Swag auction marks the end of Rocky Mountain Vibes
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The Vibes mascot, Toasty. Photo: Glenn Wallace/Axios
The end of professional baseball in Colorado Springs became all the more final in mid-February as the remnants of the Rocky Mountain Vibes were sold at auction.
Why it matters: The Vibes' departure leaves the city without a pro baseball team and closes a 37-year chapter of minor league baseball in the community.
The big picture: Colorado Springs, which has a larger population than Salt Lake City; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Oakland, California; and Miami, Florida, now only boasts a minor league soccer team.
The latest: All that remained of the franchise — hats, T-shirts, signs, shelving, furniture and kitchen equipment — was auctioned off at the Vibes' old stadium on Feb. 15.
- John Ross, a sales director with the auction company Equip-Bid, told Axios the seating at the Stetson Hills-area stadium would remain "while the owners figure out what will happen with the property."
State of play: The Vibes' exit is part of a broader Pioneer League pullback from Colorado, which included the 2025 departures of the Northern Colorado Owlz (Windsor) and Grand Junction Humpback Chubs.
- The shift comes as the league consolidates out of state, making travel and altitude challenges for Colorado teams harder to sustain.
- The Vibes played in Colorado Springs from 2019 to 2025, following the Sky Sox's three-decade run beginning in 1988.
What they're saying: "I'll miss the family environment and being able to bring the kids out here to enjoy what I did as a kid," former season ticket holder and Springs resident Brandon Anderson told Axios, after winning the auction for the team's guest services booth for $391.
- Meanwhile, former groundskeeper Collin Tyzinski told us he remembers the stadium being full of life, "especially on Opening Day or the Fourth of July." He said many of the Vibes' devotees had also been longtime fans of the Sky Sox.
- "It's kind of sad to see the place go, though, like cleaning up a grandparent's house," Tyzinski said.
What we're watching: The city has long been planning a 70-acre park surrounding three sides of the Vibes' stadium.
- Currently, it lacks the necessary funds to proceed with construction, let alone buy the stadium property.
- Tax records show the Elmore subsidiary, Sky Sox Stadium Inc., still owns the stadium, with an estimated market value of more than $6 million.
What's next: The Vibes won't compete anywhere in 2026, KRDO reports, and team owner D.G. Elmore said there are no plans to bring baseball back to Colorado Springs.