Our Daily Show! With CJ: NAGBC Spotlight, Alton River Dragons, and More!
ALTON - The River Dragons have completed their season, and team owner Steve Marso noted that while the record isn’t where he wanted it to be, it was still a “fantastic” year.
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Marso explained that the second half of the season was “great,” with plenty of runs but a few errors in pitching. However, the River Dragons are more than their numbers, and Marso is proud of how the players engaged with the community and their consistently positive attitudes through it all.
“Fans had a great time and there were a lot of great promotions, a lot of great sponsors with us. So we call it a good year,” he said. “Although our record wasn’t the best, everything was just so much fun. We had some really good weather, promotions, giveaways, fireworks. To end the season the way we did with a win in the finals was just amazing.”
Marso acknowledged that the first half of the season had its downsides, but he is proud of his players, coaches and support staff for their continued commitment to the team. He enjoyed watching the River Dragons put up a fight.
“For some reason, it just wasn’t clicking early on,” he explained. “But the guys kept coming out, playing hard. We brought in the crew in the second half and started putting a lot of numbers up on the board. There were a lot of exciting plays, close games, and some really close wins and losses. It was really good baseball out there in the second half, and even the first half. We had some good games going on. It’s just fun to have our community, and we’re so thankful to call Alton home.”
Marso expressed his appreciation for the team’s partners, including several nonprofits for whom the River Dragons offered promotions. A few of their promotions raised money for the Alton Police and Fire Departments and OSF’s local cancer care. These promotions were especially important to Marso and his staff.
He explained that the team works hard to engage with Alton beyond Lloyd Hopkins Field. The River Dragons want to be a consistent part of Alton’s community.
“It’s just so much fun and such a great thing for the community,” Marso said. “We really try to get out in the community as much as we can. We’ve always said we’re not just a baseball team, but an organization that wants to be a big part of the community. We joined up with some good partners this year.”
The games also lead to “buzz” in Alton, he said, with hotels and restaurants filled by the players, families and fans. Marso hopes the River Dragons empower the community and give Alton a boost.
The season is over, and Marso is looking ahead to 2027 already. He noted that coaches Andrew Olney and Mateo Okimoto are committed to returning next year, and he looks forward to seeing what they can do.
The River Dragons will be represented in the Alton Halloween Parade this October. Marso and his team are already keeping an eye out for promising players, and they will be seeking partnerships and housing opportunities for their players over the next few months.
He added that he is proud of his team and eager to see their work in the summer of 2027.
“At the end of the day when the interns and the players walk up and thank us at the end of the season — to me, I just think, why are you thanking me? I want to be thanking you because you came here from far away to play baseball,” he added. “It’s just awesome.”
For more information about the Alton River Dragons, visit their official website or their official Facebook page.
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