Current season, competition or edition: 2024 Prospect League season | |
Formerly | CICL |
---|---|
Sport | Baseball |
Founded | 1963 |
First season | 2009 |
Commissioner | David Brauer |
No. of teams | 18 |
Country | United States |
Headquarters | Illinois |
Most recent champion(s) | Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp (2024) |
Most titles | Chillicothe Paints (4) |
TV partner(s) | Prospect League TV |
Official website | www |
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 (30 home and 30 road).
In 1963, the Central Illinois Collegiate League (CICL), the precursor league to the Prospect League, was formed as a charter member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) summer collegiate baseball program. The league existed under NCAA rules and guidance for 41 years. In 2005, the NCAA ended its official association with summer collegiate baseball; however, the CICL continued to preserve the amateur status of its member athletes by abiding by the rules and regulations of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB). [1] In 2009, the CICL planned to expand to six teams by adding the Hannibal Cavemen, but in winter 2008, the league ownership voted against further expansion.
Dr. Chris Hanners, owner of the Chillicothe franchise and one of the founders of the independent professional Frontier League, wanted to keep a Paints baseball team in Chillicothe. Dr. Hanners, Leo Trich, former Frontier league director of development; General Manager and majority owner of the Butler BlueSox, [2] and Duke Ward, former owner of the Frontier League's Richmond Roosters [3] worked with the ownership of the CICL to form the Prospect League.
The Prospect League began its inaugural season in summer 2009 with the original CICL teams forming the Western Division. Five expansion teams formed the Eastern Division. Three of the Eastern Division teams began play in markets previously served by Frontier League teams. Besides the Chillicothe Paints, the Richmond RiverRats (Richmond, Indiana) played in the previous home of the Frontier League's Richmond Roosters, which are now the Traverse City Beach Bums. The Slippery Rock Sliders (Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania) played in the previous home of the Frontier League team of the same name. [4]
In 2010, the Prospect League expanded adding four new franchises: the Terre Haute Rex (Terre Haute, Indiana), the West Virginia Miners (Beckley, West Virginia), the DeKalb County Liners (Sycamore, Illinois), and the Nashville Outlaws (Nashville, Tennessee). [5]
Due to a change in team ownership in 2010, the North Coast Knights became the Lorain County Ironmen. [6]
In 2011 the DuPage Dragons franchise folded after five years with the CICL (2006–08) and Prospect League (2009–10). As a result, the league returned to a 2-division format after having 3 divisions in 2010. Richmond was moved to the six-team Eastern Division, while Danville, Nashville, Terre Haute, and Dubois County were moved to the eight-team Western Division.
Before the 2012 season, the Nashville Outlaws folded, and the DeKalb County Liners left the league to join the Midwest Collegiate League, leaving the Prospect League with twelve teams in two, six-team divisions. The 2012 schedule consisted of 60 games with no "cross-over" games; with all games played among teams from the same division only. The only time teams from opposite divisions meet is in the Championship Series.
