Ballpark Renovations Breathe New Life Into Great Falls Baseball

Ballpark Renovations Breathe New Life Into Great Falls Baseball

After eight years of renovations, the minor league baseball enthusiasts of Great Falls, Mont., now have a stadium that offers modern amenities, new skyboxes and a home field on which to comfortably test the future stars of major league baseball.

The Great Falls Voyagers baseball club wrapped up the fifth and final phase of renovations to its Centene Stadium on July 1, a project that started in 2003 in an effort to make it a more pleasurable baseball and family experience, according to Vinnie Purpura, club president of the Chicago White Sox advanced rookie league affiliate. “We wanted to make the park a fun place to go,” he says.

The initial phases of the project focused on bringing the nearly 60-year-old ballpark up to code. The $1.5-million fifth phase, which is in its final stages of construction, is focused on amenities that include new concession areas and skyboxes.

“We basically gutted the lower concourse of the existing stadium that was built in the early 1940s. The original design had the concourse as an open area, but over the years, more items were put into the concourse, and it blocked traffic flows,” says Bill Stuff of Great Falls’ Fusion Architecture and Design, who has been working on the stadium renovation since it began in 2003.

According to Stuff, the original stadium had less than professional clubhouses of wood frame construction while the majority of the original facility was concrete and steel. Wood bleachers were added to the stadium in the 1950s, which were the first things to go when modern renovations began.

“We had to condemn one of the bleachers right off the bat, as it had structural problems for years,” Stuff said.

The third base-side renovation during the first phase cost $1.5 million and included new box seats and bleacher area. There is also a new concession area, batting cage, bullpen and a complete new home-team locker room with a weight room and training area.

Stuff said the White Sox love it because most rookie-league clubhouses do not look like a professional clubhouse. “It is probably one of the nicer minor league clubhouses in the U.S.,” he says.

The second phase called for a visitors’ clubhouse while the third phase included more public restrooms along the right field line. The fourth phase includes a big picnic area and handicap access.

The fifth and first phases are similar in size and scope of the actual work but if you calculated the first phase in today’s dollars, it would be substantially more than the fifth phase, Stuff says.

Share This Story

ENR Subscribe

Post a comment to this article

Report abusive comment.

Lock

Restricted Content

You must have JavaScript enabled to enjoy a limited number of articles over the next 30 days.

Related Articles

Thompson Center.jpg

Google Deal to Breathe New Life Into Chicago's Iconic Thompson Center

Cincinnati's new ballpark is in great shape after old one comes down, new study highlights potential solutions to spread of asian carp into great lakes, related products.

ENR New York/New England September 2021 Cover

ENR New York & New England September 20, 2021 Issue

The latest news and information, #1 source for construction news, data, rankings, analysis, and commentary.

Copyright ©2024. All Rights Reserved BNP Media.

Design, CMS, Hosting & Web Development :: ePublishing

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Too Far From Town: Great Falls Voyagers

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Too Far From Town shines a light on the 42 (really 43) minor league baseball teams in danger of losing their major league baseball affiliations, effectively leaving them for dead. Today we focus on the Great Falls Voyagers, a Rookie Advanced affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. You could take in the previous installments here .

Baseball first arrived in Great Falls, Montana on the eve of summer 1887. The first game in “Electric City” was called after the top of the second inning when the ice cream man showed up. The captain of the team somehow already down 8-0, “Del” Chowen, treated his charges to one vanilla dish each. Then the players enjoyed “peppermint toddies” and “Jamaica ginger cocktails.” Back when baseball was fun and good.

18-year-old Pedro Martínez went 8-3 for the Great Falls Dodgers in 1990 . He thanked his Great Falls host family, Shelley (“Mama Conchita”) and John Haffner for “introducing him to the United States” in his Hall of Fame speech .

Instead of rebranding the Great Falls team the Peppermint Toddies or the Pedros in January 2008, the powers-that-be opted for the Voyagers. It was a bit of a tip of a cap to Lewis and Clark, who did their thing nearby. ‘Voyagers’ is mostly in reference to one of the most famous UFO sightings in history. It was filmed at Legion Park, known today as Centene Stadium and still the home of the Great Falls team, on August 15, 1950 by Nick Mariana, then the general manager of the Great Falls Selectrics. Mariana is the Abraham Zapruder of Tom DeLonge and the rest of the UFO community. Club President Vinney Purpura used the following footage as part of the Voyagers’ opening multimedia presentation:

The United States Air Force looked at it twice, claiming the second time it must have been the two F-94 fighter jet-fighters that landed at nearby Malmstrom Air Force Base on that fateful 15th of August (Legion Park was originally built in 1940 for that very base.) Mariana, who served in the Air Force from 1943-1945, claimed his film was “confiscated” by his former armed forces branch the first time around, and when the footage was returned to him the Air Force cut out the frames of the movie that had the clearest look at the objects.

Up until These Times of Ours , the U.S. government denying the existence of possible extraterrestrial life was as American as apple pie. What’s interesting is UFO enthusiasts have apparently been debating the past 70 years over the validity of Mariana’s footage. The Selectrics were playing in Idaho Falls on August 15, 1950, yet Mariana said he walked to the grandstand of Legion Park to check the wind for that afternoon’s contest. (Which is unfortunate for the Voyagers, whose phone number of 877-815-1950 was in honor of the supposed date of the sighting .) Scanning newspaper archives from that year doesn’t help to pinpoint when the former Brooklyn Dodgers scout turned his camera on. The first mention of Mariana’s flying saucer film was in the September 11th edition of the Great Falls Tribune , where it’s reported he filmed the UFOs “several weeks ago.”

