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35-527: The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) is a 16-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 2010. As of 2022, all teams are within New York (state). All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. Players are not paid so as to maintain their college eligibility. Each team plays an eight-week, 48 game schedule from June to August with playoffs in early August. The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League

70-545: A hotel in Batavia, New York . The original teams included the Batavia Clippers , Bradford Bees , Hamilton Red Wings , Jamestown Jaguars , Niagara Falls Rainbows , and Olean Oilers ; all were based in or near Western New York . The Oilers, a Brooklyn Dodgers affiliate, won both the regular season and playoff championships. Batavia was the last remaining charter city in the league when it ceased operations after

105-599: A league champion. The Oneonta Tigers won 12 championships, the most among all teams in the league, followed by the Auburn Mets/Twins/Phillies/Doubledays (8) and Jamestown Falcons/Expos (7). Connecticut Maryland Massachusetts New Jersey New York Ohio Pennsylvania Vermont West Virginia Ontario The New York–Penn League Hall of Fame was established in 2012 to honor league players, managers, and executives for their accomplishments or contributions to

140-586: A part of the minors after restructuring for the 2021 season. As first reported in 2019, the NYPL ceased operations. The Aberdeen IronBirds , Brooklyn Cyclones , and Hudson Valley Renegades joined the new High-A East , becoming the new High-A affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles , New York Mets , and New York Yankees respectively. The Mahoning Valley Scrappers , State College Spikes , West Virginia Black Bears , and Williamsport Crosscutters moved to

175-503: A return of the two-division format as 10 teams were broken into East and West divisions. Albany, Cooperstown, Glens Falls, Mohawk Valley and defending champion Amsterdam formed the East while newcomers Adirondack and Utica joined Elmira, Newark and Watertown in the West. A new playoff format featuring six teams was instituted as the first and second-place finishers in each division were joined for

210-739: The Norwich Sea Unicorns joined the FCBL in late April. The Staten Island Yankees folded, while the Lowell Spinners were left without future plans and eventually folded. League champions were determined by different means during the New York–Penn League's 82-year run from 1939 to 2020. For a few seasons in the 1960s and 1970s, no playoffs were held and the league champions were simply the regular season pennant winners. Most seasons, however, ended with playoffs to determine

245-540: 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

280-739: The 2020 season. The Hamilton Red Wings folded early in the 1956 season, and with no more teams in Ontario , the circuit became the New York–Penn League in 1957. The league crossed back into Canada with the formation of the St. Catharines Blue Jays in 1986. They were joined by the Hamilton Redbirds in 1987 and the Welland Pirates in 1989, but all three clubs had moved back to the United States by 2000. The New York–Penn circuit

315-666: The East Division Championship Series, Amsterdam swept Mohawk Valley en route to a fourth consecutive PGCBL Championship Series appearance. In the West, Newark escaped against Elmira to set up a rematch of the 2011 Championship Series. Amsterdam came back from an early deficit to win Game One in Amsterdam and traveled to Newark the following night, where the Mohawks capped off a record-breaking season with

350-663: The Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs. The West Division was a little tighter with the division coming down to the final days of the regular season. Newark came out on top, winning the division by a game and a half over Elmira with a 27-19 record. In the postseason, Mohawk Valley defeated the Albany Dutchmen in the one-game playoff in the East while Elmira beat the Watertown Rams in Elmira in the West. In

385-536: The PGCBL announced the addition of the Onondaga Flames for the coming season, and awarded a franchise to Watertown, which would begin play in 2018. Three teams earned playoff berths for the first time during the 2017 season. Saugerties earned the number four seed in the East, while Geneva bounced back from a 9-40 season to get a home playoff game in the West. Onondaga also qualified for the first time, picking up

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420-423: The PGCBL moved to a three division format, creating a West, Central, and an East Division before the 2018 season. In March 2018, the PGCBL announced a new President and Vice President to guide the league into the future. Former New York–Penn League (NYPL) President Robert Julian was named President, and longtime right-hand man and Utica College baseball coach Joe Milazzo was named Vice President. In October 2018,

455-675: The RailRiders to capture the 2015 PGCBL Championship, the first in team history. At the PGCBL owners meeting in October 2015, the league announced the addition of three teams to the league roster. Former NYCBL members Geneva and Oneonta jumped to the PGCBL for 2016. The Jamestown Jammers also decided to move to the PGCBL after having played in the Prospect League in 2015. In April 2016, the Utica Brewers changed their name to

