The Idaho Falls Chukars have completed their 2023 Pioneer Baseball League season.
The Chukars closed the season with a 10-9 defeat at the hands of the Ogden Raptors on Sept. 9, bringing their record to 34-61.
Despite the team’s record, the Chukars are pleased with the overall season and look forward to the future. The Chukars went 3-3 in the season’s final week, and they stayed competitive in all losses.
“I think a lot of credit for that goes to our coaching staff,” said Chukars general manager Chris Hall. “There wasn’t a lot of roster turnover this year. They had guys that they could work with and they continued to get better as the year went on.”
Idaho Falls started the season with a 16-32 record during the first half. The Chukars managed to improve their record to 18-29 in the second half of the season.
“We were one of the better teams in the Pioneer League over the last six weeks of the season,” Hall said.
Chris Hall presenting awards to Tyler Wyatt, Trevor Halsema and Brian Williams. Photo credit: Image courtesy of Steve Thayer and the Idaho Falls Chukars
Individually, the Chukars had strong seasons from Tyler Wyatt and Trevor Halsema — fans voted for the two players to be co-MVPs.
Offensively, Wyatt set a personal record for home runs in a single season. He led the team with 14 home runs. Defensively, Wyatt provided versatility. Throughout the season, he played in seven different positions, while maintaining a 0.950 fielding percentage.
For Halsema, it was a successful season on both offense and defense. Halsema led the Chukars with 107 hits. In the outfield, Halsema maintained a 0.968 fielding percentage while playing in 92 of the Chukars’ 95 games.
Pitching-wise, Idaho Falls was led by Brian Williams, who was elected as the Chukars’ pitcher of the year.
Williams rebounded after a rough July, posting a 4.82 ERA in August and a 3.00 ERA in September. Over the entire season, Williams struck out 39 batters in 39 innings, which was top among Chukars relievers.
Chukars fans participating in Hero & Princes Night, prior to a Chukars game. Photo credit: Image courtesy of Steve Thayer and the Idaho Falls Chukars
Entertainment-wise, Hall was pleased with the product the Chukars organization produced.
“Everybody prefers to win every game, but it doesn’t happen that way,” Hall said. “We were still able to produce some really successful promotional nights and bring fans to the ballpark.”
The Chukars are looking forward to the 2024 season.
“It is always hard to know what to expect this far in advance,” Hall said. “… Fans can know that we’re already starting to plan for next season. That’s what we do in the offseason. We get right into planning for next year.”
To stay up to date with the Chukars during the offseason, go to ifchukars.com or follow them on Instagram or X, formerly known as Twitter.
