ONEOK Field to Get Major Upgrades and Additions to LED Video Displays

PRESS RELEASE – The Tulsa Drillers announced plans today for a major renovation project to ONEOK Field’s scoreboard and video displays. The million-dollar project will replace, enlarge and enhance all the stadium’s LED video displays and will be completed prior to the 2020 baseball season.

918 Nights Are Coming to ONEOK Field

PRESS RELEASE – Back in February when the Tulsa Drillers released their 2018 Promotion Calendar, there was a tease of 918 Nights, a Tulsa Celebration. Many people were left wondering as to what 918 Nights would entail, and now the wait is FINALLY over! Today the Tulsa Drillers are excited to release the details of 918 Nights taking place at ONEOK Field.

OKC, Tulsa Extend PDCs with L.A. Dodgers

PRESS RELEASE – The Oklahoma City Dodgers and Los Angeles Dodgers announced today they have extended their Player Development Contract for two years. The extension keeps the OKC Dodgers as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate through the 2018 season.

ONEOK Field Getting New Video Display

PRESS RELEASE – Fans will notice a major change at ONEOK Field when Opening Day 2014 arrives on April 3. The Drillers have announced that a new state-of-the-art, ribbon video board is being installed on the suite level of the downtown stadium.

Drillers Win Freitas Award from Baseball America

PRESS RELEASE – The Tulsa Drillers franchise has been awarded the prestigious Double-A Bob Freitas Award by the publication Baseball America. The Freitas Awards are presented annually to the top franchises in each of the four levels of Minor League Baseball to honor clubs that show sustained excellence in the business of minor league baseball. The awards are named after longtime minor league

Tulsa Offers Ballpark Lessons for Richmond

Tulsa (OK) built a ballpark atop a site of painful historical significance. ONEOK Field was not erected in a former slave-trading hub like Shockoe Bottom in Richmond (VA), but in a once-prosperous business district known as the Black Wall Street before a bloody uprising burned it to the ground.  Read more here.

Promise Hotels Targeting Development Near ONEOK Field

A Tulsa (OK) hotel-management company on Friday agreed to a letter of intent with the Tulsa Stadium Trust to develop a parcel of land near ONEOK Field, home of the Double-A Tulsa Drillers (Texas League).  Read more here.

Drillers Named Texas League Organization of the Years

PRESS RELEASE – The Tulsa Drillers have been named the Texas League’s Organization of the Year for 2013. The announcement was made today by Texas League President Tom Kayser. The award is given annually to recognize and honor the league’s most successful operation.

Drillers Break Record for Most Sellouts in One Season at ONEOK Field

PRESS RELEASE – For a while Friday night, the Tulsa Drillers and Arkansas Travelers engaged in a pitchers’ duel similar to the one that took place a night earlier. Then Randal Grichuk came to bat in the top of the eighth inning.

Tulsa Sees More Downtown Development Near Ballpark

The area around ONEOK Field, the third-season home of the Double-A Tulsa Drillers (Texas League) in downtown Tulsa, is getting two new developments, including a new restuarant called the Rusty Crane and a multi-purpose building that will have 70 apartment units and commercial space for two to three businesses.  Read more and view news report here.

Remembering Tulsa’s Baseball History

As the Double-A Tulsa Drillers prepare to host the 2012 Texas League All-Star Game on June 28 at ONEOK Field, TulsaWorld sports writer Barry Lewis takes a look at the city’s more than 100-year professional baseball history and the team owners who made it all happen.  Read more and view photo gallery here.

‘Mickey Mantle Day’ Tonight in Tulsa

The Double-A Tulsa Drillers (Texas League) will pay tribute Saturday night to Oklahoman and baseball great Mickey Mantle by giving away replica jerseys modeled after the team’s new alternate jersey.  On a related note, the Drillers broke their single-game attendance record on Friday night with 8,707.  Will Mickey put them over the top again tonight?

Improving Attendance at ONEOK in 2012

The Double-A Tulsa Drillers (Texas League) had their best attendance ever the past two seasons after the new ONEOK Park opened in 2010, but there was a 40,000 drop off in 2011, which the club hopes to correct in 2012.  Read more here.  Thanks to John Cerone for the link.

Race for the Cure in Tulsa

The 2011 Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure took place on Saturday at ONEOK Field, home of the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, in downtown Tulsa on Saturday.  The event, which is in its 15th year, moved from CityPlex Towers in south Tulsa last year to ONEOK.  We don’t have an official number, but the goal was for 13,000 participants to raise more than $1 million to fight breast cancer.  Read more and view photos here.

Heat Takes Toll on Drillers’ Attendance

Attendance at ONEOK Field, home of the Double-A Tulsa Drillers (Texas League), dropped by about 35,000 this season, but don’t blame the team.  Oklahoma, like Texas, was pummeled throughout the summer with six digit temperatures, which would challenge even the most loyal fan base.  Read more here.

Drillers to Host All-Star Game, Unveil Logo

PRESS RELEASE – The Texas League has officially announced that the Tulsa Drillers will host the 2012 U.S. Cellular Texas League All-Star Game at ONEOK Field. The game will feature the North Division All-Stars versus the South Division All-Stars and will be played on Thursday, June 28.

