Pioneer Collegiate Baseball League
| Most recent season or competition: 2019 | |
| Sport | Baseball, Collegiate summer baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2017 |
| No. of teams | 4 |
| Countries |  United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Bancroft Bandits (2019) |
| Most titles | Bancroft Bandits, Albert Lea Lakers, Storm Lake Whitecaps (1) |
The Pioneer Collegiate Baseball League was a collegiate summer baseball league based in Iowa, comprising teams of the top college players from North America and beyond. Players in the league must have college eligibility remaining, or be graduating seniors in order to participate. Players are not paid, so as to maintain their college eligibility.
History
[edit]PCBL formed in the summer of 2017 with five member teams competing.[1][2][3][4] Teams play a 32-game regular season beginning in June followed by a league playoff.
Carroll Merchants finished season one with the best regular season record and swept their way to the championship game eliminating Bancroft Bandits in two games. Second place Storm Lake Whitecaps needed three games in their semifinal series against Sioux Falls Gold to advance then won the first league championship by defeating Carroll 8-5.[5][6]
Albert Lea pitcher Ben Madison of Central Baptist College (NAIA) became the first PCBL player drafted by a Major League Baseball team when the San Francisco Giants selected him in the 2018 MLB Draft.[7][8]
Expansion came in January 2019 when it was announced a team would be placed in Fort Dodge.[9] The team was later named the Gypsum Miners.[10] The Albert Lea Lakers were disbanded by the league owner two days before the 2019 playoffs and were denied the chance to compete in the playoffs. The Bancroft Bandits would go on to win the 2019 league championship over the Carroll Merchants 7-5 in one 9 inning game. Michael Keeran was the head coach of both the 2018 Lakers and 2019 Bandits championship teams.[11]
Teams
[edit]| Team | Location | Stadium | First season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bancroft Bandits | Bancroft, Iowa | Bancroft Memorial Park | 2017 |
| Carroll Merchants | Carroll, Iowa | Merchants Park | 2017 |
| Fort Dodge Gypsum Miners | Fort Dodge, Iowa | Patterson Field | 2019 |
| Storm Lake Whitecaps | Storm Lake, Iowa | Memorial Field | 2017 |
Former teams
[edit]- Albert Lea Lakers (2017-2019)
- Peak Prospects (2018-2019)
- Sioux Falls Gold (2017)
Champions
[edit]| Season | Champion | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Storm Lake Whitecaps | Carroll Merchants | 8-5 |
| 2018 | Albert Lea Lakers | Storm Lake Whitecaps | 2-0 (best-of three) |
| 2019 | Bancroft Bandits | Carroll Merchants | 7-5 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Whitecaps return to Storm Lake for first time since 1940". The Tack Online. November 16, 2016.
- ^ "College summer baseball returns with Sioux Falls Gold". Argus Leader. May 23, 2017.
- ^ "77-year wait ends in game-winner for Whitecaps". Storm Lake Times. June 7, 2017.
- ^ "Lakers coach hopes to set players and city up for success". Albert Lea Tribune. June 19, 2017.
- ^ "Merchants' championship rally falls short". Daily Times Herald. August 7, 2017.
- ^ "Season capped off by a Pioneer League championship". Storm Lake Times. August 9, 2017.
- ^ "Round 9, Pick #256: college RHP Ben Madison". McCovey Chronicles. June 5, 2018.
- ^ "Lakers ace drafted into MLB". Albert Lea Tribune. June 10, 2018.
- ^ "Summer baseball league coming to Fort Dodge". The Messenger. January 23, 2019.
- ^ "A summer home in Fort Dodge". The Messenger. April 12, 2019.
- ^ "If you watch the Pioneer Collegiate Baseball League, you'll see the real goodness of this grand old game". Offenburger.com. 2019-08-17. Retrieved 2019-08-21.