29-663: The Valley Blue Sox are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Holyoke, Massachusetts . The team, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League , plays its home games at Mackenzie Stadium . The Blue Sox were founded in 2001 as the Concord Quarry Dogs but moved following the 2007 season to Holyoke to fill the void left by the departure of the Holyoke Giants to Lynn, Massachusetts . In 2017,
58-577: A 28–14 record, sharing the West Division regular-season title with the Keene . The team's attendance figures made a dramatic jump, rising from 39th in 2010 to 3rd in collegiate summer baseball . An average of 2,510 spectators attended each game. In 2013, former Wisconsin Woodchucks owner Clark Eckhoff purchased the team and assumed the role of team president. The 2013 squad advanced to the postseason by winning
87-643: A play-in game with the Saratoga Brigade before falling 2–1 in the West Division Semifinals to the eventual champions, the Keene Swamp Bats . In May 2014, the organization announced it would be changing the team's name to the Valley Blue Sox. In September 2013, Eckhoff hired General Manager Hunter Golden. Despite winning only 13 games in 2014, the team made a 5-win improvement under Golden in
116-564: A playoff in early August. Like the Cape Cod Baseball League and other amateur leagues, the NECBL is a showcase for top college-level players, giving professional baseball scouts a chance to see prospective pros playing against each other. Along with the Cape Cod Baseball League , Northwoods League , and Coastal Plain League , it is considered one of the top summer leagues in the country and
145-547: A single pair of games against each out-of-division team. The league has retained the three-division format through the 2024 season. In the NECBL's history, the most successful team is the Newport Gulls , with eight league championships and thirteen championship series appearances (including one championship appearance as the Cranston, Rhode Island –based Rhode Island Gulls). The Keene Swamp Bats are next with five league titles and
174-531: Is Sean McGrath, former general manager of the North Adams SteepleCats . McGrath replaced Mario Tiani, who retired following the 2012 season. The NECBL became a 13-team league in 2013 with the addition of teams in Rhode Island ( Ocean State Waves ), Massachusetts ( Plymouth Pilgrims ) and New York ( Saratoga Brigade ) (the league's first team to operate outside New England), but reverted to 12 teams after
203-690: Is a part of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball . In 2019, the Collegiate Summer Baseball Register ranked the NECBL as the 2nd best collegiate summer baseball league, behind only the Cape Cod League. Founded in 1993, the NECBL began its direction under George Foster , former Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets All-Star and Major League Baseball home run leader, and Emmy Award -winning television producer/director Joseph Consentino . Play started in 1994 and today
232-554: The North Shore Navigators have four. The All-Star Game usually takes place from mid- to late July. Prior to the game a Home Run Derby is held and, since the 2007 All-Star Game, a Special Skill Competition for Most Accurate Arm and Fastest Runner. The following former NECBL players have gone on to play in Major League Baseball . Former NECBL players have reached the major league rosters of all thirty MLB teams,
261-533: 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
290-437: The 2015 season with the help and leadership of newly appointed Manager John Raiola. The team also saw its attendance grow to second in the NECBL in their tenure and 29th nationally among all summer collegiate teams according to Ballpark Digest . In 2016, the team displaced the Newport Gulls as the top-drawing team in the league, and ranked 11th nationally among all Summer Collegiate Baseball teams in attendance. The success off
319-572: The 2019 season, replaced by the Bristol Blues , who also moved from the FCBL. The North Shore Navigators returned to the league in 2021 after nine years in the FCBL. The Winnipesaukee Muskrats folded following the 2022 season after the league's governing board rejected the team's strategy to house players. In the 2021 season, the league was divided into two seven-team divisions, the North Division and
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#1733086331106348-592: The Blue Sox finished just under a .500 record and 8 games behind the division winning and eventual NECBL champions Sanford Mainers . In 2009, the Blue Sox enjoyed far greater success than their inaugural season in Holyoke, finishing with a 20–21 record, earning the fourth and final West Division playoff spot after a one-game playoff with the Danbury Westerners . The Blue Sox then upset the #1 seeded Keene Swamp Bats in
377-549: The Blue Sox led the deciding game-3 2-1 heading into the 8th inning. A Sam Stauble triple and a Shane Hughes walk off 3-run HR ended the Sox run, but provided the team with a foundation to build to 2017. In 2017, the Sox repeated their success of 2016 by qualifying for the NECBL playoffs a second consecutive year, replicating the success of only three other franchises in the league. The team continued to rack up strong attendance numbers, drawing 2,800 fans+ in five consecutive games headed down
406-693: The Brigade folded. On October 30, 2015, the league announced that the Upper Valley Nighthawks would begin play in 2016 in Hartford , Vermont, bringing the league back to 13 teams. The Plymouth Pilgrims ceased operations after the 2018 season but were replaced by the Martha's Vineyard Sharks, a former member of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL). The New Bedford BaySox ceased after
