GERING, NE – The Independence League’s Western Nebraska Pioneers today announced their 2022 summer schedule, celebrating the team’s fifth year of play.
To commemorate the Pioneers fifth season, a special logo has been designed by Team Erickson Creative of Phoenix, Arizona. The logo will be used throughout the season and special Fifth Year Gear will be available for fans throughout the year.
The regular season begins Tuesday, May 24 as the Pioneers visit one of two expansion teams, the North Platte (Nebraska) Plainsmen, for three games before opening the home season on Friday, May 27 against the Nebraska Prospects, a traveling team out of Omaha. The Pioneers will play a record 39 home games in 2022, including hosting two non-league teams, the Broomfield (CO) BarnOwls and the Boulder (CO) Collegians. One home doubleheader is scheduled, a July 1 twin bill featuring North Platte.
A highlight of the summer will be the first visit to Gering of the traveling U.S. Military All-Stars, a team of active duty players from all branches of the Armed Forces. The team will play the Pioneers on Saturday, July 2 and the Pioneers will wear special jerseys for the game. The jerseys will be auctioned to raise funds for local veteran and military family organizations. The All-Stars were scheduled to appear in Gering in 2020 but had to cancel their summer tour due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
“Our fifth year brings quite a few changes to the Pioneers and the league in which we play, and it’s an exciting time for us,” Pioneers owner Chuck Heeman said. “The formation of the Independence League has allowed us to bring in new teams and some new opportunities for our fans to see some new faces. Securing a visit from the U.S. Military All-Stars is huge for us and for our community. We hope to make it an annual event, adding to the fun and excitement our fans get when they visit Oregon Trail Park Stadium. Coach (Antonio) Garcia has what appears to be a great team put together, now it’s up to us to entertain our fans. We have a lot to live up to here in Western Nebraska and we look forward to a great summer of family entertainment and the best in summer baseball.”
The full 2022 schedule is as follows, and can be found at wnpioneers.com:
Western Nebraska Pioneers 2022 schedule
The Independence League begins its inaugural season on May 24 with 10 teams in five states. Eight of ILB’s teams are existing programs and two (Gem City Bison in Laramie, WY and the North Platte (NE) Plainsmen) are new to summer collegiate baseball.
Tickets for all home games will be available online at wnpioneers.com before February 15, 2022.
The Pioneers begin their fifth season on May 24. For information on the Independence League visit
www.Independenceleague.com and for more information on the Pioneers visit www.wnpioneers.com.
