Major League Ball clubs are already talking about how the economy will affect their ticket sales this coming summer. Well, they kind of created their own mess of sorts. Gone are the days of $1.00 bleacher seats and $2.00 hot dogs. It costs well over $125to take a family of four to the ballyard these days. At an average of $15 a ticket(twice that at the "new retro" stadiums), $10 to park and $50 to buy food, it adds up quick.
For the price of parking at your favorite pro franchise, there is a great alternative and it can be a step up to the college game, depending on where you live. It's called the Summer Collegiate League.
Summer Collegiate Leagues are designed to give freshman and sophomores the chance to hone their skills against other top collegiate players from around the country. It's a lot like the minors in that the players live with host families, and their expenses are 100% paid for by the franchise or League. Like the Minors, the Collegiate Leagues use wood bats.
It's a great opportunity for pro scouts to see these top players perform under conditions that are very similar to the pro ranks. Most of the top college pro prospects were rated as a result of their performance in these Summer Leagues.
The greatest thing about the Leagues is that they provide great baseball for the fans. Many of them draw thousands to every game. For instance, the Madison Mallards in the top rated Northwoods League draws over 6,000 to every game. The LaCrosse Loggers, in the same league and in a smaller stadium, draw over 3,300 a game. An All-Star Game in Chatham of the Cape Cod League in late July turned out to be a spectacular event. Over 8,600 fans attended the contest that was broadcast live on the New England Sports Network (NESN).
The top leagues in the Collegeiate Summer League are The Cape Cod...where many of the top pitching prospects gather...The Northwoods League...home to many of the best offensive players...The Alaskan League and The California Collegiate. There are others like the Cal Ripken Senior League in Maryland and Virginia, just outside the DC area, The West Coast Collegiate in Oregon and Washington, and the Jayhawk League in Kansas and Missouri that provide great competition as well.
Want to find out where your local Collegiate League is? There's a small blog called College Summer Ball that has links to each of the leagues that we list below.
Alaskan Baseball League
Atlantic Baseball Confederation
Atlantic Collegiate League
Cal Ripken Sr. League
California Collegiate League
Cape Cod Baseball League
Carolina-Virginia League
Clark Griffith League
Coastal Plain League
Collegiate Baseball Of The West
Eastern Collegiate Baseball League
Florida Collegiate League
Great Lakes League
Great South League
Hawaii Collegiate Baseball League
Horizon Air Summer Series
Jayhawk League
Kitty League
M.I.N.K. League
Maryland Collegiate Baseball League
Mountain Collegiate Baseball League
New England Collegiate Baseball League
New York Collegiate Baseball League
Northwoods League
Pacific Southwest Baseball League
Prospect League
Sierra Baseball League
Southern California Collegiate League
Southern Collegiate League
St. Louis Metro Collegiate League
Tar Heel Summer League
Texas Collegiate League
Tri-State Collegiate League
Triple Crown League
Valley League
Walter Johnson Baseball
West Coast League
Western Major Baseball League
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