435-589: The Division Semifinal round, becoming the first ever #4 seed to defeat a #1 seed in the playoffs. However, the Blue Sox were then defeated by the Vermont Mountaineers in the Division Finals. The 2009 season was highlighted by Holyoke's hosting the 2009 NECBL All-Star Game at Mackenzie Stadium . The game saw a record-breaking attendance figure for the event of 4,906. In 2011, the team finished with
464-403: The NECBL plays in all six New England states. It recruits players attending U.S. colleges from New England, the other 44 states, and foreign countries, provided that they come from NCAA-sanctioned colleges or universities, are in good academic standing, have completed at least one year of athletic eligibility, and have at least one year of eligibility remaining. The NECBL's current commissioner
493-742: The Ocean State Waves to capture the title; resulting in the Blue Sox being ranked the #1 Summer College Team in the United States. In 2018, John Raiola was promoted to the Director of Baseball Operations and Chris Weyant as the General Manager. The team maintained its high level of success, finishing second in the Northern division before falling to the Keene Swamp Bats in the Division Finals, marking
522-472: The South Division. During the regular season, teams played 44 regular-season games, solely against division opponents, because of COVID-19 travel concerns. Scheduled doubleheaders were seven-inning games. The top four teams from each division qualified for the eight-team playoff bracket, in which teams played best-of-three series to determine the champion. For 2022, the NECBL went to three divisions, with
551-584: 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
580-420: 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
609-601: The field was the same as the success on the field, as the team continued its upward trajectory under the Golden/Raiola tandem, as they finished second in the division with 24 wins on the season. After a dramatic walk-off victory in the division semi-finals, the team jumped out to a 1–0 series lead in the Northern Division Finals against the Sanford Mainers. In one of the more dramatic playoff games in NECBL history,
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#1733086331106638-613: The fourth straight season the franchise had made it to the Final Four of the league. While the 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2021 brought a new dawn, as Raiola stepped down as manager in favor of former Blue Sox Outfielder and later hitting coach Hezekiah Randolph. Kate Avard once an intern - was named the team's general manager; among the first female general managers in league history. The Blue Sox found themselves swept up in divisional realignment, being moved to
667-673: The record being held by a member of the Concord Quarry Dogs. Below is a list of awards won by members of the Concord Quarry Dogs and Holyoke/Valley Blue Sox. Below is a list of Concord Quarry Dogs (2001–2007), Holyoke Blue Sox (2008–2012) and Valley Blue Sox (2014–2014) alumni who have gone on to play professional baseball at the AA level or higher. The alumni are sorted by peak level of baseball in which they have participated. Collegiate summer baseball Collegiate summer baseball leagues are amateur baseball leagues in
696-400: The south division where they finished in third place with a 23–19 mark, good enough for third place. The Blue Sox would fall to the eventual 2021 champion Danbury Westerners in the playoffs. Below is a list of New England Collegiate Baseball League records set by players of the Concord Quarry Dogs and Holyoke/Valley Blue Sox, as of the end of the 2017 season. Note: An asterisk (*) denotes
725-403: The stretch run. The team would go on to win 12 of its last 13 games and not lose a single playoff game - capturing the team's first NECBL Championship in franchise history - sweeping through the playoffs an defeating the Ocean State Waves in the championship series. In the 2018 season, the Blue Sox once again captured the league championship, winning back to back years, as they once again defeated
754-623: The team won its first NECBL championship against the Ocean State Waves . The Concord Quarry Dogs were founded in 2001, as the second NECBL team in the state of New Hampshire . The team led the league in attendance their inaugural year. Despite making the postseason in both 2002 and 2003, the fan base slowly began to dwindle. Attendance slipped dramatically in 2004 with the arrival of the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in nearby Manchester, New Hampshire . In 2006, average attendance
783-606: The thirtieth team being the Philadelphia Phillies when, in September 2015, Brian Bogusevic debuted with the team. All NECBL games are broadcast online through the NECBL Broadcast Network from Blueframe, with Pointstreak providing live stats for all games. On May 14, 2010, the league signed an agreement with Pointstreak. Pointstreak provides "real-time scoring, official statistics, and administration services" to
812-496: The two premier collegiate summer leagues. This list is organized by federation. Source: Chicago Suburban Baseball League New England Collegiate Baseball League The New England Collegiate Baseball League ( NECBL ) is a 13-team collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball . Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 44-game schedule during June and July, with
841-523: Was only 503 per game. Following the 2007 season, the team was purchased by the brother-sister team of Barry Wadsworth and Karen Rella who had hoped to help keep the team in Concord. But shortly thereafter, citing increased rent costs and low attendance, they began their search for a new home. With the departure of the Holyoke Giants after the 2007 season, the new ownership group decided to move their team to Holyoke, Massachusetts . Their first year in Holyoke,
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