Modesto’s new Pioneer League baseball team has been named the Modesto Glow Riders after a public vote. Main Street Baseball, which runs the franchise, announced the name on Monday. CEO Dave Heller said, “We wanted a name that would be new, original and unique to the area, a name that reflects the culture, history and heritage of Modesto and its people, and Glow Riders does all that and more," as reported by KCRA.
The Modesto baseball team’s naming contest received over 1,000 proposed names and more than 2,000 votes. Modesto Graffiti and Modesto Harvesters each got 469 votes, but Glow Riders won with more individual voters, according to ABC10. The team’s mascot is "Cruiser," a Stanislaus County kit fox. Team logos, designed by Francis Santaquilani of FS Design, include a sugar skull-topped skeleton and a fox.
The Glow Riders will start playing next spring at John Thurman Field after the Modesto Nuts left. The field will get about a million dollars in upgrades, as mentioned by CBS News Sacramento. Mike Shapiro, president of the Pioneer Baseball League, said, “I am confident that this exciting and fun new name for the newly minted Modesto team will create an immediate connection with the community and symbolize the spirit of what the team will bring to Modesto: fun, affordable and memorable experiences with friends and family watching exciting professional baseball all summer long at John Thurman Field," as per ABC10. The team’s first season will focus on giving fans a professional baseball experience.
