Monarchs Down the Dogs to Take First Series Win

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Kansas City, KS — The Monarchs held it down defensively and provided timely hits to claim a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Dogs on Thursday night.

The former St Louis Cardinals star, Dakota Hudson, got the start on the mound and he did not disappoint. The Tennessee native made his first start at Legends Field and went six innings giving up six hits, but only gave up one run while recording a season high, six strikeouts. After the first inning, he had a strong command at the plate and never let up. Hudson says, “It took me a second to settle in, Brady (Lindsly) was calling a good game back there and we were able to make some good adjustments. The defense made a lot of really good plays.”

Chicago opened up the game picking up where they left off yesterday and struck right away in the top of the first. After Ethan Wilder walked, Chance Sisco drove a ball into right field to bring home Wilder. The Dogs quickly took a 1-0 lead, but that was all the scoring they did for the night.

It was the fourth inning where the Monarchs took the lead. After a leadoff single from Sahid Valenzuela and a liner into right field from Grant Richardson. That allowed Austin Callahan to make his presence known. The former Reds product cracked a ball into left center field to send in Valenzuela and Richardson to score. Valenzuela went 2-4 at the plate and it was his best performance all season. He mentions, “I was just trying to get some good pitches that I can do some damage with. I have been trying to stay up the middle (and) use the big part of the field. I did a good job (and) got a couple fastballs that I could put a good swing on.”

The Monarchs tacked on another run in the fifth inning as Alvaro Gonzalez raced on home from third to beat out the throw from first. Gonzalez finished the day with a hit and the returning Monarch added a much needed insurance run that would be the final tally of the night.

Four different pitchers toed the slab for Kansas City and it was Durbin Feltman who threw two strikeouts in the ninth inning to earn the save.

Kansas City opens up another three-game home stand tomorrow night as they welcome in the Lake Country Dockhounds. First pitch is at 6:35 with fireworks postgame.

Dogs Roll Past Monarchs to Even Up the Series

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Kansas City, KS — It was a night where the Monarchs could not drive in many runs and the Chicago Dogs had two big innings to win 11-2 on Wednesday evening.

Chicago stepped on the gas pedal in the third inning when Giovanni DiaGiacomo walked and Ethan Wilder singled into right field.  Chance Sisco popped up a sac fly to to bring in DiaGiacomo and break open the scoring. Two batters later and the bases were loaded. Designated hitter, Brian Fuentes saw the first offering and smashed a grand slam into left field to bring the game to 5-0.

Former Red Sox product, Jay Groome made his second start on the mound. He went three innings while giving up five hits and five runs, but accumulated one strikeout.

The Monarchs responded with a run in the bottom half of the third as the Indiana product, Grant Richardson laced a ball into left field to bring in Josh Bissonette from second. Richardson talked about that moment and said, “The biggest thing (was) coming off of a long inning, everybody (was) trying to string some hits together and I think just being able to stay a big part of the field. (Wasn’t) trying to do much other than get the guys in and do my job, I think that’s the biggest part.”

Once again, Chicago grabbed another multi-run inning in the fourth. It opened up from a walk on CJ Cepicky. DiaGiacomo was in the mix once again as he doubled to left field to put two runners in scoring position. Wilder was another batter to be back and for the second time in the game, the bases were juiced. Sisco singled on the third-base line to bring in Cepicky, another scored on a fielders choice and Jaxx Groshans registered an RBI to put the score at 8-1.

Another three-run inning for Chicago in the eighth put the game to bed. They ballooned into an 11-1 lead, but the Monarchs tallied a run back in the bottom half of the frame on a sac-fly from Grant Richardson. The former Yankees draft pick finished the day 3-3 at the plate with two RBI’s.

The native of nearby Lee’s Summit, Nate Webb, had a terrific day out of the bullpen. He threw in two innings for the Monarchs and earned four strikeouts with no hits given up.

The series is up for grabs when these two teams go toe-to-toe to decide the final game of the set. The former big leaguer, Dakota Hudson, gets the start on the mound and will look to provide a spark out of the bullpen. First pitch is scheduled at Legends Field at 6:35.

 

Monarchs Walk The Dogs In Opening Day Victory

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Kansas City, KS — It was quite the evening for the Kansas City Monarchs as they opened up their 2026 home campaign with a 6-1 win over the Chicago Dogs, highlighted by a four-run inning.