New Netting to Protect I-244 Drivers from ONEOK Foul Blasts

Drivers on I-244 in Tulsa (OK) will feel a little safer this season, as the second-year ONEOK Field will have a new mega $140k net installed to block foul balls from the nearby highway.  We were there last season (pictures at a later date), and we didn’t view this as a real problem.  However, a couple of wind-carried foul balls landing you know where (and a few pathetic rounds of golf) tell us that our ability to

Drillers Announce Ownership Change

PRESS RELEASE – The Tulsa Drillers announced today that minority owner Went Hubbard has repurchased 100% interest in the Texas League franchise. Hubbard has purchased majority owner Chuck Lamson‘s shares of the team.

Old Driller Stadium Gets New Life

The Tulsa County Public Facilities Authority at Expo Square approved a one-year lease of old Driller Stadium, former home for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers, to RBI, Inc. for a training and and holding baseball tournaments.  RBI will pay $5,000 per month to use the facility.  Read more here.  View news clip here.

Drillers Looking for Entertainer

PRESS RELEASE – As the second season at ONEOK Field approaches the Tulsa Drillers are hard at work to further develop the fan experience and entertainment provided during each home game. For the past fifteen seasons the Drillers beloved mascot, Hornsby, has been seen wandering the stands at Drillers Stadium and ONEOK Field. Serving as a team representative, Hornsby regularly participates in

One Plaintiff Remains in Tulsa Ballpark Suit

A judge on Thursday dismissed all but one of the five plaintiffs in a suit claiming that the City of Tulsa violated the “taking clause,” “due-process clause,” and the First, Fifth, and 14th amendments to the Constitution when a ballpark assessment fee was imposed on downtown property owners to help build ONEOK Field for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.  Marc Price, the remaining plaintiff, owns 15 properties in the

Rockies, Drillers Extend PDC

PRESS RELEASE – The Tulsa Drillers and the Colorado Rockies have announced that they have extended their Player Development Contract for an additional four years. The new agreement between the two organizations means the Drillers will continue to operate as the Double A affiliate of the Rockies until at least through the 2014 baseball season.

Drillers Idol Contest Announced

PRESS RELEASE – Do all your friends think you can sing? Think you got what it takes for the big time? Then we’ve got a contest for you! The Tulsa Drillers are proud to announce Drillers Idol presented by Celebrity Attractions and 98.5 KVOO. Aspiring superstars can audition to be the 2010 Drillers Idol at any of the 5 audition dates below.

Amenities, Features and Theme Building at ONEOK Field

From the oil derrick entrance to the Black Gold Outfitters merchandise shop, sports writer Barry Lewis takes a look at the amenities and features at ONEOK Field, the new home for the Tulsa Drillers.  You’ll notice that the oil field theme reigns supreme at the new park, which is key to maximizing the team’s brand.  Read more here.

Drillers Roll Out Suite Menu

At a menu-tasting event on Thursday at ONEOK Field, the new $39.2 million home for the Tulsa Drillers, suite holders had a chance to check out the facility’s amenities and sample tasty ballpark fare.  The favorite item?  The gourmet style Nathan’s hot dog.  Mmmm!  Read more here.

ONEOK Field Sports 30-Foot Oil Derrick Entrance

We love to see ballparks that drive home a common theme that melds perfectly with the home town team’s name and branding.  They did it right at ONEOK Field, as the new home for the Tulsa Drillers has a 30-foot oil derrick greeting fans at one of the stadium’s five entrances.  Read more here.

Drillers to Auction Off Drillers Stadium Memorabilia

PRESS RELEASE – Fans looking to get their hands on a part of “old” Drillers Stadium have one last chance to own a piece of its history. The Tulsa Drillers will be auctioning equipment and memorabilia from the stadium on Tuesday March 23 at 11:00 AM. The auction will take place at Drillers Stadium at 15th and Yale.

Baseball America Takes Look at Drillers’ New Park

Freelance writer Steve Hunt provides a “Worth the Wait” review of ONEOK Field for Baseball America magazine.  ONEOK is the new home for the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.  Click here

Drillers Unveil New Uniforms

PRESS RELEASE – The Tulsa Drillers revealed new team uniforms and caps during a press conference Monday afternoon at ONEOK Field. The new look for the Drillers will feature a rich, royal blue as the team’s new primary color.

Drillers to Unveil New Unis

Complimenting the team’s new ballpark, the Tulsa Drillers plan to unveil new home and away uniforms at a press conference at ONEOK Field on Monday.  The team’s home opener is on April 8 against the Corpus Christi Hooks.  Read more here.

Tulsa’s ONEOK Field Gets New Turf

The sod is now being laid for the new $39.2 million, 6,200-seat ballpark for the Tulsa Drillers.  The TifSport Bermuda grass was provided by Riverview Sod Ranch of Bixby, the only company in the State of Oklahoma licensed to produce the special grass developed by a geneticist at the University of Georgia.  Read more here.

Drillers, Ems Hold Garage Sales

Both the Tulsa Drillers and Eugene Emeralds held giant sales to unload parts of history from Driller and Civic Stadiums.  Read here about the Drillers and here about the Emeralds.

Legal Action Delays Collection of New Ballpark Fees

Downtown businesses that have challenged the fees imposed for the new ballpark for the Tulsa Drillers have more time to pony up, pending a court hearing on Oct 9.  Read more here and here.

The Future of Drillers Stadium?

Tulsa County has launched a survey that allows citizens to provide input on the future of Drillers Stadium and the 5.5 acres on which it sits.  Options range from keeping the stadium in a modified form to leveling the facility for new development on the site.   The Tulsa Drillers moved in to the stadium in 1981.  In 2008, the franchise paid $84,834 in rent ($18,000 plus a percentage of concessions).  Read more here.