PaddleHeads En Route To Oakland For Opening Night

PaddleHeads Travel Day 1 Details: 

Starting Point: Missoula, MT

Day 1 End Point: West Wendover, NV

Miles To Travel: 614

Travel Route: 

1. Interstate 90 E To Exit 129 to Interstate 15 S 

2. Interstate 15 S to Exit 304 To Interstate 80 W

3. Exit Interstate 80 at Exit 314 at team hotel In West Wendover, NV

The Missoula PaddleHeads have concluded Spring Training and are en route to the West Coast for what will be an Opening Day test opposite the Oakland Ballers on Tuesday. This trip to California will be into uncharted waters for a few reasons. This will be the PaddleHeads first ever appearance in California in franchise history after hosting the Ballers in a 3-game series in 2025. Not only that, this team will take on the challenge of being a road warrior in a different way than any other PaddleHeads team before it. 

Not only have the PaddleHeads never appeared in California, Day 1's travels will take them farther than any other road trip has in team history. The previous high water mark was in 2023 when that team traveled from Boise, Idaho to Kalispell, Montana in one swing for a game with the Glacier Range Riders. That trip spanned just over 400 miles. When it is all said and done, this trip to the Bay Area will span over 1000 miles over 2 days. 

The team will break up the trip with a stop on the Nevada, and Utah border Sunday evening in the town of West Wendover.  A unique part of this town is half of the city is in the Beehive State with a Western portion of it being in the state of Nevada. With this being a factor, it actually is the only city in the state of Nevada that is not in the Pacific Time Zone and remains in Mountain Time because of its proximity to Utah. After this pit stop, the PaddleHeads will begin to close in on the Bay Area and its test with the Ballers. 

The PaddleHeads will arrive in Oakland for Opening Night on Monday evening with another full day of travel ahead. This day will feature a large portion of Interstate 80 heading toward the coast and will pass through scenic areas highlighted by the Lake Tahoe region. After these travels, the 2025 Pioneer League Champions will be waiting for them.   

The PaddleHeads will open their season Tuesday with a 3-Game set with the Oakland Ballers. Missoula's 25 man roster filled with a lot of new names with 7 returning players and 18 players that are set to make their PaddleHeads debut. Of the 25 players on the roster 13 are pitchers with 12 being listed as position players. After showing signs of success in camp, now it's time for the real deal. 

The 96 game grind of the PBL Season begins on Tuesday night with Game 1 of a 3 game set with the Oakland Ballers. The PaddleHeads managed to take 2 of 3 from the Ballers in their only meeting during the regular season in 2025 at Ogren Park. First pitch from the Bay Area on Tuesday is set for 6:35 Pacific.