the works” but not finalized.  Read more here.

Checking In with the Prospect League

The summer collegiate Prospect League’s season is off and running, and newcomers to the circuit, the Lafayette Aviators and DuPage Drones, are reporting per-game average attendance numbers of 949 and 146, respectively.  Meanwhile, the Hannibal Cavemen have rebooted the franchise, both actually and mentally, with a refreshed logo and a new website, after now-resolved “internal business issues” caused front office division for the past three and a half years.  Read more here.

McVey is New GM, Field Manager for Cavemen

Former Quincy University baseball coach and Culver-Stockton College athletic director Greg McVey is taking over as the general manager and field manager for the summer collegiate Hannibal Cavemen (Prospect League).  McVey replaces John Civitate as general manager and Jay Hemond as field manager.  Read more here and here.

Flood Waters Recede From Field at Clemens

Mississippi River flood waters have receded from the playing surface at Clemens Field, home of the summer collegiate Hannibal Cavemen (Prospect League), but there is plenty of standing water around the ballpark.  Read more and view photo gallery here.  View photo of Clemens head deep in water.

Ballpark to WWII Prison to Ballpark Again

For those in the Hannibal (MO) area, you may already know this, but historic Clemens Field, home of the summer collegiate Hannibal Cavemen (Prospect League), once served as a World War II prison camp for German P.O.W.s for six weeks in September, 1944.  Read more and view then and now ballpark photos here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Former Cavemen Owners Facing Lawsuits

Anyone have the number for the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer?  The former owners of the summer collegiate Hannibal Cavemen (Prospect League), Larry Owens and Bob Hemend, are facing lawsuits filed by F&M Bank and Michgan-based Qualite Sports Lighting stemming from the revival of historic Clemens Field.  Read more here.  We assume there are still unsettled legalities surrounding

Cavemen Plan Ballpark Upgrades, Reputation on the Line

After an ugly ownership fight this past season (we’re still not sure all legal matters have been resolved), the current ownership of the summer collegiate Hannibal (MO) Cavemen (Prospect League) are planning new upgrades to historic Clemens Field to enhance fan amenities and rebuild the team’s reputation in the community.  One upgrade includes a new Daktronics electronic scoreboard and

Ownership Intrigue Escalates in Hannibal

The summer collegiate Prospect League’s Hannibal (MO) Cavemen have a new co-owner.  Businessman Rick DeStefane has joined Bob Hemond as a 50-50 owner of the team, while former co-owner Larry Owens prepares to fight for his right to the franchise.  We don’t know enough about the facts or the legal maneuvering here to voice an opinion, but we’ll keep our eye on the situation.  Read more here and here.

Ownership Tornado Creates Quite a Mess in Hannibal

We are not sure of all the facts here, but there is plenty going on in Hannibal (MO) stemming from an ongoing ownership dispute between Larry Owens and Bob Hemond, who own 71 percent of the summer collegiate Prospect League’s Hannibal Cavemen.  Claims of financial mismanagement, a pair of lawsuits, a recent receivership hearing, and action by the Hannibal City Council authorzing F&M

Ownership Tensions in Hannibal, Ballpark Safety Questioned

An apparent falling out between Bob Hemond and Larry Owens, two owners of the Prospect League’s Hannibal (MO) Cavemen, has inspired at least one local news story.  Owens, who’s had limited contact with Hemond and little to do with the operations of the franchise since he decided to sell his share of the club, is questioning the safety of Clemens Field, because of inadequate team maintenance