It was a chilly night in Kansas City, but Monarch fans showed up and the team certainly came ready to put on a show.

Right handed pitcher, Austin Hansen got the start on the mound and he went five innings while giving up four hits, but grabbed two strikeouts. Following his opening day start, he said, “It was fun to be out there again, I haven’t pitched in awhile because i’ve been hurt. It was fun to pitch in front of my family, Brady (Lindsly) called a really good game and keeping hitters off-balance all day, it was fun.”

The scoring broke open in the bottom of the third when Lindsly singled to open up the frame. Later in the inning, the hometown kid, Marcus Smith laced a ball into right field for an RBI triple which brought up Lindsly. Chicago responded in the top half of the fourth when first baseman, Chance Sisco cracked a solo homer to bring score level at one apiece.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Monarchs answered right back when Trevor Boone joined the party and laced an RBI double to left field which brought in Saul Garza to score. Kansas City took the lead for the second time in the evening, going up 2-1.

The game was put to bed in the sixth inning when Grant Richardson and Austin Callahan got on base. This brought in Boone who made his impact known once again as he tagged a second-straight RBI double to left field. Lindsly recorded a sac fly to bring in Callahan and then that brought up Alvaro Gonzalez. He perfectly timed the 2-0 pitch and belted a two-run homer to left field and brought the score to 6-1. Alvaro mentions, “I’m really excited, this team is (a) unit. We (will) keep working hard in the games.”

This four-run inning was all that was needed to put Chicago to bed in the first game of the series and Kansas City improves to 2-2 this season. The Monarchs gave up six hits, but only one run was scored which was their lowest conceded this season. These teams will go toe-to-toe for the second contest of the set. First pitch is at 6:35 at Legends Field.

 

Legends Field Debuts Brand-New Food with a Ton of Exciting Options for 2026

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Kansas City, KS — Anytime you go to a ballpark, food is always a question to be answered. It adds to the ballpark experience of watching a game on a warm summer night. Questions might arise like: Will it be good? What should I get and how much?

Well in 2026, Legends Field has provided fans with a plethora of new options and the Monarchs faithful will surely not want to miss out on all these delicious items.

Fans might ask themselves, what should we try first and what can we expect? The Monarchs General Manager of Hospitality and Retail, Devyn Williams says, “They can expect a lot of new (and) fresh items. Almost every menu has changed on our concession side. The one I’m most excited for out of our Cork & Barrel stand is the hand-battered fish and chips. What else is really exciting is a new recipe of our Philly cheesesteak and new recipes in our taco stand.” Williams also describes this transition as a “welcome change”

Now the main man in the kitchen is head chef, Greg Roith. He talks his excitement level and said, “This is amazing, especially food like this at the ballpark. It’s not ballpark food, it’s like restaurant food. It’s really cool.”

Roith also described the food as “Elevated ballpark food” and mentions “(We) will get people coming to the ballpark just to eat, not (just) watch the game because the food is so good.”

Between the talented roster on the field, the change in ownership, and now the new food. There are so many new things to look forward to with the Monarchs organization for the 2026 season. Fans will certainly have an unforgettable experience when they come out to Legends Field. It all begins tomorrow when the Monarchs take on the Chicago Dogs with first pitch being scheduled for 6:35.

Monarchs Drop Final Game of the Series, Look Ahead to Home Opener

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Geneva, IL — After a three-run lead for Kansas City, Kane County scores six unanswered to claim a 8-5 victory and take the final game of the series on Sunday afternoon.

The Monarchs jumped in front in the top half of the first when Sahid Valenzuela was hit by a pitch to get the inning going. This brought in Saul Garza who continued what was an outstanding weekend. The former LSU star saw the payoff pitch and hammered a two-run bomb to left field. It was the second time this weekend in which Garza homered in the first inning. He is already T-2nd in the league with two home-runs.

Dakota Chalmers got the start on the mound for Kansas City, he went four innings while giving up five hits and two runs. The Alpharetta, GA native also tallied two strikeouts in that timeframe. There were six total pitchers who stepped on the mound for the Monarchs. They accumulated six strikeouts.

