The Baldwin City Blues are a summer collegiate wood bat baseball team based in Baldwin City, Kansas, United States. The Blues are a member of the Mid-Plains League.
Blues Baseball got its start as a neighborhood coach pitch team playing in the Johnson Country Parks and Recreation League. Preaching fundamentals, team commitment and good sportsmanship, Blues Baseball soon became one of the most well-coached and competitive teams in the area. Coach Faddis saw the potential his players had and developed a baseball program that is arguably the most successful in Johnson County history. With over 50 tournament titles, three State Championships and three World Series crowns to their credit, Blues Baseball set out test the players’ skills in the historic Ban Johnson League in 2012.
The Blues wasted little time in gaining the respect of established Ban Johnson teams. With a roster dominated by recent high school graduates, Blues Baseball became the youngest team in the 85-year history of the league to win the title. The team also became the only first-year team to accomplish this feat. Along the way, Blues Baseball also shattered the single-season winning percentage mark by going 35-1 during the summer. As a result, 10 players were chosen to play in the annual Ban Johnson All Star Game at Kaufman Stadium in July 2012. Four players were also recognized for their outstanding performances by garnering the league’s Defensive Player of the Year (CJ Faddis), Top Relief Pitcher (Nick Kolarik), Wins by a Pitcher (Drew Noble) and Tournament MVP (Jake Wodtke).
Although Coach Faddis experienced a loss of over half his team to other collegiate summer leagues, Blues Baseball re-tooled for the 2013 Ban Johnson Summer season. Again stressing fundamentals, team cohesiveness and personal commitment Coach Faddis motivated the team to “leave it all on the field.” As a result, Blues Baseball put together a second consecutive championship season, winning the Ban Johnson regular season title with a record of 24-5. Along the way, Blues Baseball established yet another Ban Johnson record by being the only team ever to win the League during its first two years of play. Eight Blues players were recognized for their efforts by being selected to the All Star Game at Kauffman Stadium. Coach Faddis and Coach Moore were also selected by league managers and administrators.
In 2014, the Blues moved to Baldwin City, Kansas and helped establish the Mid-Plains League. Michael Moore was named General Manager and Chris Faddis named Team Manager. The team would call Baker University's Sauder Field its initial home in Baldwin City. Overcoming several key injuries, the Blues made the Cowdin Cup Playoffs in its first season in Baldwin City. The season also saw Baldwin City Blues and Kansas State University Catcher Tyler Moore hit a walk off grand slam in the inaugural Mid Plains League All Star Game. With the bases loaded and the Mid Plains All Stars down 4–1 against the visiting Kansas City Men's Amateur Baseball All Stars Moore sent a 1–1 fastball 390 feet over the scoreboard in left field. The theatrical victory helped place the Mid Plains League on the Summer Collegiate Baseball landscape. Moore would go on to lead Kansas State in hitting the following season while winning numerous awards including being named All Big 12 Catcher and nominated for the Johnny Bench Award given to collegiate baseball's top Catcher.
The Blues have seen a number of current and former players either drafted or play professionally. Major League Baseball picks include: Clayton Henning 11th round 2012 (Tampa Bay Rays), Hayden Edwards 31st round (Kansas City Royals), Chase Rader 16th Round 2014 (Detroit Tigers), Matt Hall 6th Round 2015 (Detroit Tigers), Matt Eckelman 21st Round 2016 (Pittsburgh Pirates), Robert Calvano 38th Round 2016 (St. Louis Cardinals) and Ryan Wetzel 33rd Round 2016 (Washington Nationals). Players signing professional contracts include: Aaron Marshall 2016 Santa Fe Fuego (Pecos League), Tyler Moore 2016 Kansas City T-Bones (American Association), Grant Arnold 2017 Hollywood Stars (Pecos League) and Jeremy Melvin 2017 Hollywood Stars (Pecos League).
Octavio Víctor "Cookie" Rojas Rivas, is a Cuban former professional baseball second baseman / outfielder, coach, and manager, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, and Kansas City Royals. A five-time All-Star player, Rojas is currently the Miami Marlins' Spanish-language television color commentator. During his playing days, he stood 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall, weighing 160 pounds (73 kg). Rojas batted and threw right-handed.
The Kansas City Monarchs were the longest-running franchise in the history of baseball's Negro leagues. Operating in Kansas City, Missouri and owned by J. L. Wilkinson, they were charter members of the Negro National League from 1920 to 1930. J. L. Wilkinson was the first Caucasian owner at the time of the establishment of the team. In 1930, the Monarchs became the first professional baseball team to use a portable lighting system which was transported from game to game in trucks to play games at night, five years before any major league team did. The Monarchs won ten league championships before integration, and triumphed in the first Negro League World Series in 1924. The Monarchs had only one season in which they did not have a winning record. The team produced more major league players than any other Negro league franchise. It was disbanded in 1965.