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Skeptics point out Mariana was a minor league baseball general manager, thus a showman, someone who would do anything for attention towards him and his Selectrics. In Mariana’s defense, team attendance increased from the previous season (as he made sure to mention, in the very same September 11th paper ), and was already on track to do so by August, the final month of the Pioneer League regular season. He also never seemed to bother to try to project his film at the ballpark, or tie it up to any official promotion in any way.

In the defense of the skeptics, months after he said the Air Force told him to “not give out any more details about” the film, Mariana screened the UFO footage as part of a double feature with a print of the 1950 World Series highlight film to the Lions Club , announcing that the Air Force cut out the best parts. He notably showed off that World Series film (the Yankees boringly swept the Phillies) elsewhere, like at the Rainbow Hotel at the Civitan Club luncheon meeting in January 1951, and to the Knights of Columbus two weeks later, and at the Elks Club six days after that while enjoying a Dutch lunch . There is a non-zero chance Mariana paired the World Series film with the UFO footage those times as well, and he was too scared to tip off the local paper on the entire program.

Mariana may have had a bit of a personality: on August 7, 1950, supposedly eight days before the infamous footage was shot, Selectrics manager Joe Bowman was surprisingly fired. It was announced over the stadium’s public address system before that night’s game with no explanation. (He was replaced by the “Harmonica wizard” shortstop John Angelone, who conveniently forgot his harmonica where he was scheduled to perform at the Welcome Banquet months earlier.) Team President Walter H. Jensen the next day blamed “friction” between Bowman and the players as the cause for dismissal. Bowman said the only friction he had with anyone was Nick Mariana. (Mariana was “surprised” by Bowman’s comment.)

Nick Mariana was the winning pitcher for Great Falls in the 1951 regular season finale, recording three scoreless innings(!) He had signed himself that day, either before or after the 24-1 loss to Billings in the first game of the doubleheader.

Mariana co-hosted a radio show called Nick’s Picks for 26 years prognosticating Montana high school football and basketball games. In a 1952 ad he was referred to as the “Old Professor” ( Casey who? ) and claimed he was correct on his selections 83 percent of the time.

The Great Falls Selectrics were sold less than two months after the UFO film to local fans and businessmen. The team agreed to a “tie-up” with the Pittsburgh Pirates after having no affiliation with a MLB team at all. Mariana’s connections with Branch Rickey Jr. helped. Maybe some extra publicity did too.

America had “flying saucer” fever in 1950, especially in Montana. In April of 1950, Butte Motors ran a “Flying Saucer Sale” . Once a week beginning in June, the City Drive Inn ran baffling ads promoting a “flying saucer sandwich” .

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

(I guess the sandwiches were shaped like flying saucers? And there was only one junior high school in Billings? I hunger for answers.)

Debuting June 3rd at the Fox Theatre in Missoula was the sci-fi spy drama The Flying Saucer , paired with The Pirates of Capri , for just 44 cents (9 cents for kids). The Billings Gazette touted one of the “newest design trends” of cabinets with “brushed-brass ‘flying saucer’ pulls” (circular). In October, Miss Anne Whitmack, librarian at Parmly Billings Memorial Library, announced that along with How to Win an Argument with a Communist , featuring the complete text of the Communist Manifesto, and 22 other books, Frank Scully’s Behind the Flying Saucers will be put into circulation. One week later, advertisements from the Superior Distributing Co. in Denver began to offer in the Billings Gazette papers “Flying Saucers”, the “latest, fastest money-making coin-operating amusement machine on the market.”

Montana residents saw flying saucers in the sky during 1950 too. There were three incidents in August alone, the month when Mariana spotted his UFOs. On August 10th, Lee McArthur, J.G. and Herman Frank were working on a roof in Laurel when they saw what looked like a “pair of bags flopping slowly” turn into a really fast “shiny disk”. On August 16th, 13-year-old Tom Kochler and his three friends were hanging out in Tom’s Helena backyard having a normal one when they spotted a round object with a “great, big blue tail” that was “way smaller” than an airplane. On August 28th, Fred Cockrill and Milt Merrick, two college kids from Great Falls, spotted a large, circular “silvery mass” with a long tail at a ranch south of Geyser . By early September, the Associated Press was writing passive-aggressive briefs like these :

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

The UFO sightings stopped. For just over two weeks. On the 21st, Richard Ferrell was sitting in his Wednesday morning English class at Missoula County high school when he saw a “shiny, flat object” hover in the sky for 6-7 seconds and fly away in a “straight up maneuver.” On the 24th, Mr. and Mrs. Wesley Vandever “announced” they saw a “flying saucer or disc” that looked like a “large ball of fire” in Broadus. On the same day east of Roundup, B.H. Matzke and A.E. Rogerson, while working at the old tipple of Jeffries mine, spotted eight to 10 aluminum flying discs in constant formation. Explanations were plentiful: it’s the Northern Lights . It’s a meteor shower . Your neighbors with an Air Force base. Richie’s parents are fighting all the time. It doesn’t matter. We were saucer mad. We are still saucer mad, except the saucers aren’t saucers. Nick Mariana knew it. And he was the only one smart enough to film what he saw.

But it didn’t seem to give him that much fame outside of UFO (crop?) circles. In November 1953, Nick Mariana, wearing glasses to show that time had passed , announced his resignation as Great Falls’ GM (after 1950 they were known again as the Electrics). He purchased a beer distributorship in Missoula. In 1956 Mariana and a group of investors raised $25,000 to bring the Missoula Timberjacks into existence. They were kaput after the 1960 season, and a bitter Mariana was quoted as saying he was “disgusted with the majors” because “they are as greedy as anyone can get”, and predicted the Pioneer League would fold by the end of 1961. He nailed the majors part. He was off on the demise of the Pioneer League by at least 58 years.