490-676: The Utica Blue Sox. The 2016 season featured a 50-game regular season for the second straight year. A year after setting a PGCBL record with 40 wins in the regular season, the Amsterdam Mohawks again finished with the best regular season record at 34-15, winning the East Division. In the West, the Elmira Pioneers won their second straight division title with a 33-15 record. A new eight-team playoff format saw

525-534: The Watertown Rams. In 2015, the Amsterdam Mohawks won the East Division with a record 40 wins in the regular season. The Elmira Pioneers won the West Division, with a team record 33 wins. Both teams were upset in the divisional round of playoffs as Mohawk Valley upended the defending champions in three games, while the first year Victor RailRiders swept the Pioneers. The Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs then swept

560-584: The ability to compete using professional rules and equipment, giving them experience and allowing professional scouts the opportunity to observe players under such conditions. To find a collegiate summer team, players work with their college coaches and prospective teams' general managers. They report to summer leagues after completing their spring collegiate season with their NCAA , NAIA , NJCAA , CCCAA , and NWAC teams. Some players arrive late due to their college team's postseason play, which sometimes runs into early June. In some cases, players are drafted during

595-496: The collegiate summer season. These draftees can remain with their collegiate summer team until they sign a professional contract. During the season, players are housed by volunteer host families and bussed to and from road games. The leagues vary greatly in their attendances, quality of play, and ability to attract scouts. The Alaska Baseball League (ABL) and the Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL) are considered

630-536: The defending champion Jamestown Jammers abruptly announced they were ceasing operations after the Milwaukee, Wisconsin -based ownership group pulled out of the league in favor of setting up an American Association of Independent Professional Baseball team in its home city. The city's PGCBL rights were suspended for 2019 with the intent to return in 2020; originally announced to be retaining the Jammers name and brand,

665-415: The divisional finals against Amsterdam and Watertown. Amsterdam edged out Albany and Elmira in back-to-back Game 3's to become the first repeat champion in league history. The Cooperstown Hawkeyes were placed on Voluntary Suspension for the 2014 season, leaving four teams in the East Division. The Amsterdam Mohawks again finished with the best record in the league at 36-11- winning the East by nine games over

700-528: The first time by the third-place finishing team - this led to a down-to-wire playoff chase where the sixth and final playoff spot was not decided until the final night of the regular season. Amsterdam and Watertown overcame slow starts to win division titles; each team captured its first division title in the PGCBL. Albany, Mohawk Valley, Elmira and Newark rounded out the playoff field. Three seeds Albany and Elmira each won opening round playoff games over second-seeded Mohawk Valley and Newark respectively to advance to

735-668: The franchise's third straight PGCBL championship. In July 2014, the league announced a franchise will be placed in Saugerties, New York and play in the East Division-effective for the 2015 season. In January 2015, the league announced the addition of a franchise in Victor for the 2015 season. The league also decided to play a 50-game schedule, compared to the previous length of a 48-game schedule. The Cooperstown Hawkeyes remained on voluntary suspension and were joined by

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770-486: The last NYPL champions , defeating the Lowell Spinners , two games to one, in 2019. The Oneonta Yankees/Tigers won 12 championships, the most among all teams in the league, followed by the Auburn Mets/Twins/Phillies/Doubledays (8) and Jamestown Falcons/Expos (7). The New York–Penn League was founded in 1939 as the Pennsylvania–Ontario–New York League , generally shortened to PONY League , in

805-476: The league playoffs. Newark defeated Amsterdam, two games to one, to win the very first PGCBL championship. In 2012, the league expanded to nine teams with the addition of the Oneonta Outlaws. The two-division format was replaced by a single nine-team division with the top four teams in the league regular season standings qualifying for the playoffs. Amsterdam won 35 of 47 regular season games and captured

840-642: The league to a record 16 teams. The 16 teams were organized into three divisions: East, Central, and West. No 2021 All-Star game was held. For the 2022 season, the PGCBL switched from the three-division format back to two divisions, East and West, and the Adirondack Trail Blazers were renamed the Boonville Baseball Club. All-Star games were not held in 2022 and 2023, but players were named for All-Star teams in both divisions. In December 2022, industry veteran Butch Russo became

