Minor league baseball debut in Windsor postponed to 2022

WINDSOR — The NoCo Owlz won’t play its debut season at the Future Legends Complex this year as the pandemic continues to make large gatherings a health threat.

In a statement, the team said it will compete in the Pioneer League in 2022 when it opens on Memorial Day of that year. The other eight teams in the Pioneer League are currently scheduled to play the Memorial Day opener this year.

The Owlz, which previously was based in Orem, Utah, was scheduled to begin play this year after moving into the Future Legends Complex in Windsor. The team is owned by the Katofsky family, which is the primary developer behind the sports venue.

The team previously said it was considering delaying its inaugural season in Northern Colorado based on the prevalence of COVID-19 and from cues from Major League Baseball. The MLB cancelled minor-league seasons last year and reportedly delayed single-A and AA seasons for the upcoming season.

In a statement, Owlz co-owner and Future Legends executive director of operations Casey Katofsky said the public health situation would prevent a good ballpark experience.

“As an ownership group, given the restrictions of the pandemic, we didn’t see that happening in 2021,” he said.

The Pioneer League was for decades a rookie league affiliate of Major League Baseball. This coming season marks its first as a “partner league” under the MLB’s rules, meaning that teams are unaffiliated with Major League clubs and players are not able to be called up or demoted within the existing system. The other eight teams in the league are currently scheduled to start the season as planned.

A minor-league soccer team, the Northern Colorado FC, will be debuting at the stadiums in 2022. That team is also owned by the Katofskys.

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