Drillers Organization Receives Honor
The Tulsa Drillers have been named the Texas League's Organization of the Year for 2013. The announcement was made today by Texas League President Tom Kayser. The award is given annually to recognize and honor the league's most successful operation.
"To be awarded the 2013 Texas League Organization of the Year is a tremendous honor for the entire Tulsa Drillers organization," said General Manager Mike Melega. "It truly takes a complete team effort to earn this recognition. I could not be more proud of our front office team, our seasonal staff and our community partners for working together to provide a wonderful experience for our fans at every game."
The 2013 season was one of the most successful in the history of the Drillers franchise. The club had sellouts for 14 of their 69 dates at ONEOK Field, the most sellouts in one season in the 109-year history of professional baseball in the city of Tulsa.
Total attendance for Drillers games, including two home playoff games, totaled 401,364, the second highest total in Tulsa baseball history. Tulsa's regular season attendance ranked 5th highest among the 30 Double-A teams in Minor League Baseball.
In addition, ONEOK Field hosted its fourth straight sellout for the annual Bedlam Game between the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma State University as well as several other special events.
"When considering each important area of the Drillers' operation, I was impressed by how comprehensively Mike Melega and the Drillers staff met or surpassed the expectations of their fans and their partners," said Kayser. "The Drillers treat each fan as a guest, whether they are visiting for the first time or are long-time fans. This attitude is a reflection of the policies begun under Went Hubbard and continued under his sons, Dale and Jeff Hubbard."
"In addition, ONEOK Field is such a wonderful facility that is clean and fan-friendly with knowledgeable employees and a fantastic selection of top notch food and beverage choices."
HYATT REGENCY, SALABURA ALSO RECEIVE HONORS
Two other areas of the Drillers operation also received recognition from the Texas League. The Hyatt Regency Downtown Hotel was voted the best visiting team hotel in the Texas League, while the ONEOK Field Clubhouse was voted the best visiting clubhouse in the league's North Division.
It was the first season that the Hyatt served as the host hotel for visiting teams in the league. The award was given based on voting from the league's field managers.
The visiting team clubhouse is operated by clubhouse manager Sam Salabura and Royce Reed. It is the second straight year that the pair has operated the top clubhouse in the Texas League.