New England Collegiate Baseball League

New England Collegiate Baseball League
Current season, competition or edition:
Current sports event 2015 NECBL season
Sport Baseball
Founded 1993
Motto Keep your eye
on the dream
No. of teams 13
Country  United States
Most recent champion(s) Vermont Mountaineers (3)
Most titles Newport Gulls (6)
Official website www.necbl.com

The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball 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.[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 strong twelve-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 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 the formation of an expansion franchise based in Hartford, Vermont that would begin play in 2016, bringing the league size back up to 13 teams.[5]

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.

Current franchises

(see individual team websites below)

New England Collegiate Baseball League
Division Team Founded City Stadium Capacity
North
Keene Swamp Bats 1997 Keene, New Hampshire Alumni Field 4,800
North Adams SteepleCats 2002 North Adams, Massachusetts Joe Wolfe Field 1,800
Sanford Mainers 2002 Sanford, Maine Goodall Park 950
Upper Valley Nighthawks 2016 Hartford, Vermont Maxfield Sports Complex
Valley Blue Sox 2001 Holyoke, Massachusetts Mackenzie Stadium 4,100
Vermont Mountaineers 2003 Montpelier, Vermont Montpelier Recreation Field 1,200
Winnipesaukee Muskrats 2000 Laconia, New Hampshire Robbie Mills Field 1,200
Division Team Founded City Stadium Capacity
South Danbury Westerners 1995 Danbury, Connecticut Rogers Park
Mystic Schooners* 1994 Groton, Connecticut Fitch Senior High School
New Bedford Bay Sox 1997 New Bedford, Massachusetts Paul Walsh Field
Newport Gulls 1999 Newport, Rhode Island Cardines Field 3,250
Ocean State Waves 2013 South Kingstown, Rhode Island Old Mountain Field
Plymouth Pilgrims 2013 Plymouth, Massachusetts Forges Field

Former teams

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[6]
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 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 (baseball) 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
Concord Quarry Dogs Concord, New Hampshire Warren H. Doane Diamond 1,200 2001–2007 Became the Holyoke 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
North Shore Navigators Lynn, Massachusetts Fraser Field 3,804 1994–2011
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

Season structure

For the current season, the league is divided into two six-team divisions, the North Division and the South Division. During the regular season, teams play in-division opponents a total of six times, three games at home and three away. Teams play out-of-division opponents twice, one game at home and one away. These games make up the 42 game regular season schedule. When doubleheaders are scheduled due to inclement weather, NECBL rules dictate that they are two seven-inning games. NECBL regular season games have 2 umpires, while All-Star and playoff games have 3 or 4 umpires. The top four teams from each division qualify for the playoffs. In the division semifinal round the first seeds play the fourth seeds and the second seeds play the third seeds, respectively, in best-of-three series. The winners of the division semifinals advance to the division finals, where they play a best-of-three series against their fellow division finalist. The division champions advance to the NECBL championship series, where they face each other in a best-of-three series to decide the NECBL champion.

Past champions

Total NECBL Fay Vincent Cup Records
Franchise Titles Last Title Appearances
Newport Gulls 6 2014 11
Keene Swamp Bats 4 2013 6
North Shore Navigators 4 2010 4
Vermont Mountaineers 3 2015 5
Sanford Mainers 2 2008 3
Central Mass Collegians 2 1996 2
Mystic Schooners 1 1994 2
Danbury Westerners 0 4
New Bedford Bay Sox 0 4
Laconia Muskrats 0 1
Waterbury Barons 0 1
Bristol Nighthawks 0 1
Valley Blue Sox 0 0
Riverpoint Royals 0 0
Fairfield Stallions 0 0
North Adams SteepleCats 0 0
Ocean State Waves 0 0
Plymouth Pilgrims 0 0
Saratoga Brigade 0 0
Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide 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 defunct North Shore Navigators franchise had four league titles. The Keene Swamp Bats have four league titles. The Vermont Mountaineers have three league titles. A pair of franchises have won two championships, the Sanford Mainers and the defunct Central Mass Collegians. The Mystic Schooners won a single championship, when the team was known as the Eastern Tides in the league's inaugural 1994 season.[7]

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

Notable alumni

The following former NECBL players have gone on to play in Major League Baseball.[8] Former NECBL players have reached the major league rosters of 29 of 30 MLB teams, with the Philadelphia Phillies being the only team for which a league alumnus has yet to appear.

