| Wichita Wind Surge | |||||
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| Minor league affiliations | |||||
| Class | Double-A (2021–present) | ||||
| Previous classes | Triple-A (2020) | ||||
| League | Texas League (2021–present) | ||||
| Division | North Division | ||||
Previous leagues | Pacific Coast League (2020) | ||||
| Major league affiliations | |||||
| Team | Minnesota Twins (2021–present) | ||||
| Previous teams | Miami Marlins (2020) | ||||
| Minor league titles | |||||
| League titles(0) | None | ||||
| Division titles(2) |
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| Second-half titles(1) |
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| Team data | |||||
| Name | Wichita Wind Surge (2020–present) | ||||
| Colors | Navy blue, red, sky blue, yellow gold, white[1] | ||||
| Ballpark | Equity Bank Park | ||||
Owner/ Operator | Diamond Baseball Holdings | ||||
| General manager | Matt Hamilton[2] | ||||
| Manager | Brian Dinkelman | ||||
| Website | milb.com/wichita | ||||
TheWichita Wind Surge are aMinor League Baseball team of theTexas League and theDouble-A affiliate of theMinnesota Twins. They are located inWichita,Kansas, and began play in 2021 atEquity Bank Park.
The Wind Surge were supposed to begin play in 2020 as theTriple-A affiliate of theMiami Marlins in thePacific Coast League. However, a combination of the cancellation of the 2020 season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic andMajor League Baseball's realignment of the minor leagues for 2021, resulted in the team dropping down to Double-A as affiliates of the Twins without having played a Triple-A game.
Prior to 2020, the Wind Surge were located inMetairie, Louisiana, playing for 24 seasons as theNew Orleans Zephyrs before being renamed the Baby Cakes for three seasons. In 1993, theDenver Zephyrs had been forced to move due to the creation of theColorado Rockies expansion franchise inMajor League Baseball. Before 1984, they played for nearly 30 years as the Denver Bears.
In September 2018, the city of Wichita paid US$2.2 million to theWichita Wingnuts to break their lease atLawrence–Dumont Stadium, with plans to demolish it and build a larger ballpark to host an affiliatedMinor League Baseball team.[3] The city later announced thata new $75 million stadium would be built to host theTriple-A New Orleans Baby Cakes, who agreed to relocate to Wichita beginning with the 2020 season.[4]
The club announced its nickname, Wind Surge, in November 2019.[5] The name was met with criticism from Wichita residents following the announcement.[6] Later in the day the name was announced, aChange.org petition was started to change the name.[7] In less than 24 hours, the petition had already collected over 7,400 signatures.[7]
Prior to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the Wind Surge were scheduled to begin their inaugural season on the road playing against theRound Rock Express on April 8, 2020,[8] and to play their first home game on April 14 against theMemphis Redbirds.[9] Initially postponed due to the pandemic, the season was ultimately cancelled on June 30.[10][11] Owner Lou Schwechheimer died from complications from COVID on July 29, 2020.[12]
In 2021, the team dropped to theDouble-A classification without having played a Triple-A game due toMajor League Baseball's realignment of the minor leagues after the 2020 season.[13] Instead of being aMiami Marlins affiliate, the Wind Surge became affiliated with theMinnesota Twins.[14] They were placed in theDouble-A Central.[15] Wichita began competition in the new league on May 4 with a 2–0 victory over theSpringfield Cardinals atHammons Field inSpringfield, Missouri.[16] The Wind Surge won the Northern Division title by finishing the 2021 season in first place with a 69–51 record.[17] They qualified for the championship playoffs by possessing the league's best record.[18] In the best-of-five series, they were defeated by the second-placeNorthwest Arkansas Naturals, 3–2.[19] Wichita manager Ramon Borrego was selected as the league'sManager of the Year.[20] In 2022, the Double-A Central became known as the Texas League, the name historically used by the regional circuit prior to the 2021 reorganization.[21]
In January 2025Brian Dinkelman was named manager.[22]
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The Wichita Wind Surge has named Matt Hamilton as the new General Manager.
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