Early years (1946–1958) In 1946, Herbert L. Kokernot, Jr., son of Texas
cattle rancher and
entrepreneur Herbert L. Kokernot, retooled the semiprofessional baseball team the Alpine Cats into the Alpine Cowboys. While semiprofessional teams were not uncommon in Texas at the time, the Alpine Cowboys had the unusual benefit of a brand new stadium, Kokernot Field, opened for them in 1947. Constructed at a cost of $1.5 million, the elaborately decorated stadium included imported infield clay shipped by train from Georgia. The Cowboys used the stadium as its home field from 1947 through 1958, during which they took a dozen titles in the regional and were runners-up for a national championship. At the end of championship seasons, Kokernot presented each team member with a pair of handmade red cowboy boots emblazoned with the brand of his "o6" Ranch—a tradition that continues with the current Cowboys' cap insignia. In addition to supporting the team and the region with a state-of-the-art stadium, Kokernot also actively supported athletes in Alpine and elsewhere, bringing promising high-school graduates onto the roster of the team and offering college scholarships to players throughout the southwest. The team featured future major league stars, including
Norm Cash,
Gaylord Perry, and
Joe Horlen. The team launched a number of baseball professionals, including two
Hall of Fame inductees. Among them was coach
Tom Chandler.
Minor league baseball (1959–1961) Boston Red Sox affiliate In 1959, the
Boston Red Sox moved their minor league affiliate, the
Lexington Red Sox of the
Nebraska State League, to Alpine, and took the traditional name "Cowboys" for the team. The new Cowboys immediately won the
Class D Sophomore League title and set the record for the highest winning percentage of any Red Sox minor league team. In 2010, the final year of the CBL, the Cowboys went 33–15 in the regular season. They then defeated
Las Cruces in the championship, earning them their first
Ferguson Jenkins trophy.
Pecos League (2011–present) After the 2010 season, Alpine reorganized as a nonprofit corporation and became charter members of the
Pecos League alongside Las Cruces. In 2011, the Cowboys retired "Big Bend" and returned to the Alpine Cowboys name. In 2012, the Cowboys won their first Pecos League championship, defeating
Roswell. In 2019, the club captured their second Pecos League championship, defeating
Bakersfield in the finals. On June 9, 2023, pitcher Jared Strait died in a car crash outside of
Eldorado, Texas while on a road trip to play
Austin. The team retired his number, 57. In 2024, Alpine held a league best 45–4 record. The team set the Pecos League record with a winning percentage. On August 5, 2024, infielder James Prockish became the all time Pecos League hits leaders. ==Roster==