New England Collegiate Baseball League

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New England Collegiate Baseball League
Upcoming season or competition:
Current sports event 2022 NECBL season
SportBaseball
Founded1993
MottoKeep your eye
on the dream
No. of teams14
Country United States
Most recent
champion(s)		Martha's Vineyard Sharks (1)
Most titlesNewport Gulls (6)
Official websitewww.necbl.com

The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 14-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August. Like the Cape Cod Baseball League and other amateur leagues, the NECBL is a showcase for top college-level players, giving professional baseball scouts a chance to see prospective pros playing against each other. Along with the Cape Cod Baseball League, Northwoods League, and Coastal Plain League, it is considered one of the top summer leagues in the country and is a part of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball. In 2019, the Collegiate Summer Baseball Register ranked the NECBL as the 2nd best collegiate summer baseball league, behind only the Cape Cod League.[1][2][3]

Founded in 1993, the NECBL began its direction under George Foster, former Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets All-Star and Major League Baseball home run leader, and Emmy Award-winning television producer/director Joseph Consentino. Play started in 1994 and today the NECBL has become a fourteen-team league that plays in all six New England states.[4] It recruits players attending U.S. colleges from New England, the other 44 states, and foreign countries, provided that they come from NCAA-sanctioned colleges or universities, are in good academic standing, have completed at least one year of athletic eligibility, and have at least one year of eligibility remaining.

The NECBL's current commissioner is Sean McGrath, former general manager of the North Adams SteepleCats. McGrath replaced Mario Tiani, who retired following the 2012 season.

League structure

The NECBL became a 13-team league in 2013 with the addition of teams in Rhode Island (Ocean State Waves), Massachusetts (Plymouth Pilgrims) and New York (Saratoga Brigade) (the league's first team to operate outside New England), but reverted to 12 teams after the Brigade folded. On October 30, 2015, the league announced that the Upper Valley Nighthawks would begin play in 2016 in Hartford, Vermont, bringing the league back to 13 teams.[5] The Plymouth Pilgrims ceased operations after the 2018 season[6] but were replaced by the Martha's Vineyard Sharks, a former member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL). The New Bedford BaySox ceased after the 2019 season, replaced by the Bristol Blues, who also moved from the FCBL.[7] The North Shore Navigators returned to the league in 2021 after nine years in the FCBL.[8]

Teams

Current teams

Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
50km
30miles
none
Blue Sox
Waves
Muskrats
Gulls
Mountaineers
Schooners
Sharks
Nighthawks
Mainers
Navigators
Westerners
SteepleCats
Swamp Bats
.
Blues
  • West Division
  • North Division
  • Coastal Division
New England Collegiate Baseball League
Division Team Founded City Stadium Capacity
Coastal
Martha's Vineyard Sharks 2010[a] Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts The Shark Tank ^2,000[9]
Mystic Schooners[b] 1994 Norwich, Connecticut Senator Thomas J. Dodd Memorial Stadium 6,270
Newport Gulls 1999 Newport, Rhode Island Cardines Field 3,250
North Shore Navigators 2008[c] Lynn, Massachusetts Fraser Field 3,804
Ocean State Waves 2013 South Kingstown, Rhode Island Old Mountain Field ^2,000[10]
Division Team Founded City Stadium Capacity
North
Keene Swamp Bats 1997 Keene, New Hampshire Alumni Field 4,800
Sanford Mainers 2002 Sanford, Maine Goodall Park 950
Upper Valley Nighthawks 2016 Hartford, Vermont Maxfield Sports Complex 1,500[11]
Vermont Mountaineers 2003 Montpelier, Vermont Montpelier Recreation Field 1,200
Division Team Founded City Stadium Capacity
West
Bristol Blues 2015[d] Bristol, Connecticut Muzzy Field 4,900
Danbury Westerners 1995 Danbury, Connecticut Rogers Park ^2,500[12]
North Adams SteepleCats 2002 North Adams, Massachusetts Joe Wolfe Field 1,800
Valley Blue Sox 2001 Holyoke, Massachusetts Mackenzie Stadium 4,100
  • A caret (^) denotes an approximate capacity, including lawn seating.
  1. ^ The Sharks played in the FCBL from 2010–2018.
  2. ^ The Schooners are the only surviving charter franchise.
  3. ^ The Navigators played in the FCBL from 2012–2020.
  4. ^ The Blues played in the FCBL from 2015–2019.