Kane County wasted no time getting on the board in the first inning. For the third-straight day, Matt Bottcher drove in an RBI single to bring home Josh Allen and cut the lead in half.

These two teams traded punches and the Monarchs responded right back in the second inning. The local Kansas City native, Marcus Smith, registered his first hit this season on a liner to center field. Returning Monarch, Alvaro Gonzalez kept the line moving as he singled on his first at bat of the afternoon. Just like that, the Monarchs had runners at the corners with only one out. Hudson Head made an impact and reached first on a fielders choice, Smith raced on home to bring the lead to 3-1.

Once again, it was the Cougars chance to respond and they did just that. Alex McGarry walked and Sam Dexter grabbed a base hit to left field. Charles Mack, who was traded from Kansas City last week, ripped a hard ground ball to right field and brought in McGarry.

The game moved to the sixth inning and the Monarchs struck again. A preseason standout, Austin Callahan, started the frame with a single into left field. Smith followed it up with a walk and this allowed Gonzalez to pounce on the opportunity. Alvaro tagged the 0-1 pitch into center field to bring in both Callahan and Smith. He would finish the afternoon leading the team in hits, going 3-4 at the plate with two RBI’s. Kansas City ballooned into their largest lead of the day, going up 5-2.

Unfortunately, the Monarchs bullpen really struggled in this inning and gave up three-straight walks. The bases were loaded with Bottcher at the plate and no outs. He would continue his hot streak as he drove a ball into deep left field to bring in three runners. This contest was quickly tied up at five a piece and the inning did not stop there. Bottcher scored off of a fielders choice and Kansas City surrendered the lead for the first time.

The Cougars tacked on another two runs in the seventh frame when McGarry walked and Sam Dexter tripled to left field. Mack came through for the second time in the afternoon and registered an RBI-single.

Kansas City went stale offensively in the final three innings. They were out hit 11-7 and will look to move on from the opening-weekend series. The Monarchs will take the seven hour bus ride back home and get ready for the home-opener on Tuesday night. This will be the start of a six-game home stand and will first welcome in the Chicago Dogs for a three-game set. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 at Legends Field.

Tempers Flare In Second Inning, But Monarchs Cool Things Down With First Win Of The Season

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Geneva, IL — Kansas City shook off last night’s defeat and responded with a 3-2 win over Kane County to even the series on Saturday night. The Monarchs earned their first victory of the 2026 campaign behind a wild night at Northwest Medicine Field.

This story began in the bottom of the second when Cougar third baseman, Claudio Finol, was called for a pitch clock violation to open up the bottom half of the inning. Cougar manager, George Tsamis was furious and had a heated interaction with the head umpire. The umpire wasted no time and immediately ejected Tsamis from the game. Finol also had some choice words for Monarchs starting pitcher, Jay Groome. Benches cleared and Groome would be the second person to be tossed out of the game. It was a wild sequence in only the second game of the season.

The Reno, NV native, Ryan Anderson would come in to replace Groome. Contrary to yesterday, it was Kane County who jumped in front in the the third inning. The designated hitter, Zane Spinn, would steal second base and put himself in scoring position after reaching first on a fielders choice. Matt Bottcher came through for the second night in a row when he sent a hard ground ball to center field which brought home Spinn to take a 1-0 lead. The train kept moving for the Cougars as Todd Lott laced a ball into left field and Josh Allen crossed home plate. The Monarchs quickly found themselves down a pair of runs.

Kansas City answered the call just a half inning later in the top of the fourth. Sahid Valenzuela got the bats rolling when he singled on a fly ball to left field. This brought up the former Pensacola Blue Wahoo, Grant Richardson. Facing a 3-1 count, Grant found his opportunity to attack when he launched a two-run homer off the top of the scoreboard in left field. Just like that the Monarchs tied this game up.

The game turned to the fifth inning and catcher, Brady Lindsly registered his first hit of the season as he led off with a double to left field. Lindsly would eventually advance to third when Alvaro Gonzalez laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt. After a wild pitch from Reese Sharp, Lindsly would take full advantage and charge on home to give the Monarchs the eventual winning run.

It was another strong outing from the Monarchs bullpen. Seven different pitchers grazed the mound and tallied 13 strikeouts while giving up seven hits. Anderson, Steffon Moore, and Jeff Hakanson each totaled three K’s while Durbin Feltman earned the save.

