What Springfield Lucky Horseshoes does

Springfield Lucky Horseshoes is a privately held summer collegiate baseball franchise competing in the Prospect League, the premier wood-bat collegiate summer league in the Midwest spanning 18 teams across seven states. Founded in 2008 as the Springfield Sliders and rebranded in 2022 to its current identity honoring Abraham Lincoln and the city's Horseshoe Sandwich culinary tradition, the team plays home games at the historic 6,000+ seat Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois. The franchise is owned by a group led by Tim Hoker, Jeff Jarrett (WWE Hall of Famer), Chris Rasmussen, Glenn Gutek, and James Vanterpool, operating under Capital City Baseball (dba Springfield Lucky Horseshoes) within the Golden Rule Entertainment portfolio alongside the Quincy Baseball Club.

The business operates a multi-revenue model combining individual and season tickets, group and youth experiences (Baseball Buddies, Birthday Parties, Stadium Club, Security Bank Party Deck), premium special events (Legends Classic, Battle of the Sexes, Heroes at Home Plate speaker series, Dinner for the Diamond with Ozzie Smith), concessions and merchandise through the Shoe Box store, and corporate partnerships anchored by a three-year Memorial Health presenting deal. The team hosts 150+ events annually at the venue and, beginning with the 2026 season, will host Women's Professional Baseball League (WPBL) games, expanding beyond the collegiate summer window. Distribution runs through TicketSmarter online and mobile ticketing, the Robin Roberts Stadium box office, dedicated group and season-ticket sales staff, and the Shop.ShoesBaseball.com e-commerce store; all games stream on the Prospect League Network powered by HomeTeam Network with AI-produced broadcasts.

The technology stack is intentionally lean — no proprietary systems, with third-party integrations covering ticketing (TicketSmarter), email marketing (Constant Contact), audio streaming (Mixlr), and video broadcast (HomeTeam Network). A five-person permanent front office is augmented by an unpaid Rookie Class internship program and a host-family program that places players with local families from late May through early August. In November 2025, ownership of Robin Roberts Stadium transferred to the Friends of Robin Roberts Stadium 501(c)(3) nonprofit, separating the venue capital base from the operating franchise and enabling a forthcoming modernization study led by local architect JH Petty & Associates.

Name

Springfield Lucky Horseshoes

Legal name

Springfield Lucky Horseshoes

Website

https://shoesbaseball.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Springfield Lucky Horseshoes is a privately held Prospect League summer collegiate baseball team in Springfield, Illinois, playing at the historic 6,000-seat Robin Roberts Stadium and generating revenue from tickets, group experiences, special events, corporate sponsorships, concessions, and merchandise for families, youth teams, and local businesses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Springfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from individual game tickets, season tickets, group tickets, and special event tickets (Legends Classic, Battle of the Sexes, speaker series). Ticketing powered by TicketSmarter platform with assigned seating.
2. Sponsorship & Corporate Partnerships: Revenue from corporate sponsors at various levels (naming rights, signage, promotional giveaways, marketing tables, digital advertising). Includes presenting partners like Memorial Health and Security Bank.
3. Concessions & Merchandise: Food and beverage sales at Robin Roberts Stadium including domestic beers, craft beers, hot dogs, hamburgers, and exclusive Lucky Lager beer. Merchandise sales through 'Shoe Box team store.
4. Venue Rentals & Special Events: Rental of Robin Roberts Stadium for non-game events, corporate events, fundraisers (Dinner for the Diamond), and community events. Host family program and internship opportunities generate community engagement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Springfield Lucky Horseshoes operates a summer collegiate baseball team competing in the Prospect League at historic Robin Roberts Stadium in Springfield, Illinois. The organization sells individual game tickets, season tickets, group experiences, special event admission (Legends Classic, Battle of the Sexes, WPBL), team merchandise, and corporate sponsorship packages while hosting 150+ events annually at the 6,000+ seat venue.

Product overview

Springfield Lucky Horseshoes is a summer collegiate baseball team competing in the Prospect League. The organization operates as a single-entity sports entertainment company offering a unified portfolio of products and services centered around live baseball events at Robin Roberts Stadium. Core offerings include individual game tickets, season tickets, and group experiences (Stadium Club, Party Deck, Birthday Parties, Baseball Buddies). Special events feature the Legends Classic (former MLB All-Star exhibition), Battle of the Sexes (women's baseball showcase), and the inaugural WPBL season. Revenue streams include The Shoe Box merchandise store, corporate partnerships with multiple sponsorship tiers, and an unpaid internship program for sports industry training. The team plays home games at historic Robin Roberts Stadium with over 6,000 seating capacity and streams games via Prospect League Network powered by HomeTeam Network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Game Tickets