Major League Baseball alumni of the New England Collegiate Baseball League
(past and present)
Name Position NECBL Team MLB Debut Team MLB Debut Year
Joe Nathan P Fairfield Stallions San Francisco Giants 1999
Chad Paronto P Middletown Giants Cleveland Indians 2000
Scott Chiasson P Eastern Tides Chicago Cubs 2000
Alfredo Amézaga SS Keene Swamp Bats Pittsburgh Pirates 2002
Earl Snyder 1B/OF Danbury Westerners/Middletown Giants Cleveland Indians 2002
Mike Smith P Middletown Giants Toronto Blue Jays 2002
Mark Malaska P/OF Danbury Westerners Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2003
Matt White P Danbury Westerners Boston Red Sox 2003
Pete Zoccolillo OF Danbury Westerners Milwaukee Brewers 2003
Jason Szuminski P Newport Gulls San Diego Padres 2004
Jeff Keppinger 2B Keene Swamp Bats New York Mets 2004
Val Majewski OF Eastern Tides Baltimore Orioles 2004
Craig Breslow P Middletown Giants San Diego Padres 2005
Keith Reed OF Rhode Island Reds Baltimore Orioles 2005
Tim Stauffer P Keene Swamp Bats San Diego Padres 2005
Jason Bergmann P Danbury Westerners Washington Nationals 2005
Chris Denorfia OF Manchester Silkworms Cincinnati Reds 2005
Charlton Jimerson CF Torrington Twisters Houston Astros 2005
Doug Clark LF Middletown Giants San Francisco Giants 2005
Andre Ethier OF Keene Swamp Bats Los Angeles Dodgers 2006
Kurt Birkins P Torrington Twisters Baltimore Orioles 2006
Sean Green P Torrington Twisters Seattle Mariners 2006
Zach Jackson P Manchester Silkworms Milwaukee Brewers 2006
Jeff Fulchino P Keene Swamp Bats Florida Marlins 2006
Chris Iannetta C Newport Gulls Colorado Rockies 2006
Brian Wilson P Keene Swamp Bats San Francisco Giants 2006
Jonah Bayliss P Manchester Silkworms Pittsburgh Pirates 2006
Brian Slocum P Danbury Westerners Cleveland Indians 2006
Rajai Davis CF Middletown Giants Pittsburgh Pirates 2006
Mike Rabelo C Torrington Twisters Detroit Tigers 2006
Joe Smith P North Adams SteepleCats New York Mets 2007
Andy LaRoche IF Keene Swamp Bats Los Angeles Dodgers 2007
Matt DeSalvo P Danbury Westerners New York Yankees 2007
Kevin Slowey P Sanford Mainers Minnesota Twins 2007
Andy Sonnanstine P Sanford Mainers Tampa Bay Devil Rays 2007
Matt Tupman C Concord Quarry Dogs/Mill City All-Americans Kansas City Royals 2008
Matt Joyce OF Danbury Westerners Detroit Tigers 2008
Bobby Wilson C North Adams SteepleCats Los Angeles Angels 2008
Chris Lambert P Concord Quarry Dogs Detroit Tigers 2008
Mike Ekstrom P North Adams SteepleCats San Diego Padres 2008
Luke Carlin C Keene Swamp Bats Arizona Diamondbacks 2008
Jesse Carlson P Middletown Giants Toronto Blue Jays 2008
Bryan LaHair 1B Keene Swamp Bats Seattle Mariners 2008
Jason Motte P Sanford Mainers St. Louis Cardinals 2008
Mike Parisi P Middletown Giants/ Torrington Twisters St. Louis Cardinals 2008
Mitchell Boggs P Newport Gulls St. Louis Cardinals 2008
Jeff Baisley 3B Danbury Westerners Oakland Athletics 2008
Bobby Korecky P Torrington Twisters Minnesota Twins 2008
Ryan Hanigan C Lowell All-Americans Cincinnati Reds 2008
Joe Martinez P Danbury Westerners San Francisco Giants 2009
Andrew Bailey P Lowell All-Americans Oakland Athletics 2009
