In 2009, the Visalia Oaks changed their name, that was in use since 1977, into Visalia Rawhide. Here is the story about how the club got to that name.
The 2009 rebrand came together with a major upgrade of their historic ballpark, which was terribly outdated. But thanks to MLB shoving its demands down MiLB throats, The Rawhide had to upgrade their ballpark. Now thanks to several big upgrades in 2026, affiliated ball will stay in Visalia for the time being. The upgrades concern the turf and player facilities (batting cages, clubhouses, lighting system and the outfield fence. Also the capacity of the ballpark is extended from 2,468 to 2,700.
The Oaks name, lasted for more than three decades, but never really caught up with the community of Visalia. The name Rawhide, on the other hand, hit the right spot. The Rawhide is the only professional sports team in Tulare County and [neighboring] Kings County, and those areas are very much agriculture based.
As a result, the name is a nod to the dairy industry in the area. But of course, the name is also a link to baseball itself as the gloves and balls were made of rawhide back in the day.
Because of the agricultural link, the club came up with a nice gimmick in 2018: The largest cowbell in the USA. As a result, cowbells are a big hit in the fan shop of the Rawhide, much to the annoyance of the opposing teams.
The Rawhide named 2018 the year of the cowbell a year-long celebration of the fact that it was the tenth anniversary since the Visalia franchise re-branded as the Rawhide in 2009.
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