875-775: The new MLB Draft League for players wishing to showcase themselves to MLB teams in advance of the annual draft . The Tri-City ValleyCats moved to the independent Frontier League , while the Batavia Muckdogs and Auburn Doubledays joined the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League . On February 25, 2021, the Vermont Lake Monsters announced that they would join the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) under new ownership, and

910-472: The new proprietor of the Boonville Baseball Club. The team was renamed to the Boonville Lumberjacks. The PGCBL requires all of its member teams to produce television (usually Internet television) feeds with play-by-play for every home game. The play-by-play may be simulcast over radio. Collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in

945-624: The number four seed in the West. In the playoffs, Amsterdam and Mohawk Valley got through in the West, while Elmira and Jamestown matched up in the West Finals. Mohawk Valley then dethroned Amsterdam for the second time in three seasons to set up a PGCBL Finals with the Jamestown Jammers. The DiamondDawgs swept the PGCBL Finals to earn their second title. With the addition of Watertown and the voluntary suspension of Onondaga,

980-748: The owner of the Utica Blue Sox during the 1983 season. Good Enough to Dream was the recipient of the Casey Award in 1985. Clubbie is a 2021 memoir by Greg Larson that recounts his experiences as a clubhouse attendant (or "clubbie") for the Aberdeen IronBirds during the 2012 and 2013 seasons. The book's depiction of players' financial struggles is widely credited with inspiring changes to long-standing minor league compensation structures. On December 9, 2020, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced its list of 120 teams invited to be

1015-521: The regular season championship. Amsterdam, Glens Falls, Newark and Mohawk Valley qualified for the postseason. Amsterdam swept Glens Falls to win its first league title. The Mohawks finished the summer ranked third nationally in Perfect Game's Summer Top 30 poll. The Adirondack Trail Blazers and the Utica Brewers joined the PGCBL in the fall of 2012 while the Oneonta Outlaws were granted a one year Voluntary Suspension of operations. The 2013 season saw

1050-808: The team unexpectedly announced in October 2019 that the new team would not use the Jammers name. The new name, Jamestown Tarp Skunks, was revealed in January 2020. The 2020 season was cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic on May 6, 2020. In 2021, the league welcomed the Auburn Doubledays and the Batavia Muckdogs from the NYPL and the Niagara Power from the New York Collegiate Baseball League , bringing

1085-404: The top two seeds in both divisions advance to the division finals, with Amsterdam meeting Albany and Elmira facing Utica. Amsterdam went back to the PGCBL Finals to meet Utica, who was making their first trip in franchise history. Both series went the full three games. Amsterdam then swept the PGCBL finals with two decisive victories to earn their fourth title in five years. Before the 2017 season,

Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League - Misplaced Pages Continue

1120-540: The two premier collegiate summer leagues. This list is organized by federation. Source: Chicago Suburban Baseball League New York%E2%80%93Penn League In 2019, its last season of operation, the NYPL had 14 teams from eight different states. In addition to New York and Pennsylvania , from which the league drew its name, the NYPL also had clubs in Maryland , Massachusetts , Ohio , Vermont , West Virginia , and Connecticut . The Brooklyn Cyclones were

1155-486: Was completed in the summer of 2011. The eight teams were broken down into two divisions, PGCBL East and PGCBL West. The East comprised Albany, Amsterdam, Glens Falls and Mohawk Valley. The West was made up of Cooperstown, Elmira, Newark and Watertown. Glens Falls and Cooperstown were the regular season division champions in the PGCBL East and West respectively. Glens Falls, Cooperstown, Amsterdam and Newark qualified for

1190-415: Was founded in the fall of 2010 by eight summer baseball teams located across upstate New York in conjunction with Perfect Game USA, baseball's largest scouting service. The eight founding members of the PGCBL were the Albany Dutchmen, Amsterdam Mohawks, Cooperstown Hawkeyes, Elmira Pioneers , Glens Falls Golden Eagles, Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs, Newark Pilots and Watertown Wizards. The league's first season

1225-504: Was originally a Class D league (the minors' lowest classification through 1962). It was a full-season Class A league from 1963 through 1966, and became a short-season Class A league in 1967. The start of the 2020 season was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic before being cancelled on June 30. Good Enough to Dream is a memoir by renowned baseball writer Roger Kahn , published in 1985. The book chronicles Kahn's experience as

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