Mariana didn’t seem to be too upset over the Air Force’s censorship, considering he took a U.S. government job in 1962 as the Conservationist Education Coordinator for the U.S. Bureau of Sports and Fisheries in Portland, Oregon. The article announcing the appointment claimed Mariana was offered a job with the Washington Senators two years earlier which he declined, not wanting to leave the West Coast. (Nowhere else was this written.) Nick Mariana apparently remained on his favorite side of the United States for the rest of his life. Portland was where he passed away on his 86th birthday in 1999.

Nick Mariana was not alone on that August 1950 day.

Meet Virginia .

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Virginia Raunig was the salutatorian of the Chester High School graduating class of 1948. She replaced Mrs. Betty Coughren as Mariana’s secretary in June of 1949 after Coughren resigned . According to the legend, Raunig was with Mariana inspecting the field when they both saw the flying objects. The next time Virginia appeared in a Montana newspaper was in 1952. She was pictured casting her vote for the U.S. presidency while election judge Glen Schermerhorn looked for a visible communism tattoo (Montana very much liked Ike.) On September 19, 1953, she married Robert Woods at St. Ann’s Cathedral. When Robert’s parents retired in 1960, Woods took over the family farm in Inverness. Robert and Virginia had three children. Robert died in 2011. Three years before, on the day Vinney Purpura announced that the Great Falls team will now be known as the Voyagers, as well as why, a phone call was made by a Great Falls Tribune journalist to Virginia. Robert answered the phone. He said Virginia didn’t remember much about the flying saucers after all this time. The reporter asked if Virginia had an official comment about Nick Mariana and his UFO film. Robert responded:

Well I’ll tell you this. He threatened to have her job if she didn’t cooperate.

Art (Voyagers logo): Davy Andrews Music (“Voyager”): Davy Andrews Music (“I Spied”): Roger Cormier Prose: Roger Cormier

Thank you for reading

This is a free article. If you enjoyed it, consider subscribing to Baseball Prospectus. Subscriptions support ongoing public baseball research and analysis in an increasingly proprietary environment.

  • Great Falls Voyagers
  • Minor League Baseball
  • Pedro Martinez
  • Too Far From Town

Related Articles

Have faith in eury pérez $, ta94: when the dodgers traded pedro martinez $, minor league owners complain of major poverty $, golden age: weeks of october 24 and october 31 $, better minor league pay is a good investment b, latest articles, al central playing time battles 2024 $, rotisserie-style fantasy bid limits for 2024 – second edition $, top-500 dynasty rankings: march 2024 $, ta94: what could a tanana cost $, 2024 season preview: toronto blue jays $, davy andrews, roger cormier, more about:.

GREAT FALLS VOYAGERS & PIONEER LEAGUE ANNOUNCE NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH MLB: PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL CONTINUES IN GREAT FALLS

  • Facebook Share

(Great Falls, MT) – Nov. 30, 2020 – The Great Falls Voyagers are excited to join MLB & The Pioneer Baseball League in announcing today that Professional Baseball is here to stay in Great Falls with the formation of the new Major League Baseball Partner League. The Great Falls Voyagers

(Great Falls, MT) – Nov. 30, 2020 – The Great Falls Voyagers are excited to join MLB & The Pioneer Baseball League in announcing today that Professional Baseball is here to stay in Great Falls with the formation of the new Major League Baseball Partner League. The Great Falls Voyagers will join 7 other teams in the Pioneer League for a 92 game season, beginning in late spring and concluding in early September.

With the assurance that professional baseball will remain in Great Falls, the community can anticipate a 2021 season (pending COVID-19 restrictions) and the return of all the family fun including fireworks, non-profit fundraising nights and countless giveaways and community activities. The new league will also give fans more opportunities to see the Voyagers with 46 home games compared to the 38 home games in the previous league’s format.

Quote from Vinney Purpura CEO & Principal Owner: “The Great Falls Voyagers are excited about the new partnership agreement the Pioneer League has with Major League Baseball. We look forward to the resumption of America’s pastime in our community and region.”

Quote from Scott Reasoner – Voyagers President: “We’re thrilled to be a part of the newly revamped Pioneer League - Welcoming in a strong new partnership with MLB and giving our fans the opportunity to continue to come out and enjoy high level professional baseball in Great Falls! We could not be more appreciative of all the support we have received during the past year and look forward to many more summer nights of family fun and community out at Centene Stadium”

Quote from Mayor Bob Kelly – Great Falls, MT: “The potential of return of baseball to our community is the best news of 2020. In these times where isolation has become the norm, the idea of a summer with competitive baseball, neighbors, and community celebrations is helping us all get through this pandemic. Professional baseball is a unique opportunity for a community like ours to experience the greatest aspects of the game; solid competition, international fellowship and entertainment for the entire family. In small communities baseball is so much more than a game. It is an economic driver, a team to rally round, and a way to unwind surrounded by families and friends.”

To view MLB's press release, please click here .