Kane County and Kansas City are set to do battle at one o’clock tomorrow to decide the winner of this series. The Monarchs are looking to steal the series before the home-opener on Tuesday night.

Kansas City Takes Early Lead, But Falls In Opening Game

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Geneva, IL — The Monarchs officially opened up their 2026 season against the Kane County Cougars, but dropped the opening game with a 3-2 defeat on Friday Night. It was a late first pitch as Kane County celebrated their 2025 league title and held a ceremony to hand out their championship rings.

The once big leaguer, Dakota Hudson, got the opening-day start for the Monarchs and went four innings with two strikeouts while giving up seven hits.

Kansas City wasted no time getting on the board in the top of the second when the former Royals prospect, Saul Garza, smashed a solo home-run to score the first run of the season. It was his first homer in a Monarchs uniform.

A half inning later, the Cougars cracked the scoreboard as Alex McGarry lined a ball into right field to bring home infielder, Josh Allen, from second.

Kane County kept the momentum rolling into the fourth inning when Hudson walked a batter and gave up a hit to set up a groundout-RBI from Josh Allen. This allowed Sam Dexter to cross home plate for the Cougars second run. Kane County struck again just one batter later as Matt Bottcher ripped a liner to center field and brought home Zane Spinn. The Monarchs quickly gave up the one-run lead and were facing a 3-1 deficit after giving up three-straight unanswered.

The ballgame came to the sixth inning and one of the standouts in the preseason, Grant Richardson, got the inning going when he doubled to left field. Trevor Boone and Austin Callahan came up to bat, were discipline at the plate, and found themselves on base for the first time in the regular season as they were both walked. Suddenly the Monarchs had the bases loaded with only one out. It was a prime position for Saul Garza to attack again. Garza made contact and ripped a sac fly to left field and Richardson tagged up to score. It was Garza’s second RBI of the night, but Kansas City left two runners stranded on base to close out the inning.

Trevor Boone provided one last spark when he grabbed a two-out triple in the eighth inning, but unfortunately the Monarchs could not come up with the tying run. On the bright side, the Kansas City bullpen only gave up three hits the rest of the way after suffering seven in the first four innings. They had five different pitchers touch the mound and totaled seven K’s.

The Monarchs will look to shake off this opening-day defeat and get ready for the second game of the series tomorrow at Northwest Medicine Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 in Geneva.

Monarchs Finalize 27-Man Roster, Hit the Road to Kane County for Season-Opener

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Kansas City, KS —  Preseason is over and now the real deal begins. The Monarchs will officially kick off their 2026 campaign when they travel to Geneva, IL to take on the back-to-back American Association champions, the Kane County Cougars, for a three-game series. The Monarchs are 2-3 on opening day games since being renamed in 2021.

The opening day roster is a group with plenty of talent, a strong bullpen, and a lot of power at the plate. This will be Manager Joe Calfapietra’s ninth opening day as the Monarchs skipper. He will look to the start the season on the right foot and has the group behind him to do that. Calfapietra says, “It’s an exciting time, i’m easily excited and it doesn’t take much for me to get excited. This group bring out a lot of excitement (and) they’re really good kids, they are good people, so its fun to come out to the ballpark and be around them. (Also) our coaching staff is really good. So they’re fun to be around (and) they are a fresh group.” Joe has won the past two opening day games and will look to make it three-straight come Friday.

Of this 27-man roster, one of the standouts in the preseason was infielder Sahid Valenzuela who earned a five-RBI night in the first exhibition game including a two-run homer. He is a versatile player who is extremely talented in the field, but also can attack a defense on the offensive side with his switch-hitting ability. “Ive been doing that since I was a little kid, my dad just instilled that in me from a young age. It didn’t matter if it was a righty or lefty pitcher, he was telling me to switch off every single at bat. So now in pro-ball it helps out because I don’t see the left-on-left or right-on-right breakers, it’s just helpful.” Valenzuela has been exceptional swinging the bat and will look to carry his preseason momentum into the weekend.

