California Collegiate League
.png){kind=logo} | |
| Classification | Collegiate Summer Baseball |
|---|---|
| Sport | Baseball |
| Founded | 1993 |
| President | Aaron Milam |
| Commissioner | Vacant |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Country |  United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Healdsburg Prune Packers |
| Most titles | Santa Barbara Foresters (12) |
| Official website | http://www.calsummerball.com |
The California Collegiate League (CCL), founded in 1993, is a collegiate summer baseball league headquartered in Moorpark, California, United States.[1] It is associated with both the National Baseball Congress[2] and National Alliance of College Summer Baseball.[3]
The CCL hosts a 40-game summer season including a north-vs.-south All-Star Game, televised nationally by Bally's Sports West.[4] Players use wooden bats and professional-level baseballs to further their development as potential professional ballplayers.
History[edit]
The League was formed in 1993 and seen several changes through the years. The only two original members who still exist are the Santa Barbara Foresters and San Luis Obispo Blues. The league is considered one of top 10 collegiate summer leagues in the country. The league is known for the location of its teams and for holding a nationally televised all star game every July.
Timeline of recent events: Four new teams from Northern California joined the CCL in 2014 (Menlo Park Legends, Neptune Beach Pearl, Pacific Union Capitalists and Walnut Creek Crawdads).[5]
Since 2014, the CCL has undergone significant growth and expansion, now chartering teams from Placerville to Orange County. Teams added to the league since the conclusion of 2013 postseason include, the Walnut Creek Crawdads, the Neptune Beach Pearl, the Menlo Park Legends (who have since left the league), and the Orange Country Riptide.
In 2015, the Texas Rangers, selected Dillon Tate with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, marking the highest a CCL alumnus has been drafted.[6]
In 2017, the California Collegiate League will expand to include the Rockville Rock Hounds, the Auburn Wildcats, the Long Beach Legends, and the Arroyo Seco Saints. This will bring the total number of teams from 10 to 14.
2020 League makes major changes: The California Collegiate League's 2020 season will have a new look in the upcoming summer as the league will now consist of a three division format: South, Central, and North Divisions. Four teams will make up the new Northern Division, with the Healdsburg Prune Packers, Lincoln Potters and the Solano Mudcats making the transition from being members of the former Affiliate Division, into becoming full-members of the California Collegiate League in 2020. They will be joined by the fourth team of the new conference, the Walnut Creek Crawdads. The Central Division will have the San Luis Obispo Blues, Santa Barbara Foresters and Conejo Oaks. The Southern Division will have Arroyo Seco Saints, Academy Barons and Orange County Riptide.
Current teams[edit]
| Team | Location | Home field | Year Founded |
|---|---|---|---|
| MLB Academy Barons | Compton | MLB Urban Youth Academy | 2007 |
| Arroyo Seco Saints | Pasadena | Jackie Robinson Memorial Field at Brookside Park | 2004 |
| Conejo Oaks | Thousand Oaks | Sparky Anderson Field | 2006 |
| Orange County Riptide | Irvine | Orange County Great Park | 2015 |
| San Luis Obispo Blues | San Luis Obispo | Sinsheimer Park | 1946 |
| Santa Barbara Foresters | Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara City College Pershing Park | 1991 |
| Sonoma Stompers | Sonoma | Arnold Field | 2014 |
| Walnut Creek Crawdads | Danville | Monte Vista High School Field | 2006 |
Former teams[edit]
- Healdsburg Prune Packers
- Solano Mudcats
- Lincoln Potters
- Ventura Halos
- Long Beach Legends
- Southern California Catch
