Flathead Valley Baseball Team Reveals Name, Logo

On Jan. 19 the latest addition to the Pioneer Baseball League revealed its name and logo. The Flathead Valley based team operated by Ridge Run Baseball, will be known as the Glacier Range Riders.

The name pays homage to the National Park Service and nearby Glacier National Park. At the turn of the 20th century, early rangers were referred to as forest range riders, and some of the first range riders patrolled the Flathead Forest Reserve, which included the land that would become Glacier Park.

“These wilderness defenders protected and preserved the area from poachers, wildfire and timber thieves during Theodore Roosevelt’s presidency,” the team said in a press release. “Their rough-and-tumble role and characteristic toughness influenced the creation of the Range Rider mascot.”

The Range Riders logo includes a bear, named “Huck,” riding in one of the iconic red buses that ferries tourists along Going-to-the-Sun Road each summer. A yet-unnamed second mascot, a mountain goat in a park ranger uniform, was also announced by the team.

The Range Riders contracted noted sports marketing agency Brandiose, the firm behind the Missoula Paddleheads redesign, to develop the team’s logo. In another nod to the National Park Service, Brandiose partner Jason Klein said the Range Riders are the first professional sports team to use the government-issued shade of olive green as its primary color.

“No other brand in sports has adopted the national parks as inspiration,” Klein said. “We knew right from the beginning we wanted to celebrate and tell the story of Glacier National Park, and everything from the site to the colors to the uniforms will all reinforce that story.”

In addition to the name and logo announcement, the team provided updated designs for Flathead Field, the new state-of-the-art stadium currently under construction along U.S. Highway 93 north of Kalispell.

When finished, the stadium will have 2,500 permanent seats with a total capacity of around 4,000 people. The venue will include 12 luxury suites, a restaurant, concession stands, a mercantile team shop and a 15,000-square-foot training facility.

“We hope to honor and represent one of the Treasure State’s crown jewels – the Flathead community and its beautiful national park – by providing a family-friendly atmosphere with championship-quality baseball,” said Ridge Run Baseball vice president Chris Kelly in the release.

The Range Riders will open its season on May 23 against the Rocky Mountain Vibes in Colorado before hosting the Billings Mustangs on June 14 at Flathead Field. Tickets can be purchased online at gorangeriders.com