  • Advertising

Inside The Rink Logo

ECHL: An Interview With Adirondack Thunder Goalie Vinnie Purpura

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

  • December 11, 2023
  • Adirondack Thunder ECHL North
  • Adirondack Thunder
  • Vinnie Purpura

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

The Adirondack Thunder came into the season with three goalies; however, only one of them is on an ECHL contract, and that’s Vinnie Purpura, whose path to becoming a goaltender began in a way you wouldn’t think, “From a very young age, the team would rotate the goalie, so everyone would have a chance to play goalie, and one day I really liked it, and I stuck with it” when asked how he became a goaltender. The 25-year-old goaltender was signed by the Thunder after he spent three years playing for Long Island University; they had just started their hockey program when Purpura transferred there for the 2020-21 season, “It was honestly a great time; that first year was the COVID year, so it was a little weird, a lot of moving parts to get the program started up, but each and every year we improved, our team improved, our facilities improved, coaching, you name it, so it was good” said Purpura when talking about his time at LIU where he would go 12-30-1 with a 3.35 GAA, .893 SV% and one shutout. Purpura joined Adirondack at the end of last season and helped the Thunder sneak into the Kelly Cup Playoffs as he went 2-0 with a 3.46 GAA and .906 SV% when asked about why he came to Adirondack when he knew he’d be the third goalie Purpura mentioned that it just felt right, “Ya, I think it was just a good opportunity, I was familiar with the coaching staff from last year to me it just made sense, I just wanted an opportunity to play professional hockey somewhere.”

Despite coming into the season as the third goalie, Head Coach Pete MacArthur has been rotating all three goalies, and Purpura has already gotten six starts where he has gone 3-1-2 with a 2.87 GAA, and .904 SV%; when asked about why MacArthur signed Purpura, he talked about the compete level that Purpura has, “I thought he competed hard, he made the saves he was supposed to make it and he didn’t lose a game in regulation, and all those games were really important for us, he has that mentality, it’s also hard to look away from a 6’6 goofy goalie, a lot of attributes that we liked” said, MacArthur. Being a “Goofy Goalie” means that you catch with your right hand, which you don’t see from most goaltenders and is a little odd, but for Purpura, he’s been doing it his whole life, “I’ve kinda had it my entire life, so to me, it’s not weird to me at all, but I get a lot for the players that it kinda messes them up a little bit so I guess it work works to my advantage a little bit.

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Armand Klisivitch

Inside The Rink ECHL Manager | Senior Editor Credentialed Reporter for the Adirondack Thunder & Worcester Railers.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

ECHL: Trois-Rivieres Lions Injury Update | 03/15/2024

  • March 15, 2024

The Trois-Rivieres Lions have announced a pair of injury reports prior to tonight’s game vs Idaho Steelheads. Defenceman Miguel Tourigny, who was placed on IR on March 9th, is officially week to week with an upper-body injury after getting suffering the injury back on Match 8th vs Worcester Railers. He has eight goals and 27 […]

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

ECHL Series Preview: Rapid City Rush vs. Kansas City Mavericks | 03/15-16/2024

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

The Rapid City Rush are headed to Independence, Missouri, to take on the Kansas City Mavericks in a two game series. Last Week Last week, the Rapid City Rush took on the Utah Grizzlies, where they took five of a possible six points on the weekend. the won the first game 3-2 in overtime, lost […]

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Toledo Walleye: What happened to Adam Keefe?

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

The Toledo Walleye have had some talented players come through the organization in their history. However, no player has grabbed the attention of the fan base and brought the same energy every game as former Toledo forward Adam Keefe. A player who would not back down from a fight, Keefe was also a solid offensive […]

Pioneer League: Voyagers' newcomer pays dividends, helps team snap losing skid

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Jordan Garr made the most out of his first night in a Great Falls Voyagers uniform.

Garr, released by the Idaho Falls Chukars on Tuesday only to sign with the Voyagers on Thursday, had three hits — including a two-run single in a six-run ninth inning — as Great Falls snapped a two-game losing skid with an 18-7 win over the Grand Junction Rockies Friday night at Suplizio Field.

The 27-year-old infielder/outfielder from Stockton, Calif., by way of Rogers State University in Oklahoma, was batting .321 with a homer and 17 RBI when he got his walking papers from the Chukars.

The Rockies, 14-16 in second place in the Southern Division, took a 6-0 advantage into the fifth when the Voyagers opened the floodgates. Jason Matthews led off the inning with a triple and scored when Chris Ruiz singled. After Ernie Geraci walked, Ruiz plated the second Voyager tally on a Dom Abbadessa single, and a Troy Dixon double made it 6-3.

Garr reached when third baseman Jake Anderson uncorked a wild throw down the first base line to score Abbadessa and Dixon, then Garr crossed the plate with the tying run when Chris Caffrey singled.

Garr doubled with one out in the seventh and scored when Caffrey singled one out later to put the Voyagers in front for good. The Voyagers added two more in the seventh on back-to-back doubles by Nick Emmanuel and Jason Matthews, and would put the game out of reach with three more in the eighth and a half dozen in the ninth.

Emmanuel, who signed with the Voyagers on June 16, had his most productive day on offense, going 2-for-6 and driving in four runs to bring his batting average up to .385. Caffrey had two hits and three batted in, Michael Deeb ripped a two-run double in the ninth, and Garr had his first two RBI as a Voyager.

Portsider Ari Kaufman (3-0), who survived the Rockies' four-inning pounding, took the Voyagers into the eighth inning for his third win. In his 108-pitch session, Kaufman allowed six earned on 10 hits and a walk while striking out five. Grant Larson allowed an unearned run on a hit and fanned one in the ninth.

The Rockies' Winston Nicacio (2-3) worked two frames in relief and took the loss. Dondrei Hubbard drilled his seventh home run of the season in the first inning.

Jonathan Pino had a three-run double in the Rockies' five-run third. Hubbard, Anderson and Vinny Esposito combined for six hits and three driven in.