- Rockville Rockhounds
- Neptune Beach Pearl
- Bakersfield Sound
- Glendale Angelenos
- Los Angeles Brewers
- Monterey Bay Sox
- Menlo Park Legends
- Novato Knicks
- PUF Capitalists
- Team Vegas
- Santa Maria Indians
Champions[edit]
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Santa Barbara Foresters | ||
| 2013 | Los Angeles Brewers | Santa Barbara Foresters | |
| 2014 | Los Angeles Brewers | Neptune Beach Pearl | |
| 2015 | Neptune Beach Pearl | Los Angeles Brewers | |
| 2016 | Santa Barbara Foresters | Conejo Oaks | |
| 2017 | Orange County Riptide | Healdsburg Prune Packers | |
| 2018 | Conejo Oaks | Orange County Riptide | |
| 2019 | Santa Barbara Foresters | Healdsburg Prune Packers | |
| 2021 | Healdsburg Prune Packers | San Luis Obispo Blues | |
| 2022 | Healdsburg Prune Packers | Conejo Oaks | 2-0 series |
| 2023 | Healdsburg Prune Packers | Arroyo Seco Saints | 2-0 series |
Statistical leaders history[edit]
Batting[edit]
| Year | Batting Average | Runs Scored | Runs Batted In | Home Runs | Stolen Bases |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Jon Torres, Los Angeles | Dylan Moore, Los Angeles | Granger Studdard, Santa Barbara | Nick Maguire/Tristan Gray | Granger Studdard, Santa Barbara |
| 2015 | Larry Barraza, Academy Barons | Larry Barraza, Academy Barons | Aaron Cisneros, Academy Barons | Aaron Cisneros, Academy Barons | Keyon Allen, Academy Barons |
| 2016 | Bret Boswell, Santa Barbara | Billy Wilson, Healdsburg | Martin Teague, Academy Barons | Chad Spanberger, Conejo | Billy Wilson, Healdsburg |
| 2017 | Dayton Provost, Ventura | Bryce Nagata, Healdsburg | Jamey Smart, Healdsburg | Lucas Halstead/James Free II | Bryce Nagata, Healdsburg |
Pitching[edit]
| Year | Earned Run Average | Wins | Strikeouts | Saves |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Matt Esparza, Los Angeles | Vance Tatum, San Luis Obispo | Jon Duplantier, Santa Barbara | Andrew Vinson/Evan Rutter/Eddie Muhl |
| 2015 | Angel Rodriguez, Conejo | Gary Cornish, Santa Barbara | Peter Bayer, Los Angeles | Adam Atkins, San Luis Obispo |
| 2016 | Kyle Johnston, Santa Barbara | Korey Anderson, San Luis Obispo | Tanner Murphy, Orange County | Reece Buska, Academy Barons |
| 2017 | Tanner Lawson, Santa Barbara | Ty Weist, Santa Barbara | Ty Weist, Santa Barbara | Justin Smith, Neptune Beach |
Notable alumni of current teams[edit]
While all teams in the California Collegiate League have combined for over 100 years of history, not all teams have played in the CCL throughout their history. The notable alumni of the current teams who have played in the CCL or in their respective teams' previous leagues include:
Academy Barons[edit]
Arroyo Seco Saints[edit]
Conejo Oaks[edit]
Neptune Beach Pearl[edit]
Santa Barbara Foresters[edit]
- Dylan Axelrod
- Morgan Ensberg
- Kevin Frandsen
- Ryan Church
- Cameron Rupp
- James Shields
- Ryan Spilborghs
- Sean Tracey
- Virgil Vasquez
- Tyler Walker
- Delwyn Young
San Luis Obispo Blues[edit]
- Doug Bernier
- Casey Candaele
- C. J. Cron
- Chuck Estrada
- Casey Fien
- Brian Fuentes
- Matt Garza
- Marcus Gwyn
- Kyle Hendricks
- Roy Howell
- Jim Lonborg
- Adam Moore
- Brent Morel
- Will Ohman
- Ross Stripling
- Mel Queen
Healdsburg Prune Packers[edit]
Orange County Riptide[edit]
Notable alumni of past teams[edit]
Puff Capitalists[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Leagues & Teams".
- ^ "Leagues & Teams".
- ^ "Member Leagues | National Alliance of College Summer Baseball".
- ^ "California Collegiate League All-Star Game to be nationally televised on July 17". Think Blue LA. 15 July 2013.
- ^ "CCL Accepts Petition from Four Bay Area Teams to Join League in 2014". Summer Baseball Insider. 8 October 2013. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016.
- ^ "Alumni - Academy Barons". Academy Barons Baseball. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 20 May 2017.