Bob & Margaret Bavasi
Baseball Owners

Snohomish County is the home to affiliated professional baseball due to the efforts of Bob and Margaret Bavasi. Bob and Margaret purchased the floundering Walla Walla Mountain Bears franchise and, in 1984, chose Everett as the place to re-launch the franchise despite not knowing anyone in the community previously.

By Opening Day 1984, the Bavasi’s had secured an affiliation agreement with the San Francisco Giants and renamed their franchise the Everett Giants. The community had invested $250,000 in improvements to the Everett Memorial Stadium, which had 2,200 seats. The credibility of the affiliation agreement with the Giants and the stadium improvements helped the club draw over capacity crowds on a nightly basis. The Bavasi’s goal was to ensure that every night at the ballpark was a fun experience for kids, casual fans and serious fans alike.

In 1995 the team switched affiliations to the Seattle Mariners, the local Major League Baseball franchise. This new affiliation agreement brought young Mariner prospects to Everett to make up the roster of the newly-renamed Everett AquaSox. The club’s popularity continued to grow, leading to a $5.5 million bond issue to fund continued stadium improvements and the expansion of seating to a capacity of 4,000 spectators.
When Bob and Margaret chose to sell the team, their commitment to the community continued with their goal that the next owner share their passion and gratefulness to the community that hosted the franchise. Thanks to the leadership and vision of Bob and Margaret Bavasi, the AquaSox franchise celebrated its 30th anniversary during the 2014 season.