Current season, competition or edition: 2024 EPBL season | |
 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2015 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Country | United States |
| Official website | EmpireProLeague.com |
The Empire Professional Baseball League (EPBL) is an independent baseball league that began play in 2016. [1] The Empire League plays a 40-game regular season followed by a five-game post season. The five-team league consists exclusively of teams from Upstate New York. League offices are in Tampa, Florida.
The Empire League is a replacement of the North Country Baseball League, which folded after one season (and was itself a last-minute replacement for the East Coast Baseball League, which disbanded before the start of the 2015 season). [2] The league fielded four teams based in the states of New York, New Hampshire and Maine for its inaugural season.
It is a low-budget league meant to give players recently graduated from college or with little professional experience an opportunity at staying in shape and providing them the chance at being signed to higher level league contracts with affiliated or independent teams. All league funding comes from advertisement sales, ticket sales and tryout revenue.
The league is operated by Eddie Gonzalez, former professional baseball player and NAIA All-American at Webber International University. Gonzalez is also a former NCBL executive. [3]
The Sullivan Explorers, despite finishing the regular season with a losing record, won the 2016 league championship over the regular season winner Watertown Bucks. [4]
Prior to the league's second season, the Watertown Bucks lost the lease to their stadium and were replaced by the Plattsburgh Redbirds. The New Hampshire Wild ceased operations and were replaced by a team from Puerto Rico; however, since a stadium deal in Puerto Rico had not yet been finalized, the team played the 2017 season as a travel team. [5]
The league expanded to six teams for the 2018 season with two new franchises selected from four of the nine interested parties visited in 2017. [6] On February 23, 2018, the league announced that one team will be a revival of the New Hampshire Wild, [7] and the sixth team would be the return of the New York Bucks, formerly known as the Watertown Bucks. [8] [9]
On May 31, 2018, the league announced the Puerto Rico Islanders will play in Rincon, Puerto Rico, and the Sullivan Explorers would be known as the Aguada Explorers. [10] For 2019, the Explorers would become a traveling team, and the Surge would move to Saranac Lake, New York.
Due to Covid-19, the 2020 Empire Professional Baseball League was held at Consol Energy Park in Washington, Pennsylvania. [11]
In 2021, the Empire Professional Baseball League returned to normal operating procedures with the following teams: Saranac Lake Surge, Tupper Lake Riverpigs, Plattsburgh Thunderbirds and New Hamphire Wild.
In 2022, the New Hamphire Wild were replaced by the Japan Islanders, a traveling team composed of mostly native Japanese players.
The 2023 season will see the league expand to five teams with the addition of the Malone Border Hounds.
The 2024 season saw the Japan Islanders stop play in the Empire League, while the Plattsburgh Thundbirds rebranded to the North County Thunderbirds.
| Team | First Season | City | Stadium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Malone Border Hounds [12] | 2023 | Malone, New York | American Legion Post 219 Veterans Field |
| North Country Thunderbirds | 2017 | Plattsburgh, New York | Chip Cummings Field |
| Saranac Lake Surge | 2016 | Saranac Lake, New York | Petrova Field |
| Tupper Lake Riverpigs | 2020 | Tupper Lake, New York | Municipal Park |
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Sullivan Explorers | Watertown Bucks | 2–0 (best-of 3) |
| 2017 | Plattsburgh Redbirds | Old Orchard Beach Surge | 3–1 (best-of 5) |
| 2018 | Puerto Rico Islanders | New York Bucks | 2–1 (best-of 3) |
| 2019 | Plattsburgh Thunderbirds | New Hampshire Wild | 2–0 (best-of 3) |
| 2020 | Baseball Brilliance Sox | Saranac Lake Surge | 1–0 (single game final) |
| 2021 | Saranac Lake Surge | Plattsburgh Thunderbirds | 3–0 (best-of 5) |
| 2022 | Tupper Lake Riverpigs | Plattsburgh Thunderbirds | 3–2 (best-of 5) |
| 2023 | Malone Border Hounds | Plattsburgh Thunderbirds | 2–0 (best-of 3) |
Hiram Bithorn Stadium is a baseball park in San Juan, Puerto Rico, built in 1962 and designed by Puerto Rican architect Pedro Miranda. The stadium is home to the Cangrejeros de Santurce of the Puerto Rican Baseball League (LBPRC), and briefly was home to Major League Baseball's Montreal Expos during their final years.
Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium located in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. It is best known as the former home of the Puerto Rico Islanders of the North American Soccer League and current home of the Bayamón FC of the Liga Puerto Rico. The stadium can seat up to 12,500 people. It has easy access the metro station known as "Deportivo Station."
