| Bluefield Ridge Runners | |
|---|---|
 Logo | |
| Information | |
| League | Appalachian League |
| Location | Bluefield, West Virginia |
| Ballpark | Bowen Field at Peters Park (2,250) |
| Founded | 2021 |
| League championships | 2025 |
| Colors | Black, blue, light blue, white |
| Ownership | Bluefield Baseball Club |
| General manager | Rocky Malamisura |
| Manager | Drew Dosch[1] |
| Website | www |
TheBluefield Ridge Runners are asummer collegiate baseball team of theAppalachian League. They are located inBluefield, West Virginia, and play their home games atBowen Field at Peters Park.
Professional baseball was first played inBluefield, West Virginia, in 1937 by the Bluefield Grays. They were affiliated with six differentMajor League Baseball teams and also played as an independent club for a few seasons. As the Bluefield Orioles, they were affiliated with theBaltimore Orioles, but the team ended their affiliation with Bluefield and theAppalachian League at the end of the 2010 season.[2][3] Bluefield's 53-season affiliation with the Orioles, which lasted from 1958 to 2010, had been the oldest continuous affiliation with the same major league franchise inMinor League Baseball.[3] TheBluefield Blue Jays became an affiliate organization with theToronto Blue Jays in 2011.[4]
In conjunction with a contraction and reorganization ofMinor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League was reorganized as acollegiate summer baseball league designed for rising college freshmen and sophomores; the Bluefield Blue Jays lost their affiliation with Toronto, but the franchise continued on in the revamped league and rebranded as the Bluefield Ridge Runners.[5][6][7] The moniker is in reference to the city'srailroading heritage. Their namesake, the Ridge Runnernarrow-gauge passenger train, has been a local tourist attraction since 1964. It traverses a loop throughout Lottio Park beyond the right field wall atBowen Field, the team's home ballpark.[6][8] The Ridge Runners won their first Appalachian League title in 2025.[9]