Game four of the six-game series was Saturday night in Colorado, and the fifth game will be Sunday at 5 at Suplizio Field.

February 15, 2024 / Baseball

Great Falls Voyagers: Stepping Up to the Plate in Big Sky Country

January 23, 2024 / Baseball

Welcome the Yolo High Wheelers to Pioneer League Baseball

2nd Cali Team comes to the PBL

December 13, 2023 / Baseball

Come tryout and you may be the next baseball star!

PBL Announces Preseason Tryout Camps

October 24, 2023 / Baseball

The Voyagers are excited to name Sean Repay as the new Field Manager and Director of Baseball Operations

The Voyagers Have Named a New Manager!

October 23, 2023 / Baseball

Voyagers Re-Sign Outfielder Xane Washington for the 2024 Season

Re-Sign Alert!!

Scream at Centene

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Scream At Centene

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Voyagers Wrap Up 2023 Season

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Voyagers Get Loss in Game 1 of Final Homestand

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Lowing Scoring Affair Breaks Hawks Way; Series Ends 3 Games to 3

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Voyagers Shutout Hawks in Game 5; Earn Series Split

Riley Jepson hits over .400 in First Week of the Season spotlight photo

Home of Your Great Falls Voyagers

Thumbnail photo for the Photo Gallery gallery

Photo Gallery

3 Doors Down

Montana Sports.com Powered by MTN Sports Montana's Sports Leader

2021 Great Falls Voyagers are a ‘hungry and scrappy’ group

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

GREAT FALLS — The loss of affiliated baseball in Great Falls marks a drastic change to the city’s rich pro baseball history.

The jerseys are the same, the setting is the same, but the roster makeup of the 2021 Voyagers is nothing like fans in Great Falls have grown used to over the years.

And in the mind of Voyagers skipper Tommy Thompson, who returns to Great Falls after a memorable one-season stint in 2016, that’s a good thing.

“These guys, they're hungry. They want an opportunity. The game has been taken away from them due to COVID, or they haven’t reached their ultimate dream of playing affiliated ball,” Thompson explained. “Some of our guys are little older, which gives us some experience. Most of the time here, you got 17-, 18-, 19-year-old young men. These are a little older men and I like what they're bringing to the table."

Gone are the fresh-faced teenagers and gone are the high draft picks with big signing bonuses. In their place are a mix of veteran professionals with varying experience levels.

The biggest difference is that these players weren’t assigned to Great Falls by an MLB club. They chose Great Falls as the place to continue pursuing their dreams.

“I don't think the mindset changes whether it's affiliated baseball, whether it's (independent) ball, or whether you're in Somalia,” said Voyagers utility player Jason Nall. “We're here to play. If you want to be in the big time, you want to keep it rolling. You got to compete with these guys.”

No two paths are the same for this year’s Voyagers. Nall is from south-central Los Angeles and played collegiately at UC-San Bernardino. He had hopes of getting drafted or signing with an MLB affiliate, but COVID changed everything.

Minor league ball was shut down in 2020, and the number of picks in the MLB draft was cut significantly. But Nall found an opportunity when Thompson called to offer a roster spot on the Voyagers.

“You got to be on your toes nowadays. We don't know how the world is going to move forward,” Nall said. “So you just have to put your best foot forward every moment.”

Nall’s sister Maria is married to former World Series champion Coco Crisp, who Jason credits with keeping him grounded through the ups and downs of the past few years.

“A lot of the great things that I've learned in my life and how I carry myself comes from him,” Nall said. “So nothing but respect, nothing but love for Coco.”

Mike Howard

Infielder Mike Howard hails from the opposite coast. He grew up in Bronx, New York, and is the nephew of boxing legend Smokin’ Joe Frazier. Howard’s father was a longtime NBA referee and now is an athletics administrator for high schools in NYC.

Howard played baseball at Lincoln University in Pennsylvania before spending a few years in independent leagues in the Northeast. Now he’s continuing to chase his dream in Montana, hoping for an opportunity to advance.

“Athletics run big in my family and it's something that I just want to keep living on and keep pushing on this journey,” Howard said. “I have a little brother back home and I want to set a good example for him.”

All these divergent paths have come together for one summer in Montana, where players from different walks of life share a common goal.

“We all want to see each other win. And I think you guys will see on opening night, we're going to come out here and we're going to shock the world,” Howard said. “I think we're going to have a great year.”

For a lot of guys the 2021 Pioneer League season marks their first chance at pro baseball, while for others it represents a final chance to catch on. But the task remains simple: perform, win, climb.

“This is our job. It's what we love to do. We've been doing this since we were children and I thank God to have the opportunity to keep playing,” Nall said. “If you want to hoot with the owls, you got to fly with eagles.”

The Voyagers open the season Saturday at Missoula before returning to Centene Stadium for their home opener on May 26.

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Results from around the state

Go Premium for Elite Prospects Support

Get access to our unique free agency lists and many more premium features

Adirondack Thunder

© Photo: Dan Hickling

Vinnie Purpura

#29 adirondack thunder / echl - 23/24.

Go Premium to Update Profile Photo

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

The most trending players last 12 hours

EP Verified

Scoring Leaders You need to be Premium to access this feature. Sign Up " >

Popular league pages you need to be premium to access this feature. sign up " >.