Relocated or renamed teams

Team City Stadium Capacity Years History
Waterbury White Sox Waterbury, Connecticut Municipal Stadium 6,000
1994
 Became the Waterbury Barons
Eastern Tides Willimantic, Connecticut Eastern Baseball Stadium 1,500 1994–2001 Became the Thread City Tides
Thread City Tides Willimantic, Connecticut Eastern Baseball Stadium 1,500 2002–2003 Became the Berkshire Dukes
Berkshire Dukes Hinsdale, Massachusetts Dan Duquette Sports Academy[13]
2004
 Became the Pittsfield Dukes
Pittsfield Dukes Pittsfield, Massachusetts Wahconah Park 4,500 2005–2008 Became the Pittsfield American Defenders
Pittsfield American Defenders Pittsfield, Massachusetts Wahconah Park 4,500
2009
 Became the Bristol Collegiate Baseball Club
Bristol Collegiate Baseball Club Bristol, Connecticut Muzzy Field 4,900
2010
 Became the Mystic Schooners
Middletown Giants Middletown, Connecticut Palmer Field 3,500 1994–2003 Became the Holyoke Giants
Holyoke Giants Holyoke, Massachusetts Mackenzie Stadium 4,100 2004–2007 Became the North Shore Navigators
Rhode Island Reds West Warwick, Rhode Island McCarthy Field 2,500 1996–2000 Became the Riverpoint Royals
Torrington Twisters Torrington, Connecticut Fuessenich Park 1,500 1997–2008 Became the New Bedford Bay Sox
Rhode Island Gulls Cranston, Rhode Island Cranston Stadium 4,500 1998–2000 Became the Newport Gulls.
Mill City All-Americans Lowell, Massachusetts Stoklosa Alumni Field 4,000 2000–2006 Renamed the Lowell All-Americans
Lowell All-Americans Lowell, Massachusetts Stoklosa Alumni Field 4,000 2007–2010 Became the Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide
Manchester Silkworms Manchester, Connecticut Northwest Park 2000–2009 Became the Laconia Muskrats
Laconia Muskrats Laconia, New Hampshire Robbie Mills Field 1,200 2010-2015 Became the Winnipesaukee Muskrats
Concord Quarry Dogs Concord, New Hampshire Warren H. Doane Diamond 1,200 2001–2007 Became the Holyoke Blue Sox, now the Valley Blue Sox

Defunct teams

Team City Stadium Capacity Years
Fairfield Stallions Fairfield, Connecticut Alumni Baseball Diamond 1,000 1994
Bristol Nighthawks Bristol, Connecticut Muzzy Field 4,900 1994–1995
Waterbury Barons Waterbury, Connecticut Municipal Stadium 6,000 1994–1996
Central Mass Collegians Leominster, Massachusetts Doyle Field 6,200 1995–1999
Riverpoint Royals West Warwick, Rhode Island McCarthy Field 2,500 1996–2004
Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide Old Orchard Beach, Maine The Ball Park 6,000 2000–2011
Saratoga Brigade Saratoga Springs, New York East Side Recreation 2013
Plymouth Pilgrims Plymouth, Massachusetts Forges Field 2013-2018
New Bedford Bay Sox New Bedford, Massachusetts Paul Walsh Field 1997–2019
Winnipesaukee Muskrats Laconia, New Hampshire Robbie Mills Field 1,200 2010-2022

Season structure

In the 2021 season, the league was divided into two seven-team divisions, the North Division and the South Division. During the regular season, teams played 44 regular-season games, solely against division opponents, because of COVID-19 travel concerns. Scheduled doubleheaders were seven-inning games.

The top four teams from each division qualified for the eight-team playoff bracket, in which teams played best-of-three series to determine the champion.

For 2022, the NECBL went to three divisions, with a single pair of games against each out-of-division team.

Past champions

Total NECBL Fay Vincent Cup Records
Franchise Titles Last Title Appearances
Newport Gulls 6 2014 11
Keene Swamp Bats 5 2019 7
North Shore Navigators 4 2010 4
Middletown Giants 3 1999 3
Vermont Mountaineers 3 2015 5
Central Mass Collegians 2 1996 2
Mystic Schooners 2 2016 3
Sanford Mainers 2 2008 4
Valley Blue Sox 2 2018 2
Danbury Westerners 1 2021 5
Martha's Vineyard Sharks 1 2022 2
New Bedford Bay Sox 0 4
Ocean State Waves 0 2
Bristol Nighthawks 0 1
Winnipesaukee Muskrats 0 1
Waterbury Barons 0 1
Riverpoint Royals 0 0
Fairfield Stallions 0 0
North Adams SteepleCats 0 0
Plymouth Pilgrims 0 0
Saratoga Brigade 0 0
Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide 0 0
Upper Valley Nighthawks 0 0

In the NECBL's history, the most successful team is the Newport Gulls, with six league championships and eleven championship series appearances (including one championship appearance as the Cranston, Rhode Island-based Rhode Island Gulls). The Keene Swamp Bats are next with five league titles and the North Shore Navigators have four.[14]