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• NOCAPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Partnership to revolutionize NIL opportunities for summer collegiate baseball players. Provides marketing solutions, sponsorship deals, and personalized campaigns to help players build brands and monetize their athletic achievements.
• Golden Rule EntertainmentcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Parent company (dba Capital City Baseball) that owns both the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes and Quincy Baseball Club within the Prospect League. Tim Hoker, Chris Rasmussen, and Jeff Jarrett serve as co-owners.
• Memorial HealthflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2022Memorial Health (Memorial Care brand) serves as presenting partner in a three-year deal. They sponsor Health & Wellness Day events and provide marketing table presence at games. Multiple locations throughout Springfield.
• Prospect LeaguecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009The Lucky Horseshoes have been members of the Prospect League since 2009, playing in this premier Midwestern wood-bat collegiate summer baseball league. The Prospect League spans 18 teams across Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania and has produced over 200 MLB alumni.
• CEFCUcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCEFCU sponsors fireworks displays at multiple Saturday home games throughout the season. Three Springfield locations providing financial services support.
• Security BankcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of Legends Classic events and naming rights holder of the Security Bank Party Deck group seating area.
• TicketSmartercoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial ticketing partner providing online ticket sales, mobile ticketing, assigned seating management, and ticket resale platform for Robin Roberts Stadium events.
• HomeTeam NetworkcoreTechnology or IntegrationMulti-year streaming partnership to broadcast all Prospect League games on Prospect League Network (PLN), powered by HTN. Provides AI-powered broadcasts, mobile and streaming access, and Roku support.
• JH Petty & AssociatesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpringfield-based architect firm serving as lead architect on Robin Roberts Stadium Ballpark Development Study to plan future renovations and modernization.
• Friends of Robin Roberts Stadium (FRRS)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegistered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that took ownership of Robin Roberts Stadium from City of Springfield in November 2025. Seeks naming rights, grants, and donations for stadium preservation and renovation.
• i3 BroadbandcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPresenting sponsor of Community Cup rivalry series with O'Fallon Hoots and $3 ticket night promotions. Provides fastest fiber internet service in Central Illinois and St. Louis Metro areas.
• Two Men and a TruckminorGTM or Marketing PartnerMoving company sponsor with Springfield location at 210 N Grand Ave W. Supports team logistics and community events.
• Sangamon Mass Transit District (SMTD)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides public bus service to Springfield area, offering transportation options for fans attending games.
• Abraham Lincoln Capital AirportminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal airport partner supporting travel and tourism to Springfield for away fans and visiting teams.
• Global Force Wrestling / Pro Wrestling EntertainmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Capital City Clash professional wrestling events at Robin Roberts Stadium with media partner Neuhoff Media.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• O'Fallon Hoots: Prospect League member and Community Cup rivalry partner of the Lucky Horseshoes; operates an identical summer collegiate wood-bat model with the same league-wide streaming and ticketing stack.
• Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp: Prospect League member and frequent in-season opponent; runs the same collegiate summer baseball entertainment model in a comparable small Illinois market.
• Clinton LumberKings: Prospect League member that transitioned from MiLB to collegiate summer ball, providing a directly comparable operating model and venue economics for a regional team.
• Chatham Anglers (Cape Cod League): Cape Cod League summer collegiate team operating under the same wood-bat collegiate development model as the Prospect League; comparable on product (game-day entertainment for families) and customer base (families, college-player showcase).
• La Crosse Loggers (Northwoods League): Northwoods League summer collegiate team with comparable ticket pricing, group packages, and stadium-based GTM targeting families and corporate groups in a mid-size Midwestern market.
• Burlington Bees: Prospect League member team playing at Community Field in Burlington, Iowa; directly comparable as a wood-bat collegiate summer team with similar small-front-office economics and group-ticket GTM.
• Quincy Gems: Prospect League team also owned by Golden Rule Entertainment/Capital City Baseball under the same parent as the Lucky Horseshoes; effectively a sister franchise with shared back-office and ownership.

Others

• HomeTeam Network: Multi-year streaming and broadcast partner powering Prospect League Network; adjacent ecosystem player whose AI-powered broadcast tech enables Lucky Horseshoes content monetization beyond the regional footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Springfield Cardinals (MiLB): Shared Springfield, IL market with the Lucky Horseshoes; operates as a full-season Minor League Baseball club, representing the larger incumbent competitor for the same local sports-entertainment dollar across a much longer calendar.

Regional players

• Normal CornBelters / Bloomington Stingers: Central Illinois-based collegiate/pro-am summer baseball organization that competes with the Lucky Horseshoes for the same regional family and corporate-group audience within driving distance of Springfield.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ShoesBaseball
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@shoesbaseball
• Facebookfacebook.com/ShoesBaseball
• Instagraminstagram.com/shoesbaseball
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/capital-city-baseball

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Springfield Lucky Horseshoes