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2016 Roswell Invaders Season Recap - Bryan Kloppe Takes Over as Roswell Produces One of the Greatest Offensive Teams in Pecos League History
The 2016 Roswell Invaders entered the season as defending Pecos League Champions and finished it with what the organization would later describe as the best statistical season in franchise history. There was a new manager, a new rival in Tucson, an unusual opening road trip to Kansas, the largest crowd ever to watch a Pecos League game, one of the most explosive offensive lineups the league had ever seen and a dramatic three-game playoff series against Tucson.
Even after the Pecos League season ended, there was still more baseball to play. Roswell traveled to Canada for the World Baseball Challenge and advanced all the way to the championship game against Japan. The 2016 Invaders did not repeat as Pecos League Champions, but they produced one of the most memorable seasons in franchise history.
Roswell entered 2016 needing a new manager after winning the Pecos League Championship under Chris Treibt in 2015. The job went to Bryan Kloppe, who inherited a franchise with enormous expectations. By that point, Roswell had already won Pecos League Championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015. Winning wasn't simply a goal in Roswell. It had become the expectation.
Kloppe also brought an unusual background to the job. He was capable of managing, coaching and pitching when necessary. Before the regular season even began, Kloppe and the Invaders received an opportunity few Pecos League teams had ever experienced when Roswell traveled north to face the Sioux Falls Canaries of the American Association in an exhibition game.
The Invaders lost 6-3, but the game allowed Kloppe to evaluate his roster against an established independent professional club before Pecos League play began. Roche Woodard homered for Roswell. Kloppe said afterward that the exhibition provided the Invaders an opportunity to see where they stood before opening the regular season in Topeka.
The defending champions did not begin the 2016 season at Joe Bauman Stadium or even in New Mexico. Roswell opened the season in Topeka, Kansas against the Topeka Train Robbers, and it was an immediate test for Kloppe's new club.
The Invaders responded by sweeping the series. On May 20, Roswell opened the season with a 9-4 victory. Cody Bishop went 2-for-3, while Lance Fairchild allowed only two hits over six innings and did not allow an earned run. Roswell was 1-0.
The following night was even more impressive. TJ Pruneda threw a complete-game shutout as Roswell defeated Topeka 12-0. Pruneda allowed only two hits over nine innings and struck out six, while Rene Moreda collected five hits.
Then came the sweep. Roswell defeated Topeka 14-2 on May 22. Jim Smith drove in six runs and hit two home runs. The defending champions had opened Bryan Kloppe's first season 3-0 while outscoring Topeka 35-6. It was an early indication of the type of offense Roswell was about to unleash on the league.
The Topeka sweep was only the beginning. Two days later, Roswell went into Garden City and defeated the Wind 22-6. Cody Bishop collected four hits and drove in four runs, Cody Coffman homered and David Johnson worked six innings while allowing only one earned run.
Roswell was already showing that opposing teams could fall behind very quickly. Then on May 28, Cody Bishop produced one of the biggest individual games of the season. Bishop hit three home runs as Roswell defeated the Santa Fe Fuego 17-11 at Fort Marcy Park. The Invaders scored eight runs in the second inning alone.
Roswell wasn't merely winning games. The Invaders were overwhelming opposing pitching staffs.
The Greatest Offensive Group in Roswell History
Roswell's official franchise history says the 2016 Invaders redefined the Pecos League offensive record book, and that is not an exaggeration. The lineup featured Cody Coffman, Cody Bishop, Joey Miller, Bobby Webb, Rene Moreda, Roche Woodard, Kaohu Gaspar and Jim Smith.
Almost every spot in the order presented a problem for opposing pitchers. There was power everywhere, hitters were getting on base constantly and there were very few innings in which a pitcher could relax.
Cody Coffman put together one of the greatest seasons in Invaders history. Coffman played 64 games and collected exactly 100 hits in 239 at-bats. He scored 80 runs, hit 22 doubles and 22 home runs and drove in 76 runs.
Coffman also drew 48 walks and posted a .418 on-base percentage. A 100-hit season in the short Pecos League schedule was an extraordinary accomplishment. He provided Kloppe with power and run production throughout the summer and became one of the central figures in Roswell's record-setting offense.
Joey Miller provided even more power. Miller played only 46 games but collected 85 hits in 199 at-bats. He scored 60 runs, hit 13 doubles and, most impressively, hit 21 home runs while driving in 75.