For the 2015 season, the league added its easternmost team yet, the Jamestown Jammers (Jamestown, New York). [7] The Kokomo Jackrabbits (Kokomo, Indiana) were also added to the league to play in the new Kokomo Municipal Stadium, set to open for the 2015 season. [8] After the 2015 season, the Richmond RiverRats folded, [9] and the Jamestown Jammers moved to the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League after just one season in the Prospect League. [10]
The league stayed at 12 total teams for the 2016 season by adding the new Lafayette Aviators (Lafayette, Indiana) and DuPage Drones (Lisle, Illinois). [11] [12] [13]
For the 2017 season, the league contracted to 10 teams, as the Hannibal Cavemen and DuPage Drones both ceased operation. [14] Hannibal reentered the league for the 2018 season as the Hannibal Hoots. [15]
The league returned to a twelve team league for the 2019 season with the addition of the Cape Catfish in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the departure of the Kokomo Jackrabbits to the Northwoods League, the addition of the Normal CornBelters from the Frontier League and the addition of the DuPage Pistol Shrimp in Lisle, Illinois. [16] [17] [18]
The 2019 league featured two divisions, each with six teams. The West Division consisted of the Cape Catfish, DuPage Pistol Shrimp, Hannibal Hoots, Normal CornBelters, Quincy Gems and the Springfield Sliders. The East Division consisted of the Champion City Kings, Chillicothe Paints, Danville Dans, Lafayette Aviators, Terre Haute REX and the West Virginia Miners. [19]
On May 29, 2020, the Prospect League announced cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [20] In January 2020, the league announced adding a new team in Alton, Illinois for the 2021 season. [21] In September 2020, the league announced adding a new team in Johnstown, Pennsylvania for the 2021 season. [22]
In February 2021, the league announced the addition of two new teams in Iowa, the Clinton LumberKings and Burlington Bees. Both teams are former Midwest League teams displaced in the 2021 realignment of the minor leagues. [23]
In December 2021, the league announced the addition of the Jackson Rockabillys for the 2023 season, playing home games in Jackson, Tennessee at West Tennessee Baseball Stadium (formerly known as The Ballpark at Jackson). [24] In August 2022, the league announced that a Southern Illinois team would begin play in 2023 at Rent One Park in Marion, Illinois; [25] in February 2023, the team was named the Thrillville Thrillbillies. [26] The league announced that the West Virginia Miners would be dormant for the 2023 season. [27]
In September 2023, the Dubois County Bombers announced they will rejoin the Prospect League for the 2024 season playing their home games at the historic League Stadium. [28]
Charter members: Butler BlueSox, Champion City Kings (as the Slippery Rock Sliders), Chillicothe Paints, Danville Dans, DuPage Dragons, Hannibal Cavemen, Richmond RiverRats, Springfield Sliders, Quincy Gems
Team | City | Joined | Left | Current league |
---|---|---|---|---|
Butler BlueSox | Butler, Pennsylvania | 2009 | 2018 | Tri-State Collegiate League |
DeKalb County Liners | Sycamore, Illinois | 2010 | 2011 | none (defunct) |
DuPage Dragons | Lisle, Illinois | 2009 | 2011 | none (defunct) |
DuPage Drones | Lisle, Illinois | 2016 | 2016 | none (defunct) |
Hannibal Cavemen | Hannibal, Missouri | 2009 | 2016 | none (defunct) |
Hannibal Hoots | Hannibal, Missouri | 2018 | 2019 | Moved to O'Fallon, Missouri in 2020 |
Jamestown Jammers | Jamestown, New York | 2015 | 2015 | none (defunct) |
Kokomo Jackrabbits | Kokomo, Indiana | 2015 | 2018 | Northwoods League |
Nashville Outlaws | Nashville, Tennessee | 2010 | 2012 | none (defunct) |
Quincy Gems | Quincy, Illinois | 2009 | 2023 | none (defunct) |
Richmond RiverRats | Richmond, Indiana | 2009 | 2015 | none (defunct) |
West Virginia Miners | Beckley, West Virginia | 2010 | 2022 [27] | none (defunct) |
The Cape Catfish, DuPage Pistol Shrimp and Normal CornBelters joined the league in the 2019, replacing the Kokomo Jackrabbits, who left for the Northwoods League, [29] and the Butler BlueSox, who suspended operations. [30]
2009: After 56-game schedule, teams with best record in each division faced each other in a best-of-three series for the Championship.
2010: 56-game schedule divided in two halves. Winners from each half in each division faced each other in a one-game playoff (home field to team with best overall record). Where the same team won both halves in a division, the team with the next-best overall record from that division was declared the wild card. Championship Series was a two-game affair with the divisional playoff winner with the best overall record receiving a bye into the Championship Game. The remaining two divisional playoff winners met in a one-game play-in for the right to go to the Championship Game. Championship Series held at Chillicothe, Ohio.
Teams in italics qualified for that season's playoffs as a wild card entry under that particular season's playoff format.