Year Winning Team Series Losing Team
1994 Eastern Tides
3–2
 Bristol Nighthawks
1995 Central Mass Collegians
2–0
 Waterbury Barons
1996 Central Mass Collegians
2–1
 Danbury Westerners
1997 Middletown Giants
2–1
 Torrington Twisters
1998 Middletown Giants
3–1
 Torrington Twisters
1999 Middletown Giants
3–1
 Danbury Westerners
2000 Keene Swamp Bats
2–1
 Rhode Island Gulls
2001 Newport Gulls
2–1
 Keene Swamp Bats
2002 Newport Gulls
2–0
 Keene Swamp Bats
2003 Keene Swamp Bats
2–0
 Torrington Twisters
2004 Sanford Mainers
2–1
 Newport Gulls
2005 Newport Gulls
2–0
 Vermont Mountaineers
2006 Vermont Mountaineers
2–0
 Torrington Twisters
2007 Vermont Mountaineers
2–0
 Newport Gulls
2008 Sanford Mainers
2–0
 Newport Gulls
2009 Newport Gulls
2–1
 Vermont Mountaineers
2010 North Shore Navigators
2–1
 Danbury Westerners
2011 Keene Swamp Bats
2–0
 Laconia Muskrats
2012 Newport Gulls
2–0
 Danbury Westerners
2013 Keene Swamp Bats
2–1
 Newport Gulls
2014 Newport Gulls
2–0
 Sanford Mainers
2015 Vermont Mountaineers
2-1
 Mystic Schooners
2016 Mystic Schooners
2-0
 Sanford Mainers
2017 Valley Blue Sox
2-0
 Ocean State Waves
2018 Valley Blue Sox
2-0
 Ocean State Waves
2019 Keene Swamp Bats
2-0
 Martha's Vineyard Sharks
2020 None (season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic)[15]
2021 Danbury Westerners 2-0 North Shore Navigators
2022 Martha's Vineyard Sharks 2-0 Vermont Mountaineers

Notable alumni

The following former NECBL players have gone on to play in Major League Baseball.[16] Former NECBL players have reached the major league rosters of all thirty MLB teams, the thirtieth team being the Philadelphia Phillies when, in September 2015, Brian Bogusevic debuted with the team.[17] Template:NECBL alumni

Media

All NECBL games are broadcast online through the NECBL Broadcast Network from Blueframe, with Pointstreak providing live stats for all games.[18]

On May 14, 2010, the league signed an agreement with Pointstreak. Pointstreak provides "real-time scoring, official statistics, and administration services" to the NECBL. A highlight of Pointstreak's services is Game Live, a real-time statistics feature providing play-by-play for every NECBL game.[19]

In 2020, the league announced that Blueframe would provide the official streaming service for the league.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Rogers, Kendall (July 20, 2007). "Kendall's Mailbag: Ducks in a row". Rivals.com College Baseball. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
  2. ^ Nation, Boyd (September 21, 2010). "Talent Levels for the 2010 College Summer Leagues". Boyd's World. Archived from the original on March 7, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2012. Overall, other than the clearcut win for the Cape, this leaves me a little fuzzy as to who's second, or to even who the second tier is. Overall, the NECBL, Jayhawk, and Northwoods leagues look good, but if you pay less attention to the D1% column (which may be reasonable, given the strength of the California JC ranks, for example), the California and West Coast leagues may join them.
  3. ^ "2012 Baseball Season Preview Part 1: Q&A with Head Coach Brett Boretti". GoColumbiaLions.com. Columbia University Athletics. February 23, 2012. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  4. ^ "NECBL Goes with 10 Teams for 2012". BallparkDigest.com. February 11, 2012. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  5. ^ "on Pointstreak Sports Technologies". Pointstreak Sports Technologies. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  6. ^ Wolcott, David. "Plymouth Pilgrims baseball franchise ceases operations". Wicked Local Plymouth. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
  7. ^ "Back to Bristol; New England League Welcomes Bristol Blues to League for 2020". NECBL. November 7, 2019.
  8. ^ "North Shore Navigators Rejoining NECBL". North Shore Navigators (Press release). April 13, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  9. ^ "Vineyard Baseball Park – Martha's Vineyard Sharks". Stadium Journey.
  10. ^ "Old Mountain Field – Ocean State Waves". Stadium Journey.
  11. ^ "Maxfield Sports Complex – Upper Valley Nighthawks". Stadium Journey.
  12. ^ "Rogers Park Field – Danbury Westerners". Stadium Journey.
  13. ^ Berkshire Dukes Box Score, c. 2004 URL accessed June 5, 2009 Archived October 31, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ NECBL Record Book at necbl.com, URL accessed July 22, 2009 Archived July 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Geoghegan, William (May 7, 2020). "Waves sidelined as NECBL cancels season". The Independent. Wakefield, RI. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  16. ^ "NECBL Alumni". NECBL. New England Collegiate Baseball League. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  17. ^ "League". NECBL. New England Collegiate Baseball League. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
  18. ^ NECBL Broadcast Network at necbl.com, URL accessed June 4, 2010. Archived June 4, 2010
  19. ^ NECBL Signs Agreement with Pointstreak at necbl.com, URL accessed June 4, 2010. Archived June 4, 2010

External links

Team websites

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