Miller also drew 30 walks and was hit by 30 pitches. Opposing pitchers had difficulty getting him out and sometimes had difficulty avoiding him entirely. His combination of average, power and ability to reach base made him one of the most dangerous hitters in the entire league.
Cody Bishop Produces Another Huge Season
Cody Bishop played 46 games and collected 87 hits in 203 at-bats. He scored 67 runs and hit 17 doubles, two triples and 16 home runs while driving in 61. Bishop reached base at a .429 clip.
His three-home-run performance against Santa Fe was one of the early highlights of the season, but Bishop continued producing throughout the summer.
Bobby Webb Hits 19 Home Runs
Bobby Webb gave Roswell yet another middle-of-the-order power threat. Webb played 56 games and collected 85 hits. He scored 62 runs, hit 15 doubles and blasted 19 home runs while driving in 67.
The middle of that Roswell lineup was extraordinary. Coffman hit 22 home runs, Miller hit 21, Webb hit 19 and Bishop hit 16. Those four players alone combined for 78 home runs.
Rene Moreda Leads Roswell in Hits
Rene Moreda played 66 games and produced a team-high 102 hits. He also scored a team-high 84 runs, hit 24 doubles and 15 home runs and drove in 62 while drawing 40 walks.
Moreda wasn't simply setting the table. He was another player capable of producing extra-base damage throughout the season.
Roche Woodard Adds Speed and Power
Roche Woodard played 62 games and collected 80 hits. He scored 80 runs, hit 12 doubles, four triples and 16 home runs, drove in 57 and stole 18 bases without being caught.
Woodard had also homered in the exhibition against Sioux Falls before the regular season began, and his combination of speed and power made the Roswell lineup even more difficult to contain.
Kaohu Gaspar and Jim Smith Make the Lineup Even Deeper
Kaohu Gaspar collected 66 hits in 55 games and drove in 57 runs. He drew 41 walks and hit eight home runs.
Jim Smith played 63 games and produced 67 hits, including 13 doubles and 15 home runs. Smith drove in 58 runs and drew 44 walks. His two-home-run, six-RBI performance in the opening series at Topeka helped set the tone for the entire year.
There simply wasn't an easy part of the Roswell lineup.
With an offense capable of producing enormous run totals, Roswell didn't need perfect pitching. But David Johnson gave the Invaders something close to an ace.
Johnson went 9-2 with a 4.42 ERA over 13 starts and threw a team-high 81.1 innings. He struck out 81 hitters while walking only nine, an exceptional strikeout-to-walk ratio, and also completed one game.
Johnson provided the stability Roswell needed in a league where pitching depth was often difficult to maintain.
Lance Fairchild became another essential part of Kloppe's pitching staff. Fairchild went 5-2 with a 4.45 ERA, appeared in 23 games, made two starts and recorded five saves. In 34.1 innings, he struck out 46 hitters.
Fairchild had also been Roswell's Opening Night pitcher in Topeka, allowing only two hits over six innings. His ability to start, relieve and finish games gave Kloppe enormous flexibility.
Ethan Rosebeck Provides Dominant Innings
Ethan Rosebeck went 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA. He appeared in 13 games, made three starts and recorded one save while striking out 33 hitters in 29.1 innings.
Darrell Thompson also provided outstanding work late in the season, going 2-0 with a 2.84 ERA in four appearances, while Ryan Calby went 2-2 with a 3.37 ERA. The pitching staff had enough quality arms to support one of the best offenses in league history.
Tucson Changes the Pecos League
The biggest change in the Pecos League for 2016 was the arrival of the Tucson Saguaros. Tucson immediately became a powerhouse. Kino Sports Complex gave the league one of the largest and most professional facilities it had ever used, and the Saguaros also assembled a dominant baseball team.
Tucson eventually finished 51-14, setting a new Pecos League record for victories. That created a problem for Roswell. As good as the Invaders were, Tucson was even better during the regular season.
The Southern Division race became a battle between two of the strongest teams in the league. Roswell had the offense. Tucson had an extraordinarily complete club. Their games became some of the biggest events of the 2016 season.
By the beginning of July, Roswell and Tucson were firmly established as the two powers in the Southern Division. The Invaders traveled to Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium for a major series surrounding the July 4 weekend.