2011: 56-game schedule divided in two halves. Winners from each half in each division faced each other in a one-game playoff (home field to team winning the first half). Where the same team won both halves in a division, the team with the next-best overall record from that division was declared the wild card. Divisional playoff winners met in one-game playoff with home field awarded to the team with the best overall record from the regular season.
2012: 60-game schedule divided in two halves. Winners from each half in each division to face each other in a one-game playoff to be hosted by the first-half champions in each division. If the same team wins both halves, the team with the best overall record from that division will be declared the wild card. Winners of each divisional playoff game will meet in a best-of-three Championship Series, with home advantage given to the division that wins the annual All-Star Game (to be held in Butler, PA). Game One of the Championship Series will be played at the home field of the team from the losing division at the All-Star Game, with Game Two and Game Three (if necessary) held at the home field of the team from the winning division at the All-Star Game.
2013–2016: 60-game schedule divided into two halves. Winners from each half in each division to face each other in a best-of-three with game one being held at second-half winner and games two and three (if necessary) at home of first-half winner. There are no travel days in the Division Series. Each division champion plays in the best-of-three Prospect League Championship Series. Game one is held at the home of the team representing the division that lost that year's All-Star Game. Games two and three (if necessary) are held at the home of the team representing the division that won that year's All-Star Game.
2017–present: After a 60-game schedule, the top two teams in the East Division and the West Division play each other in the first round in a best of 3 series with the first place teams getting home field advantage. The winner of the East Division and West Division series face off in a best-of-three Prospect League Championship series with the team with the best record getting home field advantage.
Year | East Division playoff champion | West Division playoff champion | League champions | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2009 | Chillicothe Paints | 0 | Quincy Gems | 2 | Quincy Gems |
2010 | Chillicothe Paints | 1 | Danville Dans | 0 | Chillicothe Paints |
2011 | West Virginia Miners | 0 | Quincy Gems | 1 | Quincy Gems |
2012 | West Virginia Miners | 2 | Dubois County Bombers | 0 | West Virginia Miners |
2013 | West Virginia Miners | 2 | Quincy Gems | 0 | West Virginia Miners |
2014 | Chillicothe Paints | 1 | Quincy Gems | 2 | Quincy Gems |
2015 | West Virginia Miners | 0 | Terre Haute Rex | 2 | Terre Haute Rex |
2016 | West Virginia Miners | 2 | Quincy Gems | 0 | West Virginia Miners |
2017 | Butler BlueSox | 1 | Lafayette Aviators | 2 | Lafayette Aviators |
2018 | Kokomo Jackrabbits | 0 | Terre Haute Rex | 2 | Terre Haute Rex |
2019 | Chillicothe Paints | 2 | Cape Catfish | 1 | Chillicothe Paints |
2020 | None (season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic) [31] | ||||
2021 | Lafayette Aviators | 1 | Cape Catfish | 2 | Cape Catfish |
2022 | Chillicothe Paints | 2 | Alton River Dragons | 1 | Chillicothe Paints |
2023 | Chillicothe Paints | 2 | Quincy Gems | 1 | Chillicothe Paints |
2024 | Terre Haute Rex | 0 | Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | 2 | Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp |
Total | Titles | Team | Last |
---|---|---|---|
6 | 4 | Chillicothe Paints | 2023 |
6 | 3 | Quincy Gems | 2016 |
5 | 3 | West Virginia Miners | 2016 |
3 | 2 | Terre Haute Rex | 2018 |
2 | 1 | Cape Catfish | 2021 |
2 | 1 | Lafayette Aviators | 2021 |
1 | 0 | Danville Dans | 2010 |
1 | 0 | Dubois County Bombers | 2012 |
1 | 0 | Butler BlueSox | 2017 |
1 | 0 | Kokomo Jackrabbits | 2018 |
Year | Winner | Position | Team |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Tyler Bullock | Catcher | Richmond River Rats |
2010 | Jeff Holm | Outfielder | Chillicothe Paints |
2011 | Chris Serritella | First Baseman | Quincy Gems |
2012 | Matt Tellor | Infielder | Springfield Sliders |
2013 | Matt Calhoun | Infielder | Slippery Rock Sliders |
2014 | Ronnie Dawson | Outfielder | Chillicothe Paints |
2015 | David Marcus | First Baseman | Butler Bluesox |
2016 | Aaron Meyer | Second Baseman | DuPage Drones |
