Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League

Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League
Sport Baseball
Founded 2005
President Bradley Rifkin
Commissioner Jason Woodward
No. of teams 10
Country USA
Most recent
champion(s)		 Baltimore Redbirds, Bethesda Big Train (co-champions)
Official website CRCBL Official Web Site

The Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League (CRCBL) is a collegiate summer baseball league located in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland metropolitan areas. All players are from NCAA-sanctioned colleges and universities and have at least one year of NCAA eligibility remaining. The CRCBL is a member of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB).

History

The CRCBL was founded in 2005.[1] The league was named in honor of Cal Ripken, Sr. in recognition of his lifelong dedication "to helping young baseball players develop and reach their potential." Although the league is named in his honor, it is not associated with the Cal Ripken, Sr. foundation.[2] In 2009 the league removed the "Sr." in the name to accommodate both Cal Ripken, Sr. and Cal Ripken, Jr..

The league's founding teams were the Bethesda Big Train, College Park Bombers, Maryland Redbirds, Rockville Express, Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts, and Youse's Maryland Orioles. The Herndon Braves joined in 2007 and the Alexandria Aces joined in 2008, expanding the league into Northern Virginia.[2] In 2009, the Southern Maryland Nationals, formerly the Southern Maryland Cardinals, joined the league for the 2010 season when it was announced that the College Park Bombers would not be competing in 2010 due to financial struggles.[3][4] Another name change occurred as the Maryland Redbirds changed their name to the Baltimore Redbirds. In 2011, the Vienna River Dogs became the ninth team in the league and the third in Northern Virginia. The league expanded into Washington, D.C. when the D.C. Grays joined for the 2012 season. In 2013 two new teams, the Baltimore Presstman Cardinals and the Gaithersburg Giants, joined the League. In 2014 the Cardinals were replaced by the Baltimore Dodgers and the Southern Maryland Nationals ceased operations. After the completion of the 2014 season, Youse's Maryland Orioles announced that they would no longer be competing in the League. In 2015 the League changed to a two division format with a playoff.

Showcase Games

Mid-Atlantic Classic

On July 15, 2009, the CRCBL took on the Valley Baseball League, another collegiate wooden bat league based in Virginia, in the Mid-Atlantic Classic in Waldorf, Maryland. Each side gathered a roster of All-Stars for the match. In the game, the Ripken League defeated the Valley League 2-1.[5] On July 11, 2011 the two leagues held the second Mid-Atlantic Classic (the scheduled 2010 re-match was rained out) at Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Ripken League won again, this time by a score of 6-3.[5]

Southern Collegiate Showcase

The CRCBL sent an all-star team to North Carolina in 2017 and 2018 to participate in the Southern Collegiate Prospect Showcase against the Florida Collegiate Summer League, the Southern Collegiate Baseball League, the Sunbelt League and the Valley League. In 2017, the CRCBL lost both games, but won both in 2018.

Teams

Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League[6]
North Division South Division
Team City Stadium Team City Stadium
Baltimore Dodgers Hanover, MD Joe Cannon Stadium Alexandria Aces Alexandria, VA Frank Mann Field
Baltimore Redbirds Towson, MD Calvert Hall College High School Bethesda Big Train Bethesda, MD Shirley Povich Field
Gaithersburg Giants Gaithersburg, MD Criswell Automotive Field at Kelley Park D.C. Grays Washington, D.C. Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy
Rockville Express Rockville, MD Knights Field at Montgomery College FCA Herndon Braves Annandale, VA Annandale High School
Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts Silver Spring, MD Montgomery Blair Stadium Loudoun Riverdogs Ashburn, VA Rock Ridge High School

Past champions

Season League Champion Regular Season Champion
2005 Bethesda Big Train, Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts (co-champions) Bethesda Big Train
2006 Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts Bethesda Big Train
2007 Rockville Express Rockville Express, Youse's Maryland Orioles (Tie)
2008 Youse's Maryland Orioles Youse's Maryland Orioles
2009 Bethesda Big Train Bethesda Big Train
2010 Bethesda Big Train Youse's Orioles
2011 Bethesda Big Train Bethesda Big Train
2012 Baltimore Redbirds Rockville Express
2013 Baltimore Redbirds Bethesda Big Train
2014 Baltimore Redbirds Bethesda Big Train
2015 Baltimore Redbirds Bethesda Big Train
2016 Bethesda Big Train Baltimore Redbirds
2017 Bethesda Big Train Bethesda Big Train
2018 Baltimore Redbirds, Bethesda Big Train (co-champions) Bethesda Big Train

Every year from 2009 to 2018 the championship series featured the Redbirds against the Big Train.[7]

