Wichita Wind Surge
Dad and I travel to Equity Bank Park in Wichita to see the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge host the Tulsa Drillers in a Texas League showdown.
I dropped Dad off at the first-base entrance to Equity Bank Park in Wichita and returned a few minutes later for the second and final Double-A matchup of our ballpark odyssey between the visiting Tulsa Drillers (a Dodgers affiliate) and the hometown Wichita Wind Surge (Minnesota Twins).
When construction began on this ballpark in 2019, the newly minted Wind Surge were expected to be playing Triple-A baseball here. Equity Bank Park — originally called Riverfront Stadium — was built to accommodate the relocation of the Triple-A New Orleans Babycakes and their rebranding as the Wind Surge. But when Minor League Baseball reorganized in 2021, shedding 42 affiliated teams, it also added two teams with Triple-A-sized ballparks from the independent leagues — the St. Paul Saints and the Sugar Land Skeeters (now the Space Cowboys). This meant that despite having a brand-new ballpark that can accommodate more than 10,000 fans, the Wind Surge would be pushed down to Double-A when they first debuted later that year.
Wichita’s first minor league team — called the “Wichita” team in a show of Midwestern understatement — played in the Kansas State League in 1887. The Wichita Braves and Eagles also made brief appearances in the 19th century. The Wichita Jobbers set up shop in the Class C Western Association in 1905 and moved to the Class A Western League in 1909, changing names over the next two decades to become the Witches, Izzies, Larks, Aviators, and Oilers. In 1934, the Oilers departed for Muskegee, Oklahoma, leaving Wichita without a team until 1950.
That same year, however, Lawrence Stadium (later called Lawrence-Dumont Stadium) was built as a Works Progress Administration project on the same spot where Equity Bank Park stands today. In 1935, it hosted the inaugural National Baseball Congress tournament, featuring Negro leagues star Satchel Paige, who was paid $1,000 to bring his Bismarck Churchills club to Wichita. The Churchills went 7-0 that year to take the NBC title, with Paige winning four of those games on his way to being named tournament MVP. The NBC competition — now called the NBC World Series and focused on amateur clubs — has been played in Wichita ever year since (including during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020).
In 1950, the Wichita Indians made their debut at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium and bounced between affiliations with the St. Louis Browns, Cleveland Indians, and Baltimore Orioles through the 1955 season. The Triple-A Wichita Braves played from 1956 to 1958 as a Milwaukee affiliate, then moved the franchise to Fort Worth, Texas. Another Triple-A club, the Aeros, landed in 1970 and fielded some outstanding players — Buddy Bell, Chris Chambliss, Rick Reuschel, Bruce Sutter, Lee Smith, Eric Davis — while affiliated with five different MLB clubs during their 15-year run. That ended in 1984, when the team was moved to Buffalo to become the Bisons.
Wichita stepped back down to Double-A baseball as the Wranglers of the Texas League from 1987 to 2007, affiliated with the San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals and fielding future stars like Andy Benes and Alex Gordon. But they were still playing in 75-year-old Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, a factor that led the Wranglers move in 2018 to Bentonville, Arkansas, as the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
Independent ball filled the gap between the Wranglers and the Wind Surge from 2008 to 2018 with the equally alliterative Wichita Wingnuts of the American Association.
All of this to say that Wichita fans well understand the grief of supporters in New Orleans after losing their Baby Cakes to Wichita in 2019 — and indeed of fans of dozens of teams across the country whose existence became rocky or ended entirely after the 2020 pandemic.
Equity Bank Park is a sharp and modern-looking facility that feels every bit like a Triple-A ballpark, with a wide concourse filled with places to eat, drink, and play. The Wind Surge averaged 4,025 fans per game in 2025, fifth-best in the 10-team Texas League.
Earlier in the day, we made a stop at the Wind Surge team store in center field to take advantage of its daytime operating hours — a rarity in the minor leagues. This gave us ample time to explore the logoed wonders of the expansive shop and make critical purchasing decisions.
The Wind Surge’s main logo features a Pegasus and employs wings in alternate marks to connote the power of the wind. The team also has a handful of excellent alternate identities, such as the Turbo Tubs (celebrating the Wichita River Festival, which started just after we left town and features bathtub races down the Arkansas River); the Chili Buns (an ode to the classic Midwestern dish of chili and cinnamon rolls); and their Copa de la Diversión persona, Tumba Vacas de Wichita (or “cow tippers”). Each of these concepts was cleverly transformed into the colorful apparel before us.
I kept it simple and chose the primary logo on a black background, and Dad found a good logo ball. But we still hadn’t seen anyone else in the store.
As we approached the counter, Billy Houle, Director of Sales for the Wind Surge, emerged from a back office. We purchased our merch, told him about our trip, and asked about the Wichita Baseball Museum, which is connected to the team store building but seemed to be closed.
Houle offered to take us inside the museum, a small but attractive space that is used for hosting group events. We wandered about as we talked, taking in artifacts and memorabilia from Wichita’s baseball past. We really appreciated Houle taking some time to show us around.
Fast-forward a few hours, and I was walking past the shop and around the concourse before the ballgame, impressed by the variety of amenities available for kids coming to the ballpark.
Kids also flew toward Windy, a sky-blue winged Pegasus and the Wind Surge mascot.