2017 | Dougie Parks | Third Baseman | Lafayette Aviators |
2019 | Andrew Stone | Outfielder | Cape Catfish |
2020 | Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | ||
2021 | Jackson Jones | Infielder | Burlington Bees |
Year | Winner | Throws | Team |
---|---|---|---|
2009 | Rusty Shellhorn | Left | Northcoast Knights |
2010 | Dean Wolosianski | Right | West Virginia Miners |
2011 | Clayton Schulz | Left | Chillicothe Paints |
2012 | Kris Gardner (LH Starter), Sam Lewis (RH Starter), Nick Blount (Reliever) | Hannibal Cavemen, West Virginia Miners, Terre Haute Rex | |
2013 | Wes Judish | Right | Hannibal Cavemen |
2014 | Adam Bleday (LH Starter), Chase Boster (RH Starter), Kolin Stanley (Reliever) | Butler BlueSox, West Virginia Miners, West Virginia Miners | |
2015 | Tanner Allison | Left | Chillicothe Paints |
2016 | Brian Hobbie | Right | Terre Haute Rex |
2017 | Brad Depperman | Right | Lafayette Aviators |
2019 | Bryan McNeely | Right | Cape Catfish |
2020 | Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | ||
2021 | Ryan Eiermann | Left | Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp |
2022 | Josh Leerssen | Right | Danville Dans |
The Chillicothe Paints are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Chillicothe, Ohio, in the United States. The team is a member of the summer collegiate Prospect League. The Paints previously played in the professional independent Frontier League from 1993 to 2008. The Paints play their home games at V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe.
The Division Series is the quarterfinal round of the Major League Baseball postseason. Four series are played in this round, two each for both the American League and the National League.
The Northwoods League is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. The league is amateur, and players are not paid, so as to maintain their college eligibility. Graduated senior pitchers are also eligible to play in the Northwoods League. Each team may have four of these players at a time.
The Central Illinois Collegiate League (CICL) was a collegiate wooden bat summer baseball league. It was composed of five teams from Illinois and Indiana. The CICL was founded in 1963 as a charter member of National Collegiate Athletic Association certified summer baseball. Although the NCAA dropped Summer baseball program in 2005, The CICL is one of ten summer collegiate baseball leagues affiliated with the National Association of Summer Collegiate Baseball (NASCB), which now takes over the duties of the NCAA and follows all NCAA requirements. The league was also is one of four summer college baseball leagues supported by Major League Baseball.
The Springfield Lucky Horseshoes are a collegiate summer league baseball team of the Prospect League. They play at Robin Roberts Stadium at Lanphier Park and are based in the city of Springfield, Illinois. The team was established in November 2007 as the Springfield Sliders and were an expansion franchise for the 2008 season. The Lucky Horseshoes and other collegiate summer leagues and teams exist to give top college players professional-like experience without affecting NCAA eligibility.
The Danville Dans are a collegiate summer league baseball team located in Danville, Illinois. The team plays in the Prospect League, which their former league, the NCAA-sanctioned Central Illinois Collegiate League, was absorbed into after the 2008 season.
The Hannibal Cavemen were a collegiate summer league baseball team located in Hannibal, Missouri, in the United States. They were a member of the West Division of the summer collegiate Prospect League from 2009–2016. The franchise began playing again as the Hannibal Hoots, in 2018.
The Butler BlueSox were a collegiate summer baseball team based in Butler, Pennsylvania, in the United States. They were members of the Tri-State Collegiate League and formerly a member of the East Division of the summer collegiate Prospect League.
The Normal CornBelters are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Normal, Illinois, which is part of the Bloomington-Normal metropolitan area. The franchise was formerly a professional team, and was a member of the independent Frontier League, which is not affiliated with Major League Baseball.
The Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) is an eight-team collegiate summer baseball league. It has four franchises in Massachusetts, two in Connecticut, and one each in New Hampshire and Vermont.