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

KHL Rosters

  • Admiral Vladivostok
  • Ak Bars Kazan
  • Amur Khabarovsk
  • Avangard Omsk
  • Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg
  • Barys Astana
  • CSKA Moskva
  • Dinamo Minsk
  • Dynamo Moskva
  • Kunlun Red Star
  • Lada Togliatti
  • Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
  • Metallurg Magnitogorsk
  • Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk
  • Salavat Yulaev Ufa
  • Severstal Cherepovets
  • Sibir Novosibirsk
  • SKA St. Petersburg
  • Spartak Moskva
  • Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod
  • Traktor Chelyabinsk
  • Vityaz Moscow Region

NHL Rosters

  • Anaheim Ducks
  • Arizona Coyotes
  • Boston Bruins
  • Buffalo Sabres
  • Calgary Flames
  • Carolina Hurricanes
  • Chicago Blackhawks
  • Colorado Avalanche
  • Columbus Blue Jackets
  • Dallas Stars
  • Detroit Red Wings
  • Edmonton Oilers
  • Florida Panthers
  • Los Angeles Kings
  • Minnesota Wild
  • Montréal Canadiens
  • Nashville Predators
  • New Jersey Devils
  • New York Islanders
  • New York Rangers
  • Ottawa Senators
  • Philadelphia Flyers
  • Pittsburgh Penguins
  • San Jose Sharks
  • Seattle Kraken
  • St. Louis Blues
  • Tampa Bay Lightning
  • Toronto Maple Leafs
  • Vancouver Canucks
  • Vegas Golden Knights
  • Washington Capitals
  • Winnipeg Jets

VHL Rosters

  • AKM Tula Region
  • Buran Voronezh
  • Chelmet Chelyabinsk
  • CSK VVS Samara
  • Dizel Penza
  • Dynamo St. Petersburg
  • Dynamo-Altay Barnaul
  • Gornyak-UGMK
  • Izhstal Izhevsk
  • Khimik Voskresensk
  • Kristall Saratov
  • Metallurg Novokuznetsk
  • Neftyanik Almetievsk
  • Omskie Krylia
  • Rubin Tyumen
  • SKA-Neva St. Petersburg
  • Sokol Krasnoyarsk
  • Toros Neftekamsk
  • Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk
  • Yuzhny Ural Orsk
  • Zauralie Kurgan
  • Zvezda Moskva

MHL Rosters

  • AKM-Junior Tula Region
  • Almaz Cherepovets
  • Amurskie Tigry Khabarovsk
  • Avto Yekaterinburg
  • Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk
  • Chaika Nizhny Novgorod
  • Dinamo-Shinnik Bobruysk
  • Irbis Kazan
  • Kapitan Stupino
  • Krasnaya Armiya Moskva
  • Krasnoyarskie Rysi
  • Kuznetskie Medvedi
  • Ladia Togliatti
  • Loko Yaroslavl
  • Loko-76 Yaroslavl
  • Mamonty Yugry
  • MHK Atlant Mytishchi
  • MHK Dynamo Moskva
  • MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg
  • MHK Krylia Sovetov Moskva
  • MHK Molot Perm
  • MHK Spartak Moskva
  • Omskie Yastreby
  • Reaktor Nizhnekamsk
  • Russkie Vityazi
  • Sakhalinskiye Akuly
  • Sibirskie Snaipery Novosibirsk
  • SKA-1946 St. Petersburg
  • SKA-Kareliya Kondopoga
  • SKA-Yunior Krasnogorsk
  • Snezhnye Barsy Astana
  • Sputnik Almetievsk
  • Stalnye Lisy Magnitogorsk
  • Taifun Primorsky Krai
  • Tyumenski Legion

Free Agent Frenzy You need to be Premium to access this feature. Sign Up " >

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Vinnie Purpura Facts

Vinnie purpura statistics, vinnie purpura game log, vinnie purpura career totals, vinnie purpura skill rating.

Powered by Franchise Hockey Manager

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Vinnie Purpura Connections

Not activated sections, vinnie purpura biography and trivia.

2018 NHL Entry Draft: Ranked #23 by NHL Central Scouting

Post a scouting report/trivia/player comment in English (visible here)

Go Premium to Update Profile

Submit changes (incorrect DOB, missing stats, incorrect stats, social media links etc) using a web form and we will review your update request within 24 hours and update accordingly. Important: An official team/league url or a team document must be provided for us to update player stats. We only use official stats.

Verify Your Profile Now - For Free!

Verify your profile now. for free.

Make this EP profile stand-out and get noticed more! If you are Vinnie Purpura or his representative, a few clicks and a valid ID, are all you need to unlock greater visibility and opportunities by verifying this profile in your Account Settings .

Don't miss out on potential connections and opportunities.

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects – Baseball America

Great Falls Voyagers

Prospects overview.

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

2018 Minor League Baseball League Champions

Latest stories.

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

AL East 2024 Preview: Predictions, Player Grades & More

Our 2024 AL East preview includes predictions, player grades and plenty more ahead of the MLB season.

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Fantasy Baseball 2024: Rankings, Sleepers, Dynasty & More

Our latest rankings, sleepers, dynasty insights, podcasts & more to get ready for the 2024 fantasy season.

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

A’s vs. Giants Spring Breakout Live Stream, Rosters & More

The A’s and Giants prospect teams square off on Friday as part of MLB’s spring breakout series. Baseball America readers can live stream the game…

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Cubs vs. White Sox Spring Breakout Live Stream, Rosters & More

The Cubs and White Sox prospect teams square off on Friday in one of the most anticipated matchups of MLB’s spring breakout series. Baseball America…

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Padres vs. Mariners Spring Breakout Live Stream, Rosters & More

Here’s how to find the Padres vs. Mariners Spring Breakout live stream, plus a look at both rosters and MLB prospects to know.

