 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2023 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Countries | United States |
| Official website | www |
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.
On December 13, 2023, six long-standing collegiate summer baseball teams, the Healdsburg Prune Packers, Humboldt Crabs, Lincoln Potters, Medford Rogues, Solano Mudcats and West Coast Kings came together to form the new Pacific Empire League. Teams in the PEL will play a 55-game regular season that will culminate in a 3-game Championship Series. [1] [2] [3] [4] The league is designated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization represented by engaged, productive, and committed Board Representatives from each member team. [5]
| Team | City | Stadium | Seating Capacity | Founded | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Healdsburg Prune Packers | Healdsburg, CA | Recreation Park | 1,000 | 2011 | 2024 |
| Humboldt Crabs | Arcata, CA | Arcata Ball Park | 1,500 | 1945 | 2024 |
| Lincoln Potters | Lincoln, CA | McBean Stadium | 1,595 | 2016 | 2024 |
| Medford Rogues | Medford, OR | Harry & David Field | 2,178 | 2013 | 2024 |
| Solano Mudcats | Vacaville, CA | Vanden High School | N/A | 1990 | 2024 |
| West Coast Kings | Pleasant Hill, CA | Will C. Wood High School | N/A | 2012 | 2024 |
The Chico Heat is the name of two baseball teams that have operated in Chico, California. The first was a professional independent team operating in the Western Baseball League from 1997 to 2002, and the second team was an independent team operating as part of the summer collegiate wood bat league known as the Great West League, which began operations in 2014 and ceased operations in 2018. The team's title sponsor was Golden Valley Bank. Both teams were majority owned by Steve and Kathy Nettleton.
The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat 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.
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 Bellingham Bells are a collegiate summer baseball team in the West Coast League. The team is composed of college baseball players from teams around the U.S.
The California Collegiate League (CCL), founded in 1993, is a collegiate summer baseball league headquartered in Moorpark, California, United States. It is associated with both the National Baseball Congress and National Alliance of College Summer Baseball.
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 Prospect League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. So as to maintain their college eligibility, players are not paid. Beginning in 2012, the league added four games to the season, making a total of 60 games per team.
The Alaska Goldpanners of Fairbanks are a collegiate summer baseball team which was founded in 1960 as an independent barnstorming team. The Goldpanners were charter members of the Alaska Baseball League at the league's inception in 1974. The Goldpanners play their home games at Growden Memorial Park in Fairbanks, Alaska, United States. They also host the annual Midnight Sun Game at their home venue.
The Horizon Air Summer Series was a unique 11-week baseball competition among collegiate summer baseball clubs.
The Far West League (FWL) was a collegiate summer baseball league based on the west coast of the United States that served primarily California and Oregon. It was formed as part of a merger between the West Coast League/Tri-State and Pacific West Baseball League, even though the PWBL is still in operation.
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 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 Northern League is a collegiate summer baseball league consisting of teams in Indiana. It was named the Midwest Collegiate League (MCL) from 2010 to 2021.
The Portland Pickles are a collegiate woodbat baseball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the South Division of the West Coast League, a premier collegiate summer baseball league based in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia. The Pickles play their home games at Walker Stadium in Portland's Lents Park.
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.
The Healdsburg Prune Packers are the collegiate level summer baseball team which has been playing at Recreation Park since 1921. Operating under various organizational structures over the years, the Packers became a part of the California Collegiate League in 2014. As of 2024, they became a charter team of the newly-formed Pacific Empire League.
Daniel Shawn Susac is an American professional baseball catcher in the Oakland Athletics organization.
Bob Milano is an American college baseball coach. He served as the head coach of the California Golden Bears baseball team from 1978 to 1999.
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.