New England Collegiate Baseball League
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. 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]
Current season, competition or edition: | |
Sport | Baseball |
---|---|
Founded | 1993 |
Motto | Keep your eye on the dream |
No. of teams | 13 |
Country | |
Most recent champion(s) | Keene Swamp Bats (5) |
Most titles | Newport Gulls (6) |
Official website | www |
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'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]
Current franchises
(see individual team websites below)
- An asterisk (*) denotes a charter franchise of the league
- The Bristol Blues founded in 2015, joined this league for the 2020 season
Relocated or renamed teams
Team | City | Stadium | Capacity | Years | History |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Waterbury White Sox | Waterbury, Connecticut | Municipal Stadium | 6,000 | 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[8] | 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 | Became the Bristol Collegiate Baseball Club | |
Bristol Collegiate Baseball Club | Bristol, Connecticut | Muzzy Field | 4,900 | 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 |
North Shore Navigators | Lynn, Massachusetts | Fraser Field | 3,804 | 2008–2011 | Moved to the Futures League |
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 | |
Laconia Muskrats | Laconia, New Hampshire | Robbie Mills Field | 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 |
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 |
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 44 game regular season schedule. When doubleheaders are scheduled due to inclement weather, NECBL rules dictate that they are two seven-inning games. Until the end of the 2016 season, NECBL regular season games had 2 umpires, while All-Star and playoff games have 3 or 4 umpires. As of the 2017 season, all NECBL regular season games have 3-man umpiring crews. 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
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 | 0 | 4 | |
New Bedford Bay Sox | 0 | 4 | |
Ocean State Waves | 0 | 2 | |
Bristol Nighthawks | 0 | 1 | |
Martha's Vineyard Sharks | 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 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.[9]
Notable alumni
The following former NECBL players have gone on to play in Major League Baseball.[11] 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.[12]
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 |
Steve Geltz | RHP | Concord/Torrington | Los Angeles Angels | 2012 |
Tom Koehler | RHP | Keene Swamp Bats | Florida Marlins | 2012 |
Josh Fields | RHP | Keene Swamp Bats | Houston Astros | 2013 |
Michael Roth | LHP | Sanford Mainers | Los Angeles Angels | 2013 |
Chris Colabello | 1B | Lowell All-Americans | Minnesota Twins | 2013 |
Alex Wood | LHP | Keene Swamp Bats | Atlanta Brave | 2013 |
Ryan Reid | RHP | Sanford Mainers | Pittsburgh Pirates | 2013 |
Juan Perez | OF | Holyoke Blue Sox | San Francisco Giants | 2013 |
Josh Zeid | RHP | Torrington Twisters | Houston Astros | 2013 |
Andrew Albers | LHP | Torrington Twisters | Minnesota Twins | 2013 |
Kevin Chapman | LHP | North Shore Navigators | Houston Astros | 2013 |
Nick Christiani | RHP | Manchester Silkworms | Cincinnati Reds | 2013 |
Matt den Dekker | OF | Keene Swamp Bats | New York Mets | 2013 |
Mike Belfiore | LHP | Pittsfield Dukes | Baltimore Orioles | 2013 |
Nick Martinez | RHP | Vermont Mountaineers | Texas Rangers | 2014 |
Greg Garcia | INF | Newport Gulls | St. Louis Cardinals | 2014 |
Alex Hassan | OF | Pittsfield Dukes | Boston Red | 2014 |
Nick Greenwood | LHP | Vermont Mountaineers | St. Louis Cardinals | 2014 |
Adam Duvall | 3B | Sanford Mainers | San Francisco Giants | 2014 |
Ben Paulsen | 1B | Keene Swamp Bats | Colorado Rockies | 2014 |
Billy Burns | CF | Danbury Westerners | Oakland Athletics | 2014 |
Chris Taylor | SS | Newport Gulls | Seattle Mariners | 2014 |
Chris Domingue | RF | Newport Gulls | San Francisco Giants | 2014 |
Jason Rogers | 3B | Laconia Muskrats | Milwaukee Brewers | 2014 |
Eric Jokisch | LHP | Torrington Twisters | Chicago Cubs | 2014 |
Eric Goeddel | RHP | New Bedford Bay Sox | New York Mets | 2014 |
Micah Johnson | 2B | Vermont Mountaineers | Chicago White Sox | 2015 |
Sean Gilmartin | LHP | North Shore Navigators | New York Mets | 2015 |
Taylor Featherston | 2B | New Bedford Bay Sox | Los Angeles Angels | 2015 |
Adam Conley | LHP | Keene Swamp Bats | Miami Marlins | 2015 |
Josh Smith | RHP | Torrington Twisters | Cincinnati Red | 2015 |
Cody Stanley | C | North Adams SteepleCats | St. Louis Cardinals | 2015 |
Guido Knudson | RHP | North Adams SteepleCats | Detroit Tigers | 2015 |
Tom Murphy | C | Holyoke Blue Sox | Colorado Rockies | 2015 |
Matt Duffy | INF | Vermont Mountaineers | Houston Astros | 2015 |
Matt Buschmann | RHP | Keene Swamp Bats | Arizona Diamondbacks | 2016 |
Cody Ege | LHP | Vermont Mountaineers | Miami Marlins | 2016 |
Pat Light | RHP | Newport Gulls | Boston Red Sox | 2016 |
Andrew Triggs | RHP | New Bedford/Torrington | Oakland Athletics | 2016 |
Matt Carasiti | RHP | Bristol Collegiate Baseball Club | Colorado Rockies | 2016 |
Mike Hauschild | RHP | Danbury Westerners | Texas Rangers | 2017 |
Media
All NECBL games are broadcast online through the NECBL Broadcast Network, with Pointstreak providing both audio and video for all games.[13]
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.[14]
See also
- List of New England Collegiate Baseball League ballparks
- List of NECBL seasons
- List of Collegiate Summer Baseball Leagues
Notes
- 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.
- 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.
- "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.
- "NECBL Goes with 10 Teams for 2012". BallparkDigest.com. February 11, 2012. Archived from the original on February 21, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- "on Pointstreak Sports Technologies". Pointstreak Sports Technologies. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- Wolcott, David. "Plymouth Pilgrims baseball franchise ceases operations". Wicked Local Plymouth. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- "Back to Bristol; New England League Welcomes Bristol Blues to League for 2020". NECBL. November 7, 2019.
- Berkshire Dukes Box Score, c. 2004 URL accessed June 5, 2009 Archived October 31, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- NECBL Record Book at necbl.com, URL accessed July 22, 2009 Archived July 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
- Editor, William Geoghegan Sports. "Waves sidelined as NECBL cancels season". The Independent. Retrieved May 7, 2020.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
- "NECBL Alumni". NECBL. New England Collegiate Baseball League. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
- "League". NECBL. New England Collegiate Baseball League. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- NECBL Broadcast Network at necbl.com, URL accessed June 4, 2010. Archived June 4, 2010
- NECBL Signs Agreement with Pointstreak at necbl.com, URL accessed June 4, 2010. Archived June 4, 2010