6-670: The Elizabethton River Riders are a summer collegiate baseball team of the Appalachian League . They are located in Elizabethton, Tennessee , and play their home games at Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark . Professional baseball was first played in Elizabethton, Tennessee , by the Elizabethton Betsy Red Sox in the Appalachian League in 1937. They remained in the league through 1942. The city's Appalachian League entry from 1945 to 1948
12-540: 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
18-584: 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
24-496: 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
30-832: Was called the Elizabethton Betsy Cubs . They were followed by the Elizabethton Betsy Local from 1949 to 1950 and the Elizabethton Phils in 1951. Thirty-six years later, the Minnesota Twins placed the Elizabethton Twins in the Appalachian League as a Rookie-level affiliate in 1974. In conjunction with a contraction of Minor League Baseball beginning with the 2021 season, the Appalachian League
36-709: Was reorganized as a collegiate summer baseball league , and the Elizabethton Twins were replaced by a new franchise in the revamped league designed for rising college freshmen and sophomores. The new team became known as the Elizabethton River Riders. The nickname is in reference to the Watauga River , which runs just behind their stadium, Northeast Community Credit Union Ballpark . Collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in
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