MLB Draft

In 2007, CRCBL alumnus Joe Smith earned a spot on a major league roster, with the New York Mets.[8]

In May 2009, Brett Cecil, who pitched for the Thunderbolts in 2005, was called up by the Toronto Blue Jays, where he pitched for eight seasons. In 2013, he became the first Ripken League alum to play in an MLB All-Star game.[9] In November, 2016 he signed a 4-year, $30.5 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals.[10]

The 2008 MLB Draft saw 40 former or current players chosen. Some players drafted included former Big Train player Carlos Gutierrez, at 27th overall by the Minnesota Twins. Three other players got drafted in the first three rounds: former Big Train player Evan Frederickson, at 35th overall by the Milwaukee Brewers, and two former players from the Youse's Orioles, Derrik Gibson in the 2nd round by the Boston Red Sox, and L. J. Hoes in the 3rd round by the Baltimore Orioles.

In the 2009 MLB draft, 37 former Ripken Leaguers were chosen, with the highest being Ben Tootle in the 3rd round, by the Minnesota Twins.

In the 2010 MLB Draft, 31 former Ripken Leaguers were chosen, with the highest being Jarrett Parker in the 2nd round, by the San Francisco Giants.[11]

In the 2011 MLB Draft, 33 former Ripken Leaguers were chosen, with the highest being Jed Bradley in the 1st round (15th overall), by the Milwaukee Brewers.[12]

In the 2012 MLB Draft, 31 former Ripken Leaguers were chosen, with the highest being Kyle Zimmer in the 1st round (5th overall), by the Kansas City Royals.[13]

In the 2013 MLB Draft, 22 former Ripken Leaguers were chosen, with the highest being Hunter Renfroe in the 1st round (13th overall), by the San Diego Padres.[14]

In the 2014 MLB Draft, 26 former Ripken Leaguers were chosen, with the highest being Mark Zagunis in the 3rd round, by the Chicago Cubs.[15]

In the 2015 MLB Draft, 32 former Ripken Leaguers were chosen, with the highest being Brandon Lowe in the 3rd round, by the Tampa Bay Rays.[16]

In the 2017 MLB Draft, 42 former Ripken Leaguers were chosen, with the highest being Logan Warmoth in the 1st round (22nd overall), by the Toronto Blue Jays.[17]

In the 2018 MLB Draft, 44 former Ripken Leaguers were chosen, with the highest being Logan Gilbert in the 1st round (14th overall), by the Seattle Mariners.[18]

Noted alumni

References

  1. ↑ "CRSCBL Mission Statement". Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League. Archived from the original on April 5, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
  2. 1 2 "CRSCBL 2005 Annual Report" (PDF). Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 6, 2011. Retrieved March 27, 2008.
  3. ↑ Hudson, Joshua (January 28, 2010). "College Park college baseball team ceases operations". The Gazette. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Cal Ripken League welcomes new franchise for 2010". Cal Ripken, Sr. Collegiate Baseball League. Archived from the original on May 4, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2010.
  5. 1 2 "Ripken League tops Valley League!". Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League. July 10, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Ballpark Map | Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League". www.calripkenleague.org. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  7. ↑ Lichtman, Harry (July 31, 2018). "Big Train and Redbirds named 2018 Ripken League co-champions - Montgomery County Sentinel". The Sentinel. Retrieved August 15, 2018. It’s the first time since the league’s inaugural season in 2005 where two teams have been named co-champions, the same two teams who have met in the Championship Series 10 years in a row.
  8. ↑ "CRSCBL Alumni". Retrieved 2008-03-27.
  9. ↑ "Thunderbolts official web site". Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  10. ↑ "Baseball-Reference web site". Retrieved 2017-01-03.
  11. ↑ "2010 Draft Results". Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  12. ↑ "2011 Draft Results". Retrieved 2014-10-08.
  13. ↑ "2012 Draft Results". Retrieved 2014-10-08.
  14. ↑ "2013 Draft Results". Retrieved 2014-10-08.
  15. ↑ "2014 Draft Results". Retrieved 2014-10-08.
  16. ↑ "2015 Draft | Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League". www.calripkenleague.org. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  17. ↑ "2017 Draft | Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League". www.calripkenleague.org. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  18. ↑ "2018 Draft | Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League". www.calripkenleague.org. Retrieved 2018-08-09.
  19. ↑ "2007 New York Penn League Allstar Roster". Retrieved 2008-03-26.
  20. ↑ "New York Mets Roster". Retrieved 2008-03-25.
  21. ↑ "MLB Stats for Joe Smith". Retrieved 2008-03-26.

Team Sites

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