Latest Podcasts

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

White Sox Top 10 Prospects Podcast

Bill Mitchell and JJ Cooper discuss the Dylan Cease trade and talk about how the White Sox system has transformed over the past few years.…

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

College Podcast: Analyzing The Start Of Conference Play

Teddy Cahill and Peter Flaherty break down the start of conference play in the ACC and Big 12 and look ahead to the start of…

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Future Projection Episode 81: Should Wyatt Langford & Jackson Holliday Start In The Big Leagues?

Ben and Carlos chat about spring training standouts in big league camp, headlined by two players in the very elite tier of baseball prospects who…

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Fantasy Podcast: Injuries, Suspension Highlight Dynasty Updates

This week on the Baseball America Fantasy Podcast, Geoff and Dylan dig in on some of the week’s news. With high-value names going down with…

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

90th Percentile: Brian Hawkins Of NextGen Prospect

With the NFL Combine taking place last week, hosts Geoff Pontes and Matt Pajak welcome on Brian Hawkins, the scouting director of NextGen Prospect. Brian…

vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

Drafting The Top 10 Picks After Three Weeks Of College Baseball

Carlos and Peter talk through the top of the draft class as it stands after the first three weeks of college baseball to try and…

Download our app

Read the newest magazine issue right on your phone

Download our mobile app

Stay connected

Join our social media community

  • Single Game Tickets
  • Season Tickets
  • Group Tickets
  • Flex Tickets
  • Premium Seating
  • Gunnar's Igloo

VINNIE PURPURA NAMED ECHL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH

VINNIE PURPURA NAMED ECHL ROOKIE OF THE MONTH

GLENS FALLS – The Adirondack Thunder, proud ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets, have announced that goaltender Vinnie Purpura has been named the Howies Hockey Tape ECHL Rookie of the Month for December.  Purpura, 25, went 6-0-1 with a 2.18 goals-against average and a save percentage of .932 in seven appearances during the month. The right-handed catching goaltender allowed two goals or less in four of his seven appearances, and made at least 31 saves in five outings, including a personal season-high 40 stops in a 2-1 overtime win at Trois-Rivières on Dec. 20. The Lemont, Illinois native is 8-1-3 in 12 appearances with the Thunder this season and is tied for sixth in the ECHL with a .919 save percentage while ranking seventh with a 2.46 goals-against average. He made his pro debut Adirondack late last season, going 2-0-1 in four outings. Purpura has only lost once in regulation since signing with the Thunder last spring. Prior to turning pro, Purpura saw action in 53 career games at Boston University and Long Island University going 12-34-1 with one shutout, a 3.38 goals-against average and a save percentage of .894.

The Thunder return home Friday against Maine at 7 p.m. and Sunday against Trois-Rivieres at 3 p.m. Fans can enjoy $3 Labatt Blue Light om Friday and Sunday is the annual Kids Day Game. Special kid-designed jerseys and a FREE postgame skate with the Thunder after the game!

The 2023-24 regular season schedule is HERE .

Single game tickets and season tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale now! For more information on ticket packages, call the front office at 518-480-3355 or visit www.echlthunder.com/tickets . For all the latest Adirondack Thunder news, follow the team on all social media @ECHLThunder.

### #ADKThunder

Upcoming Home Games

Worcester Railers

Latest News

THUNDER SIGN NORTHERN MICHIGAN CAPTAIN ANDRE GHANTOUS

Get Hockey Updates

Sign up for our email newsletter to be the first to know about news and upcoming games!

THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS!

Adirondack Online Services

  • ECHL Network
  • Press Releases
  • ECHL Hall of Fame
  • ECHL All Star Classic
  • ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs
  • ECHL Job Board

ECHL Partners

  • AMI Graphics
  • Athletic Knit
  • Baron Championship Rings
  • Bellevue University
  • Fairly Group
  • Howies Hockey Tape
  • Sutton Special Risk
  • TeamWork Online

IMAGES

  1. Long Island University Athletics

    vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

  2. Voyagers Take 2-1 Series Lead

    vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

  3. New Man Behind the Mask

    vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

  4. Great Falls Voyagers

    vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

  5. PURPURA has his first PRO win!!!

    vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

  6. Great Falls Voyagers

    vinnie purpura great falls voyagers

COMMENTS

  1. Play ball! Great Falls Voyagers rescued from the chopping block

    Voyagers team CEO and principal owner Vinney Purpura and Voyagers President Scott Reasoner also expressed their happiness at the news. "The Great Falls Voyagers are excited about the new partnership agreement the Pioneer League has with Major League Baseball," said Purpura.

  2. Ballpark Renovations Breathe New Life Into Great Falls Baseball

    The Great Falls Voyagers baseball club wrapped up the fifth and final phase of renovations to its Centene Stadium on July 1, a project that started in 2003 in an effort to make it a more...

  3. Too Far From Town: Great Falls Voyagers

    June 9, 2020 Share: > Every Tuesday and Thursday, Too Far From Town shines a light on the 42 (really 43) minor league baseball teams in danger of losing their major league baseball affiliations, effectively leaving them for dead. Today we focus on the Great Falls Voyagers, a Rookie Advanced affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

  4. Great Falls Voyagers still planning full summer despite baseball

    And while many teams across the country are shuttering operations, laying off staff and cutting payroll, the Voyagers, locally owned by the Great Falls Baseball club and president Vinny Purpura, are committed to their employees and providing a community outlet for the summer.

  5. Great Falls Voyagers & Pioneer League Announce New Partnership With Mlb

    Quote from Vinney Purpura CEO & Principal Owner: "The Great Falls Voyagers are excited about the new partnership agreement the Pioneer League has with Major League Baseball. We look forward...

