Knights Coming Home

[Apollos]

Tempe, Arizona – 23 November 2030, In a shocking move today, owner and business mogul Chris Van Hauter of the World Independent Baseball League’s Long Beach Oilers announced that his franchise was relocating to Tempe in advance of a 2032 return to the PEBA. Van Hauter made the announcement at a hastily scheduled press conference from the teams’ Long Beach headquarters as moving crews loading equipment and furnishings could be seen shuffling around the corporate offices of the club.



Van Hauter made the announcement – which many believe was intended to occur prior to the annual winter meetings of the PEBA in order to upstage the long-held event – indicating that the team intended to waste no time in preparing for their return to baseball’s highest level of competition. Indeed, Van Hauter’s announcement preceded a formal press release from PEBA’s corporate offices by several hours and likely caught the league’s governing body off guard as it is believed the official roll out of the team’s return was to be made public during those winter meetings scheduled for December.



As part of the press conference the team announced a slew of executive and on-field coaching changes to the organization including the appointment of former Crystal Lake Sandgnats General Manager Brian Hazelwood to the same post with Tempe, replacing the now departed former GM, Vicente Alvarado.



Taking over as manager for the club will be PEBA veteran Eric Petersen who replaces Antonio Martinez, dismissed by the club after two lackluster years which saw the Oilers compile a 136-188 win/loss record under his stewardship. The team scheduled a follow-on press conference in Tempe for 30 November to officially introduce its new manager and top executives.



According to Van Hauter, who used the press conference as an opportunity to appeal to its long neglected Tempe fan base, the team will resume operations at their previous offices co-located along Mill Street in downtown Tempe with their playing ground, The Keep, almost immediately. While some logistical details remain to be worked out, it appears that the team will share their stadium with The Tempe Heat F.C. of the American Premier Soccer League who have been the sole residents of the facility since the Knights departure in late 2023. Van Hauter indicated that the team intended to retain the previous nickname, Knights, branding, and uniforms for the time being but also promised “big things in store for the organization’s marketing efforts as part of their return to Tempe.”

Per the official press release from the PEBA, the Knights will return to their previous home in the Desert Hills division of the PEBA’s Sovereign League for play in 2032. The Knights will compete in the WIL for the upcoming 2031 season, but it remains an open question how well the franchise will be supported by its fan base while playing in a second-rate league, particularly following their surprise departure seven years ago which alienated many of the club’s remaining fans.



Despite the obvious drawbacks of a return to Tempe, Van Hauter expressed optimism that the team could return to the lofty heights experienced in 2012 when the club won a Planetary Extreme Championship. Van Hauter also singled out the Bakersfield Bears organization for contributing to his desire to return to the competition, noting that the “[Bears] pillaging of the Knights’ historical register served as one of the primary drivers for our homecoming.” It was unclear precisely what aspect of the Knights organization Van Hauter was referencing, though unverified sources indicated that there has been recent contact between PEBA legend Markus Hancock – a current employee of the Bears short season A affiliate – and Van Hauter.



More to follow on this breaking story.

[Sandgnats]

Excited to see what you will do there Brian. The Gnats will always be grateful for your contributions to the organization.

[Apollos]

Excited to see what you will do there Brian. The Gnats will always be grateful for your contributions to the organization.

Hopefully the Tempe fans have no expectation for a quick turnaround

Thanks, RJ. It’ll be a lot of fun to begin anew!