Just weeks after announcing their plan to make Iola the headquarters of the Kansas City/Iola Hormigas, players and coaches will begin moving to their new home at Allen Community College Sunday.
Their first game is slated for Thursday on the road against the Blackwell (Okla.) Flycatchers.
The Hormigas will soon begin spring training with an international roster loaded with hopefuls from the Mexican League or Liga de Beisbol, which is Mexico’s longest operating professional sports league.
“You’re going to see guys with tools that aren’t fully developed. We did this with three teams last year,” said Pecos League owner Adnrew Dunn, during the Hormigas relocation announcement earlier this month said.
“Unofficially, we did it with Puebla and Tijuana. One of the players from Tijuana got signed by the Detroit Tigers — Alamont Cruz. Those guys work hard and they want to go somewhere.”
The Hormigas will feature between eight and 10 players from the Mexican League and another 15 will be a mixture of local and national players allocated from the Austin Weirdos.
Earlier this month, the Allen Community College Board of Trustees approved the sale of alcohol on campus for Hormigas games. The Hormigas’ first home game is June 2 when they host the Garden City Wind.
“We’re excited to host them,” said Doug Desmarteau, ACC athletic director.
The Hormigas plan to play 20 home games in Iola every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday starting June 2 through the end of July.