Kokomo Municipal Stadium is a baseball stadium in Kokomo, Indiana, United States. The Kokomo Jackrabbits of the college summer Northwoods League, and the Kokomo Wildkats use Kokomo Municipal Stadium as their home field. Other local high school baseball teams including the Taylor Titans, Northwestern Tigers, and the Western Panthers use the Kokomo Municipal Stadium for a portion of their games. Upon opening in 2015, Kokomo Municipal Stadium had a capacity of up to 4,000 in a combination of fixed and lawn seating. In May 2016, the Kokomo Mantis FC of the Premier Development League called the stadium home.
The Kokomo Jackrabbits are a college summer baseball team based in Kokomo, Indiana. They are a member of the summer collegiate Northwoods League, beginning with the 2019 season. Previously, the team played in the Prospect League. The Jackrabbits play at the 4,000-seat Kokomo Municipal Stadium in downtown Kokomo.
The Lafayette Aviators are a summer collegiate baseball team based in Lafayette, Indiana. They are a member of the Eastern Conference of the summer collegiate Prospect League. The Aviators play at Loeb Stadium in Columbian Park in Lafayette, which opened in May 2021.
The Hannibal Hoots were a collegiate summer league baseball team in the United States Prospect League. The team played two seasons in the league, but only one of those seasons saw them use Hannibal as its home; flooding along the Mississippi River caused Bear Creek, which flows into the river and runs alongside the Hoots' home stadium, to flood the stadium. As a result, the Hoots played their 2019 home schedule in nearby Quincy, Illinois at the home stadium of the Quincy Gems. The Hoots formed in late 2017 and were an expansion franchise for the 2018 season. The Hoots and other collegiate summer leagues and teams exist to give top college players professional-like experience without affecting NCAA eligibility.
The Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp are a collegiate summer league baseball team in the Prospect League. They play at Veterans Memorial Park in Peru, Illinois, United States. The Pistol Shrimp formed in Lisle, Illinois, in late 2018 as an expansion franchise for the 2019 season, under the name DuPage Pistol Shrimp. They and other collegiate summer leagues and teams exist to give top college players professional-like experience without affecting NCAA eligibility.
The O'Fallon Hoots are a collegiate summer league baseball team in the United States Prospect League. The team played the 2018 and 2019 seasons as the Hannibal Hoots, but only one of those seasons saw them use Hannibal, Missouri as their home; flooding of their stadium led the Hoots to play their 2019 home schedule in nearby Quincy, Illinois at the home stadium of the Quincy Gems. Following the 2019 season, the Hoots moved to Carshield Field in O’Fallon, Missouri after the departure of the River City Rascals. The Hoots formed in late 2017 and were an expansion franchise for the 2018 season. The Hoots and other collegiate summer leagues and teams exist to give top college players professional-like experience without affecting NCAA eligibility.
The CarShield Collegiate League is a collegiate summer baseball league based at CarShield Field in O'Fallon, Missouri. The league was formed in 2020 after COVID-19 forced the cancellation of the Prospect League season, which had the location host O'Fallon Hoots as a member. The CarShield Collegiate League began play as a six–team league on July 1, 2020, with all games being played at CarShield Field. The CarShield Collegiate League continued play in the 2021 season as a four–team league.
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The 2022 Prospect League season was the 13th season of collegiate summer baseball in the Prospect League, a collegiate summer baseball league in the Midwestern United States, since its creation in June 2009. There are 16 Prospect League teams, split evenly between Eastern and Western Conferences. These conferences are then split up between the Ohio River Valley, Wabash River, Great River, and Prairie Land divisions.
The 2024 Prospect League season is the 15th season of collegiate summer baseball in the Prospect League, a collegiate summer baseball league in the Midwestern United States, since its creation in June 2009. There are 18 Prospect League teams, split evenly between Eastern and Western Conferences. These conferences are then split up between the Northeast, Central, Northwest, and South divisions.
The West Virginia Miners will be dormant for the 2023 season.