Not only is this a talented team, but they’re very well connected off the field and in the clubhouse. The camaraderie is high amongst this group and the former Pirates product, Hudson Head, talks about how he enjoys being around his teammates. “I’m feeling great, we got a really good group of guys, everybody’s gelling well. We went through spring training, played hard, (and) did what we needed to get done. Just really excited for the season. Again, I can’t reiterate it enough, (it’s) just a really good group of guys so we are all really excited to get going and playing together.” Head was another player who shined in the preseason. He was the leadoff hitter on Monday night and also smoked an opposite field home-run on Tuesday afternoon.

All the focus shifts to Friday night and Kansas City has all the tools they need to contend for a league title. It starts against a Cougar team that is coming off their second-straight league title. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 pm at Northwest Medicine Field in Geneva.

Monarchs Wrap Up Preseason, Shift Focus To Season-Opener

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Kansas City, KS — The Monarchs finished out the preseason with a 7-5 defeat to the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks on Tuesday afternoon at Legends Field.

Just as they did last night, Fargo jumped in front in the second inning as Jesus Lujano reached home via error and Jake Hjelle crossed home plate on a double play.

The former Astros product, Austin Hansen, got the start on the mound and went three innings with three strikeouts while giving up four hits.

The bottom of third arrived and Monarchs outfielder, Grant Richardson continued his hot start to the preseason when he laced an RBI-double that brought home the local Kansas City native, Marcus Smith, to cut the lead in half.

It was in the fifth inning when the Redhawks built their largest lead of the afternoon as they were walked twice which brought up the returning Redhawk, Jose Sermo, who smoked a three-run homer to right field to bring the game to 5-1.

A Monarchs answer was much needed and they wasted no time answering the call. In the bottom half of the fifth, Alvaro Gonzalez led off with a single into right field which brought up Hudson Head. The San Antonio, Texas native crushed a two-run shot to the opposite field which cut into the lead. The bats kept flowing as singles from Richardson and Sahid Valenzuela brought up Trevor Boone who tagged a ball into center which allowed Richardson to score. Kansas City responded with a three-run inning of their own to bring the game to 5-4.

After the Monarchs gave up a tally in the sixth, they would make one final push in the eighth inning from Brady Lindsly who pushed an RBI-single into right field and Austin Callahan scored. Unfortunately, that would be the last time the Monarchs would cross home-plate. The Redhawks added an insurance run in the ninth off of a solo homer from Dillon Thomas which closed out the game.

This was the final game of the preseason as Kansas City will practice tomorrow and then hit the road on Thursday before kicking off their 2026 campaign on Friday night against Kane County. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

 

Monarchs Shine In Exhibition Victory

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Kansas City, KS — It was the first time Manager Joe Calfapietra got to see his team in action this season as they out-dueled the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks, 9-3, on Monday Night.

The left-handed pitcher, Jay Groome, got the start on the mound and Fargo-Moorhead jumped in front early when they grabbed three hits that resulted in two runs in the second inning.

The Monarchs immediately responded in the bottom half of the inning as the Indiana native, Grant Richardson, belted a solo home-run on the first pitch of his at-bat to cut the lead in half. Two batters later, Austin Callahan followed it up with a triple that led to him crossing home plate on a groundout-RBI from Saul Garza.

Three innings later, Kansas City took their first lead of the game in the fifth inning as Garza walked and Alvaro Gonzalez doubled to center field. The biggest moment of the inning was when Sahid Valenzuela, facing a full count, lined a ball into center field to bring home both runners and take a 4-2 lead.

Fargo took a run back in the seventh inning to cut the game to 4-3. The Redhawks had two runners on and in one of the most pivotal moments of the game, Grant Richardson made a leaping grab in left field to get out of the inning. The Monarchs kept the bats rolling as leadoff-hitter Hudson Head reached third via error from the Redhawks center fielder. Once again, Valenzuela came up big with a groundout-RBI to bring in Head. The former Reds product, Austin Callahan smashed an RBI-double to bring Valenzuela home which brought the lead to 6-3.

The Monarchs finished off the night with a bang in the eighth inning when Ryan Leitch nuked a solo home-run to right field and Sahid Valenzuela kept the foot on the gas pedal with a two-run home-run to finish off a five-RBI night from the former A’s product.

Kansas City will play one more exhibition game tomorrow against Fargo-Moorhead at Legends Field before opening the season on the road against the Kane County Cougars on Friday, May 15th. The team’s home opener is May 19th and tickets are on sale now.