The Bowling Green Hot Rods celebrate after beating the Rome Braves 7-1 in Game 3 of their South Atlantic League Divisional Series on Sept. 16 at Bowling Green Ballpark.

The reigning, back-to-back South Atlantic League Champion Bowling Green Hot Rods have won 2022 South Atlantic League Organization of the Year award.

The club also won the award for the SAL’s Best Promotion/Event.

The Hot Rods, the High-A affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, were honored during the 2022 Minor League Baseball Winter Meetings, being named the SAL Organization of the Year following their second season since rejoining the league. The award “celebrates the overall achievements of the MiLB Club which have demonstrated excellence across all business functions and in baseball operations.”

“To be counted among the best organizations in Minor League Baseball is such an honor and never gets old,” Hot Rods General Manager/COO Eric C. Leach said in a news release. “It’s a testament to how hard our staff works and how incredible this community in southcentral Kentucky really is.”

The Hot Rods had great success on the field, winning their second-straight league championship, but it’s what happened off the field that earned them the SAL’s Organization of the Year honor. Bowling Green was one of the first organizations to finish the mandatory MLB upgrades and was the only team in the South Atlantic League to receive above-average ratings in every statistical category voted on by visiting staff and umpiring crews.

The team also set franchise records in multiple sales categories while staff members continued to be involved in the community. For the eighth year in a row, the Hot Rods made $250,000 in donations to the community in donations and in-kind gifts including fundraising efforts after the tornados that devastated the community.

Leach was named President of Down Syndrome of South-Central Kentucky while Kyle Wolz, Hot Rods Assistant General Manager, was named president of the Stuff the Bus Foundation of Southern Kentucky. In September, Ashlee Wilson, director of marketing and corporate partnerships, was named one of Bowling Green’s Top 40 Under 40. Being active in our community has earned the Hot Rods the esteemed recognition of Bowling Green-Warren County Community Education’s Spirit of the Community Award, given to the most outstanding organization in our community.

The team also won Best In-Game Promotion in the SAL thanks to the introduction of Roger the Rally Ray, the Hot Rods’ rally mascot. He debuted on July 4 in front of the second-largest crowd in Bowling Green Ballpark history. Roger took the field for the first time from behind the center-field wall, making his way to the seats behind home plate while flapping his fins to energize the crowd. In his debut, Roger helped the Hot Rods to a walk-off win while sitting in the front row.

The Hot Rods begin their quest for a third-straight championship on April 7 on the road, while Bowling Green opens its home schedule on April 11 against the Rome Braves.