Minor league baseball in Zanesville began with the 1887 Zanesville Kickapoos, who were charter members of the
Ohio State League. The Zanesville Potters were immediately preceded in minor league play by the 1909
Zanesville Infants, of the
Class B level
Central League before the team changed nicknames. The newly nicknamed Zanesville "Potters" continued play in the 1910 eight-team, Class B level Central League. The Dayton Veterans,
Evansville River Rats, Fort Wayne Billikens,
Grand Rapids Raiders,
South Bend Bronchos, Terre Haute Stags and
Wheeling Stogies joined Zanesville in beginning league play on May 4, 1910. The "Potters" nickname corresponds to local industry and natural resources. J.B. Owens Pottery was founded in 1885. With a regular season record of 61–76, Zanesville played the season under returning manager Roy Montgomery, who had managed the Infants in 1909. Zanesville finished 27.0 games behind the first place South Bend Bronchos in the final league standings. Continuing play in 1911, the Potters placed third in the eight-team Central League. Zanesville finished with an overall record of 74–58, playing the season under manager Joe Raidey. Zanesville ended the season 11.0 games behind the first place Dayton Veterans. The Potters placed eleventh in the 12–team Central League, after the league had expanded. Zanesville ended the season with a record of 52–78, finishing 25.5 games behind the first Place Fort Wayne Railroaders. The Potters were managed Willis Kelley, Jack Pendry and
Marty Hogan. During the 1912 season, a deadly tornado hit Zanesville on June 16, 1912. The Zanesville franchise did not return to the 1913 Central League, with a newly named Zanesville team joining a new league in 1913. The team nickname referred to a flood of the
Muskingum River in March 1913, part of the
Great Flood of 1913. The local flooding left downtown areas of Zanesville under 20 feet of water, as the river crested at 27 feet above flood stage. The flood was the second natural disaster in Zanesville in nine months and 361 people died in the flooding. ==The ballpark==