Frisco Roughriders defend their home field in season opener against the Sod Poodles

The Frisco RoughRiders kicked off their 2023 season last night against the Amarillo Sod Poodles. Coming off winning the 2022 Texas League Championship, the RoughRiders look to repeat as champions this season. It's also their 20th anniversary of being in Frisco. Yesterday, they were named number one on the top 10 most stacked rosters in minor league baseball this season. Let's take a look at how they did last night against their west texas opponent.

Frisco RoughRiders stadium

Really not much has changed at Dr. Pepper Ballpark this season. Really the only change is some of the sponsors, especially the lawn seats. Kroger is no longer the sponsor for the lawn seats. The new sponsor is H-E-B which just had a location that opened up in the city of Frisco earlier this year. The other change is that Revolver Brewing has a beer that is RoughRider themed. The brew is called Big Stick Blonde and it will be available around the ballpark at every home game.

RoughRiders vs Sod Poodles

Pitching

Jack Leiter kicked off his sophomore season in what fans are calling somewhat promising. He did strike out five players last night. However, he did give up two home runs last night bringing in a total of 4 runs which allowed the Sod Poodles to tie the game up. He was lucky that the Rider's bats kicked in after he was yanked in the fourth inning. Grant Anderson came into the game and really showed he has improved from last year. He only allowed two hits in the two innings he pitched. We know that the Riders have some bats in Double-A this year but the pitching will surprise some fans.

Hitting

The Roughriders showed the Texas League pitchers that it's going to be a nightmare for them this season. Let's start off with Evan Carter who is worth the price of admission. Carter had two hits and finished the game with three RBIs. He is definitely a player that Rangers fans should keep an eye on down in Double-A this season. Trevor Hauver is another player Ranger fans will definitely love and should keep an eye on. He hit the first home run of the season last night which ended up being a grand slam. These hitters are definitely going to give other Texas League pitchers nightmares last night. It's why the Roughriders won 12-4 last night over the Sod Poodles.

Conclusion

After the victory over the Sod Poodles, fans that stayed were treated to postgame fireworks. Rangers fans that live in the DFW Metroplex should definitely drive over to Frisco to check out this very stacked roster that the Riders have this season. Based on what I saw last night, this team is well on its way to repeating as the Texas League Champions in 2023.