An independent baseball league is a professional baseball term in the United States or Canada for leagues that are not overseen by Major League Baseball or its affiliated Minor League Baseball system.
The Empire Football League (EFL) is a semi-professional American football league with franchises based primarily in New York State. The league was established in 1969. Many franchises have come and gone including in locations such as Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Connecticut as well as Quebec, Montreal, and Ontario in Canada. In 2018 the league included six teams: the Glens Falls Greenjackets, Hudson Valley Mountaineers, Plattsburgh North Stars, Seaway Valley Venom, Tri City Spartans, and Utica Yard Dogs.
The Ballpark is a baseball stadium in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, United States. The venue has a seating capacity of 6,000 and is a former Triple-A baseball facility that was almost destroyed by years of neglect until a community organized volunteer effort revived the stadium.
Jonathan Albaladejo Santana is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, New York Yankees and Arizona Diamondbacks, as well in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Yomiuri Giants. He is currently the pitching coach for the Lake Erie Crushers of the Frontier League.
The Puerto Rico Soccer League or PRSL is an association football league in Puerto Rico founded in 2008 and the first unified football league in the island's history. Association football had been growing in popularity in recent years, and this was an attempt to further develop the game on the island. The previous highest league in the country was the Campeonato Nacional de Fútbol de Puerto Rico. It shares Division I status with Liga Nacional de Fútbol de Puerto Rico.
Luis Antonio Rodríguez is a former Major League Baseball (MLB) shortstop and current manager for the Tigres de Quintana Roo of the Mexican League. He played for the Boston Red Sox during the 1996 season.
The Federal Prospects Hockey League (FPHL) is a professional ice hockey independent minor league with teams in the Midwestern, Southern, and Northeastern United States. The FPHL began operations in November 2010 as the Federal Hockey League. Don Kirnan is the league's commissioner. The league also occasionally branded itself as the Federal Professional Hockey League from 2015 to 2018 until it began using the name Federal Prospects Hockey League and completing the rebrand in 2019.
The Watertown Red & Black is a semi-professional American football team based in Watertown, New York. The team is the oldest active semi-pro football team in the United States, and can trace its history to 1896, although the Professional Football Researchers Association (PFRA) claimed it was founded as an Athletic Club in 1899. Because of this, the team has the second most wins (661) and most games played (1,022) of any semi-professional team. They have an overall record of 661-318-43 for a win percentage of .647. The Red & Black have their own showcase in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as being the oldest semi-pro team in the nation.
Puerto Rico FC was a professional football club based in Bayamón, Puerto Rico. Founded in 2015, the team played in the North American Soccer League (NASL), the second tier of the American soccer pyramid. The team debuted in the 2016 fall season. The team played its home games at the Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium until the stadium was severely damaged by Hurricane Maria in September 2017. The team last played during the 2017 NASL season.
The North Country Baseball League (NCBL) was an independent, professional baseball league located in the Northeastern region of the United States in 2015. Operating in cities not served by Major League Baseball or their minor-league affiliates, the NCBL had four franchise teams spread throughout the states of New York and Maine.
The Aguada Explorers are an independent professional baseball team playing in the American Empire Professional Baseball League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
The Saranac Lake Surge are an independent American professional baseball team based in Saranac Lake, New York. The Surge play in the Empire Professional Baseball League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
The New York Bucks are an independent American professional baseball team based in Canton, New York. They are a member of the Empire Professional Baseball League. Beginning in the 2018 season, the Bucks will play their home games at the Roos House Athletic Center at SUNY Canton.
The Japan Islanders are an independent professional baseball team based in Lyon Mountain, New York. They play in the Empire Professional Baseball League (EPBL), which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
The Plattsburgh Thunderbirds, previously known as the Plattsburgh Redbirds, are an independent American professional baseball team based in Plattsburgh, New York. They play in the Empire Professional Baseball League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
The Plattsburgh Brewers were a minor league baseball team based in Plattsburgh, New York. Between 1895 and 1907, Plattsburgh teams played as members of the 1895 Eastern International League, 1896 International League, Northern New York League (1901–1905), 1906 Independent Northern League, 1907 New Hampshire State League (1907) and 1907 Vermont State League, winning the 1901 league championship. Plattsburgh hosted minor league home games at Clinton Park.
The Concord Marines were a minor league baseball team based in Concord, New Hampshire. Between 1886 and 1907, Concord teams played as members of the New Hampshire State League in 1886, New England League from 1902 to 1905 and New Hampshire League in 1907, winning the 1905 league championship. During a 1904 game, the Marines ran short on players due to illness and inserted their mascot, a 9 year old boy, into the game.
The Bucks, who were originally slated to play their home games at the Sports at the Beach complex in Georgetown, Delaware, will call SUNY Canton home.
