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.
The Humboldt Crabs are a collegiate summer baseball team located in Arcata, California. Playing in every season since they were founded in 1945 by Lou Bonomini, later joined by Ned Barsuglia, the Crabs are the oldest continually-operated summer collegiate baseball team in American baseball. Through the 2019 season the Crabs have a total record of 2557 wins and 803 losses. The Crabs did not play the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of 2024, the Crabs are charter members of the newly-formed Pacific Empire League.
The Walla Walla Padres were the primary name of a minor league baseball team in the northwest United States, located in Walla Walla, Washington. Named after their parent club, the Padres were members of the Class A short-season Northwest League for ten years, from 1973 through 1982.
The West Coast League (WCL) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 2005, comprising teams from Washington, Oregon, British Columbia and Alberta. The WCL was previously named the West Coast Collegiate Baseball League (WCCBL), but in 2008 renamed as the West Coast League. The league is designed to develop college talent, and only current college-eligible players are allowed to participate. The West Coast League has produced dozens of professional players, including a number of major leaguers. League teams are operated similarly to professional minor-league teams. The WCL's season typically runs from early June through the middle of August.
The Horizon Air Summer Series was a unique 11-week baseball competition among collegiate summer baseball clubs.
Zachary James Thornton is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He is currently the pitching coach for the UC Davis Aggies.
The California Seals are a collegiate summer baseball team that will play in the North Division of the Far West League. They will begin play in 2011 in the new league at Evans Diamond Ballpark in Berkeley, California. They are a former member of the West Coast Tri-State League, which merged with the Pacific West Baseball League to form the new FWL.
The Fresno Cardinals are a collegiate summer baseball team that will play in the South Division of the Far West League. They are based out of Fresno, California, and will begin play in 2011 in the new league at John Euless Ballpark in Lodi. They are a former member of the Pacific West Baseball League, which merged with the West Coast Tri-State League to form the new FWL.
Fontanetti’s were a collegiate summer baseball team located in San Jose, California, founded in 1965, as a successor to previous teams managed by Jerry Fontanetti in the 1950s. Founder Jerry Fontanetti was the owner of Fontanetti’s Batting Cages, which operated in San Jose from 1953 until 2016.
Timothy Scott Wheeler is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the first round, 32nd overall, of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. He played college baseball at Sacramento State.
The West Coast Negro Baseball Association (WCNBA) was one of the several Negro baseball leagues created during the time organized baseball was segregated. The WCNBA was organized as a minor league in 1946 by Abe Saperstein and Jesse Owens as a means to provide the west coast with a platform for African-American players. The league lasted about three months.
The Medford Rogues are a collegiate wood bat baseball team based in Medford, Oregon. They are members of the newly-formed Pacific Empire League starting in 2024. They played in the West Coast League from 2013 to 2015, and were founding members of the Great West League, where they played from 2016 to 2018, then were members of the Golden State Collegiate Baseball League from 2019 to 2021. They play their home games at Harry & David Field and were named after the former Class-D Far West League affiliate of the New York Giants that played from 1950 to 1951. They were the 2017 GWL Champions.
The Vallejo Chiefs were a short lived minor league baseball team based in Vallejo, California in the 1949 season. Hosting home games at A.F. of L. Park, the Chiefs played exclusively as members of the Class D level Far West League, before folding during their one season of play.
The Willows Cardinals were a minor league baseball team based in Willows, California. From 1948 to 1950, the Cardinals played as exclusively as members of the Class D level Far West League as a St. Louis Cardinals minor league affiliate. Willows hosted home minor league games at Ajax Field.
The Lincoln Potters are a collegiate wood bat baseball team based in Lincoln, California. They are operating as part of the summer collegiate wood bat league known as the Pacific Empire League. It began operations in 2016 as members of the Great West League. They play their home games at McBean Stadium in Lincoln. The Potters replaced the Lodi Crushers and Sacramento Stealth, who went inactive for 2017.
Joey Kawika Wong is an American former professional baseball infielder who played internationally for the Chinese national baseball team in 2017, and is currently a coach at Oregon State University. He was drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 24th round of the 2009 Major League Baseball draft.
The Klamath Falls Gems were a collegiate wood bat baseball team based in Klamath Falls, Oregon. They began as an expansion team in the West Coast League in 2011 and played their home games at Kiger Stadium, which is also the home of the Oregon Tech Owls. They were named after the former Class-D Far West League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies that played from 1948 to 1951. They previously played in the Golden State Collegiate Baseball League from 2016 to 2017 and were members of the Great West League, having joined that league in October 2017 and played during the 2018 season. They were without a league as the GWL suspended operations on October 4, 2018, and have eventually ceased operations themselves without notice. The owner Joe O'Connor was being given until December 31, 2018, to renew the lease or the team will be considered defunct. There was no response and the franchise was officially considered defunct.
The American West Football Conference (AWFC) was a professional indoor American football minor league created in 2018 by Platinum Events & Security, LLC, the owners of the Idaho Horsemen. The league's inaugural season was in 2019.
The Western Baseball Association was a collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1967, and later known as the Big West Conference, was composed of teams from across the Pacific Northwest. The WBA, along with the Cape Cod League, was one of the first summer collegiate baseball leagues to be officially certified and supported by the NCAA in 1968, and is the direct predecessor to the well known Alaska Baseball League. The original ceased operation at the end of the 1972 season to make way for the ABL. The league was reformed in 1983 by the Humboldt Crabs, the only original WBA team in the new WBA, and played through the 2000 season.
The Pacific Empire League is a collegiate summer baseball league based on the west coast of the United States with six teams from California and Oregon. The league was founded on December 13, 2023.
