User:Halvorsen brian/PP

The Portland Pickles are a collegiate summer wood bat baseball team who compete in the Great West League (GWL) based in Portland, Oregon. They were founded in 2015 and play at Walker Stadium in the neighborhood of Lents.

History
It was announced at Woodstock Elementary School on April 21, 2015 that a collegiate summer baseball team representing Portland, Oregon would join the Great West League (GWL). Sportscaster Ken Wilson is the owner and CEO of the team's parent company, Rose City Baseball LLC.

The name "Pickles" was selected in an on-line poll sponsored by Pamplin Media Group. "Mud Hounds", "Red Dogs", "Posse", "Pliers" and "Pixels" were all of the rejected names in the poll. After the announcement was made The Oregonian sportswriter Geoffrey C. Arnold wrote, "The Pickles? Really?". Team owner Ken Wilson said of the name, "We want to stand out from the crowd and keep Portland weird [...] We're all about fun and we're all going to have lots of fun with the name Pickles."

Walker Stadium at Lents Park in the neighborhood of Lents was selected as the team's home venue. The team's parent company, Rose City Baseball LLC, helped the City of Portland renovate the stadium in time for the 2016 season to the cost of $650,000. Improvements included upgrading the bleacher seats to chair-backed seats, upgrading the playing surface and adding a Major League Baseball regulation backstop, a new scoreboard, a new press box, new concession and merchandise area, and new dugouts.

Host families in and around Portland allow members of the Pickles to live with them during the two-and-a-half month season, similar to how lower levels of Minor League Baseball coordinate living arrangements.

J.J. Altobelli, a former Oregon Ducks baseball player, serves as the Pickles' manager.