The Appalachian League is a collegiate summer baseball league that operates in the Appalachian regions of Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and North Carolina. Designed for rising freshmen and sophomores using wooden bats, its season runs from June through August. The league is part of Major League Baseball and USA Baseball's Prospect Development Pipeline.
Bluefield is a town in Tazewell County, Virginia, United States, located along the Bluestone River. The population was 5,096 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Bluefield WV-VA micropolitan area which has a population of 106,363 in 2020.
Bluefield is a city in Mercer County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 9,658 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Bluefield micropolitan area extending into Virginia, which had a population of 106,363 in 2020.
The blue jay is a species of bird that is native to North America.
The Bluefield Blue Jays were a minor league baseball team of the Rookie Appalachian League representing the twin cities of Bluefield, West Virginia, and Bluefield, Virginia. The team played their home games at Bowen Field at Peters Park, a historic stadium in Bluefield's city park. The park, which straddles the West Virginia–Virginia state line, was operated by the West Virginia city; however, Bowen Field lies entirely within Virginia.
Tazewell County is a county located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,429. Its county seat is Tazewell.
City of Palms Park is a baseball stadium in Fort Myers, Florida. It served as the spring training home of the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB) from its opening in 1993 to 2011. It has hosted college baseball games for Florida SouthWestern State College since 2014. The stadium's name is taken from the city's official nickname.
The Pulaski Yankees were a minor league baseball team based in Pulaski, Virginia, United States. They were an Advanced Rookie League team in the Appalachian League. The team played its home games at Calfee Park. They were affiliated with several Major League Baseball teams, including the New York Yankees in their final season.
Bluefield University is a private Baptist university in Bluefield, Virginia. It offers 22 majors and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. The 82-acre (330,000 m2) campus is about 150 ft (46 m) from the state line between Virginia and West Virginia. It is affiliated with the Baptist General Association of Virginia. Bluefield University merged with Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine medical school system located at the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia.
TD Ballpark, originally Dunedin Stadium at Grant Field, is a baseball field located in Dunedin, Florida. The stadium was built in 1990 and holds 8,500 people. It is the spring training home of the Toronto Blue Jays, as well as home to the Dunedin Blue Jays of the Florida State League and the Dunedin High School Falcons baseball team. The stadium has also been known as Knology Park (2004–2008) and Florida Auto Exchange Stadium (2010–2017).
Burlington Athletic Stadium is a baseball stadium in Burlington, North Carolina. It seats 3,500 and serves as the home field for the Burlington Sock Puppets of the Appalachian League. The Sock Puppets were previously known as the Burlington Royals (2007–2020) and Burlington Indians (1986–2006) when the Appalachian League was a rookie league affiliated with Minor League Baseball prior to Major League Baseball's 2020 reorganization of the minor leagues.
H.P. Hunnicutt Field is a stadium in Princeton, West Virginia. It is primarily used for baseball, and is the home field of the Princeton WhistlePigs in the summer collegiate Appalachian League. It is also home to the teams of Princeton Middle School and Princeton High School, located adjacent to the high school football field. Built in 1988, it was developed by the H.P. and Anne S. Hunnicutt Foundation, and it holds 1,700. The stadium was updated in 1999 from wooden bleachers and press boxes to a modernized stadium featuring wrap around bleacher seating down each foul line and box seats behind home plate. Also added were home and visitor locker areas, coach's offices, and training rooms. More recently, a new batting tunnel was constructed near the main gate of the stadium which can accommodate practices in inclement weather.
Southern West Virginia is a culturally and geographically distinct region in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Southern West Virginia is known for its coal mining heritage and Southern affinity. The region is also closely identified with Southwestern Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, with close proximity to Western North Carolina and East Tennessee. Today, Southern West Virginia continues to grapple with poverty and declining population.
Gary Martin Allenson is an American former Major League Baseball catcher and coach and minor league manager. In 2017, he spent a second stint as manager of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Double-A Eastern League, after serving the previous three seasons in that role with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons of the International League. Both are affiliates of the Toronto Blue Jays.
Mitchell Stadium is a 10,000 seat stadium in Bluefield, West Virginia. It was built by the Works Progress Administration in 1935, and is located in Bluefield's city park that straddles the West Virginia–Virginia state line.
The Mountain State League was a minor league baseball league that played as a six–team league from 1937 to 1942. The league franchises were based in Kentucky and West Virginia. The Mountain State League was a Class D level league from 1937 to 1941 and Class C league in 1942.
Virginia State Route 102 and West Virginia Route 102 are adjoining state highways in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. The two state highways together run 11.4 miles (18.3 km) from Center Street in Pocahontas, Virginia east to the Virginia – West Virginia state line between the twin cities of Bluefield, Virginia and Bluefield, West Virginia. Most of Route 102 consists of three sections in Virginia maintained by the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT); the two intervening sections in West Virginia are maintained by the West Virginia Division of Highways. In addition to connecting Pocahontas with the two Bluefields, the state highway passes through Nemours, West Virginia and Falls Mills, Virginia and provides access to Bluefield College.
Below is a partial list of Minor League Baseball players in the Toronto Blue Jays and rosters of their minor league affiliates.
Richard Ureña Castillo is a Dominican professional baseball shortstop for the York Revolution of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Bluefield Ridge Runners are a summer collegiate baseball team of the Appalachian League. They are located in Bluefield, West Virginia, and play their home games at Bowen Field at Peters Park.
