Skylands Stadium, originally called Skylands Park, opened in 1994. The stadium was built for the relocating
Glens Falls Redbirds, who at the time were the
St. Louis Cardinals'
New York–Penn League affiliate and were playing in
Glens Falls, New York at
East Field. The team was relocating for the second time in as many years after playing in
Hamilton, Ontario in 1992. The team became known as the
New Jersey Cardinals after moving to Sussex County and played there until 2005. Following the season, the Cardinals announced they were relocating their New York–Penn League affiliate to
University Park, Pennsylvania, where it became known as the
State College Spikes. The Can-Am League announced shortly after the Cardinals' move was made official that they would be expanding for the 2006 season and adding a team in Sussex County. Owned by the same ownership group that held the
New Jersey Jackals, the new team was named the
Sussex Skyhawks after a contest where fans submitted names. The Skyhawks won the league championship in 2008, but folded in 2010. Skylands Park was also a temporary home for the
Newark Bears of the
Atlantic League of Professional Baseball in their inaugural season; the Bears played their first 20 home games there while
Riverfront Stadium in Newark was being built.
Sussex County Miners In 2014, after purchasing Skylands Stadium the year before, Dorso officially announced the arrival of the Miners, who began play the following season. The Miners struggled their first two seasons, finishing last and second-to-last in the league and missing the playoffs both season. In the 2017 season, the Miners qualified for the playoffs for the first time in franchise history. However, they got swept 3-0 in the opening round by the eventual champions, the
Québec Capitales. The following season, the Miners won their first regular season title, placing first in the league. On September 9, 2018, the Miners defeated the
Trois-Rivières Aigles in the opening round series 3-2 to advance to their first championship round in franchise history. The following series, they defeated the
Québec Capitales 3-1 in the championship series to earn their first league championship, winning on a dramatic walk-off home run by Martin Figueroa. The Miners were almost able to replicate their success the following season, finishing first in the regular season standings and winning their opening round series against their rival
Rockland Boulders. In the championship series, however, they lost 3-1 to their in-state rival
New Jersey Jackals, also owned by Dorso. Following the 2019 season, it was announced that the Can-Am League, along with five of its six teams, would be absorbed by the Frontier League. Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, however, the Frontier League announced there would be no season that year. Instead, the Miners played in the local
All-American Baseball Challenge, a six-team league introduced to entertain fans during the pandemic. Skylands Stadium hosted the Miners and the Skylands Cardinals, a team introduced for the challenge that referenced the area's baseball history. The Miners had a stellar regular season in the Challenge, finishing first in the league's standings, but fell to the New York Brave in the opening round, eliminating them from the championship game. The Miners finished third in the Challenge after beating the Jersey Wise Guys in the third place game. In 2021, the Miners officially began Frontier League play, but missed the playoffs after finishing second in the Northeast Division. After the league's 2025 realignment, the Miners play in the League's East Division, along with the
New Jersey Jackals,
New York Boulders, and
Down East Bird Dawgs. Following the 2022 season, it was announced that Field Manager Bobby Jones would become the Vice President of the New Jersey Jackals. The Miners announced that former Major League catcher
Chris Widger would manage the ball club in 2023.
Rivalries New Jersey Jackals Considered by some to be the best rivalry in the FL, also known as the "Battle of New Jersey". The New Jersey Jackals–Sussex County Miners rivalry began in 2015 when the Miners were introduced in the Can-Am League. The rivalry exists both due to divisional alignment and geographic location, as both teams play in
New Jersey. They've faced each other in the playoffs three times, the last time being the 2023 East Division Wild Card Game.
New York Boulders The Boulders–Miners rivalry is due to both teams located within a distance of 50 miles, as well as playing in the same league/division for several years. The Miners are one of the three FL teams located in the
New York metropolitan area, along with the Boulders and the Jackals. The rivalry is similar to the Jackals–Boulders rivalry, also known as the
Battle of the Hudson River. ==Season-by-season records==