Wichita entered the contest with a 24-23 record, good for fourth place in the Texas League North. The team would end up with winnings records in both halves of the 2025 season but would miss the playoffs. The Drillers were several games behind Wichita in the division cellar. Despite a much-better second-half performance, they, too, missed the playoffs.
We settled into our seats, lineup cards were exchanged, and a woman sang a forceful rendition of the national anthem with a country twang. Play ball.
Darren Bowen
From the perspective of a partisan supporter of the home team — which we are, no matter what ballpark we’re in on these road trips — the game began poorly. Wichita right-hander Darren Bowen gave up a double, hit a batter, then allowed a single and a double as the Drillers put three runs on the board in the first. A 13th-round draft pick of the Mariners in 2022, Bowen had moved up the Minor League ladder each year of his career but would finish the season with a 5.68 ERA in 84 innings of work.
Bowen allowed another run in the second to give Tulsa an early 4-0 lead.
Tulsa sent 21-year-old Jackson Ferris to the mound. A second-round pick in that same 2022 draft, Ferris would finish 2025 with a 3.86 ERA and 135 strikeouts in 126 innings of work. He put runners aboard in each of the first two innings but kept them from scoring.
Time for dinner. Wichita had plenty on offer, including Freddy’s Steakburgers. I was also somewhat intrigued by the Wichita Dog, with pulled pork, pinto beans, coleslaw and barbecue sauce.
During my research for these road trips, I gather pretty much every podcast I can find related to the teams we’ll be seeing. I create a folder with episodes that are in the order we’ll visit each team’s ballpark — podcasts produced by the teams or members of the minor league baseball community: The Show Before the Show, Baseball by Design, The Earned Fun Average, The Dad Hat Chronicles, The Baseball Bucket List, Minor League Fan Club, Ballpark Hunter, Minor Breakdown, and others. These hosts see and relate the minor league experience from their unique perspectives, and when we drive from city to city, we listen to learn a little about the teams, their history, their branding, and their ballparks.
On our way into town, we’d heard Wichita concessions recommendations from The Earned Fun Average co-host and Wind Surge fan Eric Proffitt, and from Wichita broadcaster Tim Grubbs during his appearance on Minor League Fan Club. Grubbs gave a strong recommendation for the Cuban sandwich that had me convinced, and it was some kind of incredible — cheesy, juicy goodness. I paired it with a Wind Surge Blonde Ale from Coop Ale Works of Oklahoma City. Dad had a footlong brat with peppers, onions, and cheese, and ate every bit of it. It pays to do your research.
Tanner Schobel
The home team finally got on the board in the fifth inning. A one-out walk and a triple by shortstop Ben Ross brought in the first run. Third baseman Tanner Schobel then slammed a ball down the left-field line and over the fence to bring in two more. The Twins second-round pick in 2022, Schobel hit .292 in 49 games for the Wind Surge before being promoted to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints less than a week after our game.
Wichita’s bullpen did everything asked of it to keep the home team in the game. Three relievers combined for six innings, giving up no runs on just three hits. Right-hander John Klein was particularly dominant, striking out eight in 3 1/3 innings.
There was some fairly frenzied fun on the field between innings. Staff at most minor league ballparks really hustle to get a game set up, conducted, and back off the field in the two minutes and 25 seconds allotted between innings. But in many cases, Wind Surge on-field host Angie Smith had a mandate to get events done in even less time to allow for some additional business, such as a promotion for an upcoming game. This made things feel harried and a bit stressful, and it was occasionally difficult to get a bead on what was happening before it was over.
I did track a pizza giveaway, a remote-control car race on the concourse, a simple ball toss into nets, a game of Family Feud, and old favorites like the Simba cam, a Dizzy Bat race in which both contestants emerged relatively clearheaded, and a race between a pineapple, watermelon, orange, and apple, won going away by the Red Delicious. (Watch the episode!)
And we were thrilled to be called out on the video board — likely the work of Billy Houle again!
During another between-inning break, Windy and other team personnel tossed squeezable Wind Surge faux baseballs to fans from the press box. As I filmed the festivities, one of the balls came my way. I reached out and, without really even seeing the ball, caught it in one hand as I kept filming with the other.
After the seventh-inning stretch, I took my customary late-inning lap around the concourse to get some views of the game from the outfield with the score still 4-3 Tulsa.
Families relaxed on grass berms and parties of 20-somethings enjoyed one more beer before Last Call.
Both bullpens were active, looking to save or steal a win from the tight affair.
When I got back to our seats, I looked back up at the press box and noticed a tribute to Lou Schwechheimer, the Wind Surge’s original majority owner and the driving force behind the club’s move to Wichita. Schwechheimer died in 2020 due to complications from COVID-19, and the team wore his image as a patch on their jerseys for their inaugural 2021 season.
Wichita was held hitless for the final three innings, but things still got spicy in the ninth. Drillers reliver Jeisson Cabrera walked two hitters, then hit another. With bases loaded and two outs, the Wind Surge were a single away from stealing the game and had Schobel returning to the plate to attempt some additional heroics. But Cabrera got Schobel to hit a high pop fly near the Wind Surge dugout, ending the threat and the game.
It had been a fun night in a terrific ballpark, but our home teams had compiled a 1-3 record in our first four games, We still had 16 more to turn things around.