  6. ECHL: An Interview With Adirondack Thunder Goalie Vinnie Purpura

    The 25-year-old goaltender was signed by the Thunder after he spent three years playing for Long Island University; they had just started their hockey program when Purpura transferred there for the 2020-21 season, "It was honestly a great time; that first year was the COVID year, so it was a little weird, a lot of moving parts to get the ...

  7. Purpura Stops 38 in 5-3 Thunder Win Over Florida

    GLENS FALLS - Patrick Grasso scored twice, and Vinnie Purpura made 38 saves as the Adirondack Thunder defeated the Florida Everblades, 5-3, in front of 3,150 on Friday night at Cool Insuring Arena.. Adirondack scored three times in the first period for the second game in a row against Florida. Shane Harper started the scoring at 7:01 of the first as he faked and fired a wrist shot by ...

  8. PDF Historic sighting spawns new image for Great Falls ball club

    Vinney Purpura, Great Falls Baseball Club Board President: 781-2147 (C); 791-7282 (O) Historic sighting spawns new image for Great Falls ball club ... Jim Keough, manager of the now Great Falls Voyagers. "We must have looked at a thousand possible names, but this is the one that really makes contact." ...

  9. Great Falls Voyagers

    The Great Falls Voyagers are an independent baseball team of the Pioneer League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) but is an MLB Partner League. They are located in Great Falls, Montana, and play their home games at Centene Stadium.

  10. Great Falls Voyagers

    Great Falls Voyagers, Great Falls, Montana. 9,212 likes · 113 talking about this. Professional MLB Partner Team

  11. Thunder Sign Goaltender Vinnie Purpura

    GLENS FALLS - The Adirondack Thunder, proud ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets, announced today that the club has signed goaltender Vinnie Purpura to a standard player contract.. Purpura, 24, finished his third season at Long Island University (NCAA D1) where he played in 26 games and had a 3.40 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage.

  12. THUNDER SIGN GOALTENDER VINNIE PURPURA

    GLENS FALLS - The Adirondack Thunder, proud ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets, announced today that the club has signed goaltender Vinnie Purpura to a standard player contract.. Purpura, 24, finished his third season at Long Island University (NCAA D1) where he played in 26 games and had a 3.40 goals-against average and a .893 save percentage.

  13. Play ball! Great Falls Voyagers rescued from the chopping block

    0:00. 2:40. It'll be peanuts and Cracker Jack in 2021 for Great Falls Voyagers fans as Major League Baseball and the Pioneer League announced in a Monday news release that the Pioneer League is ...

  14. Voyagers' newcomer pays dividends, helps team snap losing skid

    GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Jordan Garr made the most out of his first night in a Great Falls Voyagers uniform. Garr, released by the Idaho Falls Chukars on Tuesday only to sign with the Voyagers on ...

  15. Great Falls Voyagers

    Billings Mustangs AT Great Falls Voyagers. Live stats. Recent News. October 20, 2023 Baseball. Scream at Centene. Week 2 of Scream at Centene Starts Tonight at 6pm! October 13, 2023 Baseball. Scream At Centene. Come join in on the spooky fun at Scream at Centene. September 11, 2023 Baseball.

  16. Tommy Thompson returns to manage Great Falls Voyagers

    GREAT FALLS — A new chapter in Great Falls Voyagers history starts this summer as the Pioneer League begins its time as an independent league. Luckily for the Voyagers, that new chapter will start with a familiar face. The club announced on Wednesday that Tommy Thompson will return as manager after signing a three-year contract.

  17. Adirondack Thunder

    Topias Vilen and Yushiroh Hirano each scored late in regulation in the 6-1 victory. Vinnie Purpura picked up the win in net, denying 36 of 37 shots. The Thunder return home Friday against Maine at 7 p.m. and Sunday against Trois-Rivieres at 3 p.m. Fans can enjoy $3 Labatt Blue Light om Friday and Sunday is the annual Kids Day Game.

  18. 2021 Great Falls Voyagers are a 'hungry and scrappy' group

    The jerseys are the same, the setting is the same, but the roster makeup of the 2021 Voyagers is nothing like fans in Great Falls have grown used to over the years. The loss of affiliated baseball in Great Falls marks a drastic change to the city's rich pro baseball history. The jerseys are the same, the setting is the same, but the roster ...

  19. Vinnie Purpura

    Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Vinnie Purpura, 1998-10-29 Lemont, IL, USA USA. Most recently in the ECHL with Adirondack Thunder. Complete player biography and stats.

  20. Great Falls Voyagers

    In addition to our preseason Top 30s for every team, we unveiled the top prospects at every position entering 2024.

  21. Purpura Stops 40 in 2-1 Overtime Win Over Lions

    TROIS-RIVIERES - T.J. Friedmann scored in overtime and Vinnie Purpura made 40 saves as the Adirondack Thunder defeated the Trois-Rivieres Lions on Wednesday night from Colisee Videotron, 2-1. The win was Adirondack's fourth in a row, and it extended the point streak to six games. After no scoring in the first period, Trois-Rivieres opened the scoring with 6:10 left in the second period off ...

  22. Vinney Purpura

    View Vinney Purpura's profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. Vinney has 1 job listed on their profile. ... Great Falls, Montana, United States. 5 followers 5 ...

  23. Vinnie Purpura Named Echl Rookie of The Month

    GLENS FALLS - The Adirondack Thunder, proud ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets, have announced that goaltender Vinnie Purpura has been named the Howies Hockey Tape ECHL Rookie of the Month for December. Purpura, 25, went 6-0-1 with a 2.18 goals-against average and a save percentage of .932 in seven appearances during the month.