On June 30, Roswell defeated Tucson 9-3. Bobby Webb drove in four runs, while TJ Pruneda earned the victory. The Invaders improved to 30-12 and demonstrated that Tucson's record did not make the Saguaros unbeatable.
The clubs continued battling through the weekend. Then came July 4.
July 4, 2016 - The Largest Crowd in Pecos League History
The July 4 game between Roswell and Tucson became one of the most important nights in Pecos League history. A crowd of 8,720 fans attended the game at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium, establishing a new Pecos League all-time attendance record.
The crowd surpassed the previous record established during a Santa Fe Fuego playoff game in 2014. Years later, the Pecos League would continue identifying the July 4, 2016 Roswell-Tucson game as the league attendance record.
For a league that had begun only a few years earlier in smaller communities throughout New Mexico and West Texas, the sight of more than 8,700 fans watching a Pecos League game represented a major milestone.
Roswell didn't simply participate in the historic game. The Invaders won it.
Roswell defeated Tucson 8-4. Cody Coffman went 3-for-3, doubling in the second inning and singling in the third and sixth. Kyle Perez earned the victory, and Roswell improved to 32-14.
The biggest crowd in league history had watched one of the best Roswell teams in franchise history defeat one of the best Tucson teams in league history.
8,720 - A Record That Became Part of Pecos League History
The importance of the night went beyond one victory. The Pecos League has continued to reference the game when discussing the history of the league. When the Pecos League celebrated its 15-year anniversary, the league again identified Tucson's July 4, 2016 game against Roswell as the all-time attendance record.
It became one of the signature attendance moments in Pecos League history, and Roswell will always be part of it.
Despite Roswell's outstanding season, Tucson remained ahead of the Invaders. The Saguaros finished 51-14, while Roswell finished 44-23 in the official season record.
The Invaders entered the playoffs as the No. 2 team in the Southern Division, and their first opponent was extremely familiar: the Alpine Cowboys.
The playoff matchup carried substantial history. From the beginning of the Pecos League, Roswell and Alpine had regularly crossed paths in important games. The league noted entering the 2016 postseason that the winner of the Roswell-Alpine playoff matchup had gone on to win the Pecos League Championship in four of the previous five seasons.
This wasn't simply another first-round series. It was one of the league's defining rivalries.
The Southern Division Championship Series began with one of the greatest playoff games of the season. Tucson defeated Roswell 8-7, but it took 13 innings.
The game went back and forth deep into extra innings before the Saguaros finally found a way to win. Roswell had gone on the road against the league's 51-win powerhouse and pushed Tucson through 13 innings.
The loss was painful, but the series was far from over.
The Invaders responded exactly as Kloppe needed them to respond. Roswell won Game 2, 2-1.
The explosive Invaders offense didn't need 10 runs. It needed two. The pitching staff held Tucson to one.
The series was tied, and one game would decide which team represented the Southern Division in the Pecos League Championship Series. Roswell had come within one game of returning to the finals and defending its 2015 championship.
Game 3 - Tucson Finally Ends Roswell's Run
The deciding game belonged to Tucson. The Saguaros defeated Roswell 4-1, ending the Invaders' extraordinary Pecos League season.
Tucson advanced to the championship series and ultimately won the 2016 Pecos League Championship. The Saguaros had gone 51-14 during the regular season and then survived a Roswell team that pushed them to the final game of the Southern Division playoffs.
Roswell had come very close. Game 1 had gone 13 innings. Game 2 had been decided 2-1. Only in the deciding game was Tucson finally able to put the series away.
Official Season Record: 44-23 Southern Division Finish: Second Place First Round: Swept Alpine Cowboys Southern Division Championship: Lost to Tucson Saguaros, 2 games to 1 Pecos League Champion: Tucson Saguaros
David Johnson: 9-2, 4.42 ERA, 81.1 IP, 81 SO, only 9 BB Lance Fairchild: 5-2, 4.45 ERA, 5 SV, 46 SO in 34.1 IP Ethan Rosebeck: 4-0, 2.45 ERA, 33 SO in 29.1 IP Darrell Thompson: 2-0, 2.84 ERA Ryan Calby: 2-2, 3.37 ERA
July 4 Attendance at Tucson: 8,720 - Pecos League All-Time Attendance Record
