Leagues Across the Country

On NECBL.com on July 13th, 2013

By Bradley Smart

Every summer, from early June to late August, fans fill the stands at the Recreation Field in Montpelier, Vermont, home of the town’s summer collegiate team, the Vermont Mountaineers. Over the course of a 40-game season, thousands of people come to witness a scene that is playing out in communities of every shape and size across the United States -- talent-rich, fun to watch, baseball.

Players from every college imaginable seize the opportunity to extend their baseball, playing time and do so all across the country. General managers actively recruit some of the best players schools have to offer, give them a jersey, and send them out on the field, and the fans thoroughly enjoy the talent and future professionals they’re watching.

Bleachers fill with kids, eager to get an autograph and others are there because of the captivating sport that is baseball. Summer collegiate baseball leagues bring what generations of American’s love to small towns and cities across the country. Summer baseball works because it is a fan-friendly environment with young, talented players developing their game, a game that leads some to “the show.”

The Show. Major League Baseball is where many of the boys of summer collegiate leagues end up. The team from Montpelier, a city with a population of a little under 8,000, have sent six players to the show, and another 27 are scattered in the depths of the minors, from Rookie league to Triple-A.

These summer leagues, spread all around, have hundreds of teams with alumni like that of the Mountaineers, and give fans unprecedented access to future stars.

The Cape Cod baseball league is a thriving example of this, as it’s currently entering it’s 128th year, dating back to 1885. As of June 30th, the league has had 998 players make it to the bigs.

Cape Cod is an unofficial farm league for the majors, yet if you went to a game there, you would be shocked. Every game is played out like a Little League game - free admission, bring a lawn chair or sit on some bleachers - there isn’t a stadium, just a field with a chain link backstop and players who will become the next Thurman Munson or Frank Thomas, former Cape Cod league players.

Cape Cod is one of over 40 summer collegiate leagues across the country, joining the likes of the Alaska Baseball League and the Mountain Collegiate League. However, not all of them work alone, as the National Alliance for Summer Collegiate Baseball (NASCB) has organized a group of eleven leagues.

The National Alliance for Summer Collegiate Baseball (NASCB) is sanctioned by both Major League Baseball and the NCAA. The MLB provides money to many summer collegiate leagues (to help with on field cost such as bats, balls, umpires, etc.) because of their focus on developing players to become future MLB stars. The NASCB is responsible for maintaining player development standards and regulations in the leagues, as well as helping in other ways, such as promoting financial security and providing a “buying cooperative.”

Eleven leagues belong to the NASCB, all near or along America’s East coast. All in all, the 11 leagues have a total of 103 teams and over 2,500 players. 

Starting in Florida, the Florida Collegiate Summer League (FCSL) is a six team league that was founded in 2003, and began play in 2004. It has enjoyed a lot of success, as in it’s first nine seasons, 196 former players have been drafted, including notable alumni like Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy and Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon.

Just recently, the FCSL partnered with another NASCB-member league, the Sun Belt League, located in Georgia, for a Southeast Prospect Showcase. 

“I think it’s been great. Ultimately, we focus on the players first. I think it was cool for the players to showcase their skills to the scouts,” FCSL League President Rob Sitz said in an interview about the showcase, “and then obviously playing against another team and representing your league, it was a pretty cool experience for those guys as well.”

The Sun Belt league won the showcase, 4-3, and it was a big first step as the FCSL is traveling to Georgia next year for another showcase, marking a start to leagues possibly playing against each other.

The Sun Belt league has eight teams, and was founded in 2005. Another league in the area is the Southern Collegiate Baseball League, or the SCBL. 

The SCBL is an eight-team league in towns throughout the Carolinas and Tennessee, and was established back in 1999. The SCBL schedule consists of two games during the week and then a doubleheader on the weekend, making for a 42-game schedule. The SCBL has over 50 alumni playing at the professional level, including 32 currently in the major leagues.

The Valley League, just above the SBCL, located in Virginia, and is one of the biggest leagues the NASCB has as a member, with 12 teams located across Virginia. It is also one of the most productive leagues. Since it’s inception in 1923, the Valley League has produced over 1,000 professional baseball players, including Jason Kipnis, Mike Lowell and Aubrey Huff.

The Great Lakes League is the only geographically isolated league, as all of the other leagues touch a state or states that another NASCB league belong to. Great Lakes has 10 teams, and has produced its share of future professionals over its 27-year history, including players like Nick Swisher and Jonathan Sanchez.

The other six leagues in the NASCB take up most of the Northeast United States, with locations in New York, New England, Maryland, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. 

The NECBL, ACBL, Cape Cod League, Hamptons League, NYCBL and the Cal Ripken League combine for another 60 teams, with over 1,200 players yearly playing in their parks.

The New England Collegiate Baseball League, or the NECBL, is the biggest league within the NASCB, with 13 teams spread throughout New England and New York, including the Newport Gulls. The Gulls were named the best Summer Collegiate baseball team by Perfect Game USA last year, posting a 31-10 record and winning the NECBL championship.

Next to the NECBL is another of the bigger leagues, the New York Collegiate Baseball League, or the NYCBL, which consists of 11 teams. Also in the area is the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League in Pennsylvania, the Cal Ripken Collegiate League in Maryland and the Hamptons league on Long Island.

All in all, the NASCB contains over 100 teams that are all doing something that baseball fans everywhere enjoy - bringing future stars to communities of every shape and size.