Jack Egbert P Danbury Westerners Chicago White Sox 2009
Jarrett Hoffpauir 2B Danbury Westerners St. Louis Cardinals 2009
Reid Gorecki RF Manchester Silkworms Atlanta Braves 2009
Jason Berken P Keene Swamp Bats Baltimore Orioles 2009
Dusty Hughes P Danbury Westerners Kansas City Royals 2009
Brian Bogusevic P Danbury Westerners Houston Astros 2010
Rob Delaney P Pittsfield / Vermont Mountaineers Minnesota Twins 2010
Jeff Frazier OF Danbury Westerners Tampa Bay Rays 2010
Cole Gillespie OF North Adams SteepleCats Arizona Diamondbacks 2010
Frank Herrmann P Berkshire Dukes Cleveland Indians 2010
Adam Ottavino P Danbury Westerners St. Louis Cardinals 2010
Stephen Strasburg P Torrington Twisters Washington Nationals 2010
David Carpenter P Vermont Mountaineers Houston Astros 2011
Blake Davis SS North Adams SteepleCats Baltimore Orioles 2011
Graham Godfrey P Manchester Silkworms Oakland Athletics 2011
Ryan Lavarnway C Manchester Silkworms Boston Red Sox 2011
Stephen Lombardozzi 2B Holyoke Blue Sox Washington Nationals 2011
Darin Mastroianni CF Vermont Mountaineers Toronto Blue Jays 2011
Andy Parrino 2B Manchester Silkworms San Diego Padres 2011
Evan Scribner P North Adams SteepleCats San Diego Padres 2011
Adam Wilk P Newport Gulls Detroit Tigers 2011
Matt Adams 1B Pittsfield Dukes St. Louis Cardinals 2012
Scott Barnes P Holyoke Giants Cleveland Indians 2012
Jeff Beliveau P Newport Gulls Chicago Cubs 2012
Christian Friedrich P Vermont Mountaineers Colorado Rockies 2012
Blake Lalli C Vermont Mountaineers Chicago Cubs 2012
Matt McBride LF Holyoke Giants Colorado Rockies 2012
Mike Olt 3B Danbury Westerners Texas Rangers 2012
Dan Otero P Newport Gulls San Francisco Giants 2012
A. J. Pollock CF Vermont Mountaineers Arizona Diamondbacks 2012

Media

All NECBL games are broadcast online through the NECBL Broadcast Network, with Teamline providing both audio, for all games, and video, for select games.[9]

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.[10]

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 June 8, 2011. 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 February 21, 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 March 4, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
  4. ↑ "NECBL Goes with 10 Teams for 2012". BallparkDigest.com. February 11, 2012. Archived from the original on February 21, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  5. ↑ "on Pointstreak Sports Technologies". Pointstreak Sports Technologies. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
  6. ↑ Berkshire Dukes Box Score, c. 2004 URL accessed June 5, 2009 Archived October 31, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  7. ↑ NECBL Record Book at necbl.com, URL accessed July 22, 2009 Archived July 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine.
  8. ↑ NECBL alumni archive, URL accessed August 2, 2009 Archived December 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine.
  9. ↑ NECBL Broadcast Network at necbl.com, URL accessed June 4, 2010. Archived June 4, 2010
  10. ↑ 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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