California Collegiate League
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1993 |
| Commissioner | Pat Burns |
| No. of teams | 14 |
| Country |  United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Santa Barbara Foresters |
| Official website | California Collegiate League: Home |
The California Collegiate League (CCL), founded in 1993, is a collegiate summer baseball league headquartered in Santa Barbara, California, United States. It is associated with the National Baseball Congress.
The CCL hosts a 39-game summer season including a north-vs.-south All-Star Game.[1] Players use wooden bats and professional-level baseballs to further their development as potential professional ballplayers.
History
Four new teams from Northern California joined the CCL in 2014 (Menlo Park Legends, Neptune Beach Pearl, Pacific Union Capitalists and Walnut Creek Crawdads).[2]
Since 2014, the CCL has undergone significant growth and expansion, now chartering teams from Placerville to Orange County. Teams added to the league since the conclusion of 2013 postseason include, the Walnut Creek Crawdads, the Neptune Beach Pearl, the Menlo Park Legends (who have since left the league), and the Orange Country Riptide.
In 2015, the Texas Rangers, selected Dillon Tate with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, marking the highest a CCL alumnus has been drafted.[3]
In 2017, the California Collegiate League will expand to include the Rockville Rock Hounds, the Auburn Wildcats, the Long Beach Legends, and the Arroyo Seco Sentinels. This will bring the total number of teams from 10 to 14.
Current teams
| Team | Location | Home field | Year Founded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy Barons | Compton | MLB Urban Youth Academy | 2007 |
| Arroyo Seco Saints | Pasadena | Jackie Robinson Field at Brookside Park | 2004 |
| Auburn Wildcats | Foresthill | James Field | |
| Conejo Oaks | Thousand Oaks | Sparky Anderson Field | 2006 |
| Healdsburg Prune Packers | Healdsburg | Recreation Park | 1921 |
| Long Beach Legends | Long Beach | Long Beach City College Home Stadium | |
| Neptune Beach Pearl | Oakland | Laney College | |
| Orange County Riptide | Irvine | CUI Eagles Field | 2015 |
| Rockville Rock Hounds | Vacaville | Yarbrough Field | 2016 |
| San Luis Obispo Blues | San Luis Obispo | Sinsheimer Park | 1946 |
| Santa Barbara Foresters | Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara City College Pershing Park | 1991 |
| Southern California Catch | La Mirada | Biola University Eagles Diamond | 2013 |
| Ventura Halos | Ventura | Ventura College Baseball Complex | 2013 |
| Walnut Creek Crawdads | Oakland | Laney College |
Former teams
- Bakersfield Sound
- Glendale Angelenos
- Los Angeles Brewers
- Monterrey Bay Sox
- Menlo Park Legends
- Oxnard Suns
- PUF Capitalists
- Team Vegas
Champions
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | San Luis Obispo Blues | ||
| 2013 | Los Angeles Brewers | Santa Barbara Foresters | 2-1 (best of 3) |
| 2014 | Los Angeles Brewers | Neptune Beach Pearl | |
| 2015 | Neptune Beach Pearl | Los Angeles Brewers | |
| 2016 | Santa Barbara Foresters | Conejo Oaks |
Statistical leaders history
Batting
| Year | Batting Average | Runs Scored | Runs Batted In | Home Runs | Stolen Bases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Jon Torres, Los Angeles | Dylan Moore, Los Angeles | Granger Studdard, Santa Barbara | Nick Maguire/Tristan Gray | Granger Studdard, Santa Barbara |
| 2015 | Larry Barraza, Academy Barons | Larry Barraza, Academy Barons | Aaron Cisneros, Academy Barons | Aaron Cisneros, Academy Barons | Keyon Allen, Academy Barons |
| 2016 | Bret Boswell, Santa Barbara | Billy Wilson, Healdsburg | Martin Teague, Academy Barons | Chad Spanberger, Conejo | Billy Wilson, Healdsburg |
Pitching
| Year | Earned Run Average | Wins | Strikeouts | Saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Matt Esparza, Los Angeles | Vance Tatum, San Luis Obispo | Jon Duplantier, Santa Barbara | Andrew Vinson/Evan Rutter/Eddie Muhl |
| 2015 | Angel Rodriguez, Conejo | Gary Cornish, Santa Barbara | Peter Bayer, Los Angeles | Adam Atkins, San Luis Obispo |
| 2016 | Kyle Johnston, Santa Barbara | Korey Anderson, San Luis Obispo | Tanner Murphy, Orange County | Reece Buska, Academy Barons |
Notable alumni of current teams
While all teams in the California Collegiate League have combined for over 100 years of history, not all teams have played in the CCL throughout their history. The notable alumni of the current teams who have played in the CCL or in their respective teams' previous leagues include:
Academy Barons
Arroyo Seco Saints
Conejo Oaks
Neptune Beach Pearl
Santa Barbara Foresters
- Dylan Axelrod
- Morgan Ensberg
- Kevin Frandsen
- Ryan Church
- Cameron Rupp
- James Shields
- Ryan Spilborghs
- Sean Tracey
- Virgil Vasquez
- Tyler Walker
- Delwyn Young
San Luis Obispo Blues
- Doug Bernier
- Casey Candaele
- C. J. Cron
- Chuck Estrada
- Casey Fien
- Brian Fuentes
- Matt Garza
- Marcus Gwyn
- Kyle Hendricks
- Roy Howell
- Jim Lonborg
- Adam Moore
- Brent Morel
- Will Ohman
- Ross Stripling
- Mel Queen
References
- ^ "California Collegiate League All-Star Game to be nationally televised on July 17". Think Blue LA. 15 July 2013.
- ^ "CCL Accepts Petition from Four Bay Area Teams to Join League in 2014". Summer Baseball Insider. 8 October 2013.
- ^ "Alumni - Academy Barons". Academy Barons Baseball. Retrieved 20 May 2017.