William Julius "Judy" Johnson was an American professional third baseman and manager whose career in Negro league baseball spanned 17 seasons, from 1921 to 1937. Slight of build, Johnson never developed as a power threat but achieved his greatest success as a contact hitter and an intuitive defenseman. Johnson is regarded as one of the greatest third basemen of the Negro leagues. In 1975, he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame after being nominated by the Negro Leagues Committee.
Vance Allen Wilson is an American former professional baseball catcher and current coach. He is the third base coach for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played all or part of eight seasons in MLB. Listed at 5'11" tall and 215 pounds, he batted and threw right-handed during his career.
The Auburn Doubledays are a collegiate summer baseball team of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) that is located in Auburn, New York. From 1958 to 2020, they were members of Minor League Baseball's New York–Penn League (NYPL). They have played their home games at Leo Pinckney Field at Falcon Park since 1995. They previously played at the original Falcon Park, which was built in 1927 on the same site. The team is owned and operated by Auburn Community Baseball.
Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in the United States and Canada featuring players who have attended at least one year of college and have at least one year of athletic eligibility remaining. Generally, they operate from early June to early August. In contrast to college baseball, which allow aluminum or other composite baseball bats, players in these leagues use only wooden bats, hence the common nickname of these leagues as "wood-bat leagues". Collegiate summer leagues allow college baseball players the ability to compete using professional rules and equipment, giving them experience and allowing professional scouts the opportunity to observe players under such conditions.
Christopher Jon Widger is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) catcher. He played for the Seattle Mariners, Montréal Expos (1997-2000), New York Yankees (2002), St. Louis Cardinals (2003), Chicago White Sox (2005-2006), and Baltimore Orioles (2006).
Jackie Spencer Moore is an American former professional baseball catcher, coach and manager. He spent all or parts of 12 years over five separate terms as a Texas Rangers coach, and 32 years in all as a coach for eight different Major League Baseball (MLB) teams. Moore managed in the MLB for the Oakland Athletics (1984–86), and played part of one season with the Detroit Tigers as a third-string catcher in 1965.
John Joseph Mizerock is a former Major League Baseball backup catcher for the Houston Astros and the Atlanta Braves. He was the eighth overall pick in the 1979 Major League Baseball Draft. He later served as a coach for the Kansas City Royals and Philadelphia Phillies. He is currently the hitting coach for the Clearwater Threshers.
Joseph Melton Oliver is an American former professional baseball catcher and current manager of the Bluefield Ridge Runners of the Appalachian League, a collegiate summer league partner of Major League Baseball (MLB). During a 19-year professional playing career, Oliver played parts of 13 seasons in MLB for seven different teams during 1989–2001, and was a member of the World Series-winning 1990 Cincinnati Reds. He later managed in Minor League Baseball for the Boston Red Sox organization from 2014 through 2020. As a player, Oliver was listed at 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 m) and 215 pounds (98 kg); he batted and threw right-handed.
The Hilldale Athletic Club were an American professional Negro league baseball team based in Darby, Pennsylvania, west of Philadelphia.
The Edenton Steamers are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Edenton, North Carolina. Beginning in 2020 they will participate in the Tidewater Summer League. 2019 was the Steamers 22nd year as a member of the Coastal Plain League where they won 11 North Division titles and 7 East Division titles, three Petitt Cup Championships, and had a league-record 14-year streak (2004–2017) of posting a winning record, having made a playoff appearance in 13 of those seasons. Edenton also established a CPL standard by winning seven consecutive division-half titles from 2011 through the first half of 2014. In 2015 the Steamers capped the summer with its third Petitt Cup Championship, tied for the league record in that tally, and was named the Summer Collegiate Team of the Year by Perfect Game CrossChecker.
The Wilmington Sharks are an American baseball team in the East Division of the Coastal Plain League (CPL), a collegiate summer baseball league. The Sharks play their home games at Buck Hardee Field at Legion Stadium in Wilmington, North Carolina. Buck Hardee Field is more commonly referred to as "The Shark Tank."
Bruce Philip Robinson, is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played parts of three seasons from 1978 until 1980 and was on the New York Yankees disabled list during the 1981 and 1982 seasons.
Mitchell William Maier is an American former professional baseball outfielder, coach, and current front office executive. He is the director of baseball operations for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played and coached in MLB for the Royals.
Dustin James Wathan is an American former professional catcher who played for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) in 2002, and who is currently the third base coach for the Philadelphia Phillies. He is a former manager of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Phillies in the International League.
The Southern Ohio Copperheads are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Athens, Ohio. The team is a member of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, one of 11 leagues in the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball. In 2018, Southern Ohio won its first GLSCL Championship in franchise history.
The Lakeshore Chinooks are a baseball team based in Mequon, Wisconsin, United States and a member of the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer baseball league. The Chinooks play their home games at Kapco Park on the campus of Concordia University Wisconsin.
The Mid-Plains League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of the top college players from North America and beyond. Players are not paid, so as to maintain their college eligibility. Teams are run similarly to a professional minor league team, providing players an opportunity to play under the same conditions, using wooden bats and NCAA specification baseballs.
Ryan Michael Jeffers is an American professional baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball (MLB).
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