Dan Sullivan grew up in the Rochester baseball scene, playing for Greece Olympia in high school and umpiring games on the college and in summer.
In recent years though Sullivan noticed something was lacking. For many college players, the chance to continue playing in the summer wasn’t there.
“In this area there wasn’t much going on,” Sullivan said. “In all the times I had been (an umpire), there was nothing competitive.”
So last summer Sullivan met with a pair of local baseball lifers in Lou Izzo and Joe Bianchi to figure out a possible solution. What came out of the meeting? A summer league for college players that would give them plenty of opportunities to not only play but work and save money for school.
The Rochester Collegiate Baseball League kicked off its inaugural season last week at the College at Brockport. The league opened with four teams playing 22 games from June through early August.
“It’s a bit of a floating concept, every day we learn new ideas,” Sullivan said. “We are now starting to find that this is a tool to use in recruiting. We definitely want to expand the league in the future.”
Many local college players can play in the Monroe County American Legion league after their freshman year, but few options exist after their finals three seasons.
Some can play in the NYCBL or Perfect Game League, however rosters in those leagues are stocked with players from schools outside of New York. Both leagues feature games nearly every day and the travel schedule doesn’t leave them a chance to work.
In the RCBL players have three games per week locally meaning they can work during the day. Games this season are played at either Brockport or St. John Fisher.
“The baseball played is at a high level and the kids have a chance to continue to work,” said Joe Reina, head coach of the University of Rochester baseball team, who has five players in the league. “We think this model could be copied throughout the country.”
Each team has a small roster with only 18 players. With only six pitchers, two catchers and 10 position players, everyone should see significant playing time this season.
“We definitely want to expand the league,” Sullivan said. “We are trying to get players who have all different kinds of goals. We hope to get college freshman, maybe who were blocked out of playing time, and older guys who want to play and work. When the fall comes we want to make sure they are ready to play.”
Dan Sullivan grew up in the Rochester baseball scene, playing for Greece Olympia in high school and umpiring games on the college and in summer.
In recent years though Sullivan noticed something was lacking. For many college players, the chance to continue playing in the summer wasn’t there.
“In this area there wasn’t much going on,” Sullivan said. “In all the times I had been (an umpire), there was nothing competitive.”
So last summer Sullivan met with a pair of local baseball lifers in Lou Izzo and Joe Bianchi to figure out a possible solution. What came out of the meeting? A summer league for college players that would give them plenty of opportunities to not only play but work and save money for school.
The Rochester Collegiate Baseball League kicked off its inaugural season last week at the College at Brockport. The league opened with four teams playing 22 games from June through early August.
“It’s a bit of a floating concept, every day we learn new ideas,” Sullivan said. “We are now starting to find that this is a tool to use in recruiting. We definitely want to expand the league in the future.”
Many local college players can play in the Monroe County American Legion league after their freshman year, but few options exist after their finals three seasons.
Some can play in the NYCBL or Perfect Game League, however rosters in those leagues are stocked with players from schools outside of New York. Both leagues feature games nearly every day and the travel schedule doesn’t leave them a chance to work.
In the RCBL players have three games per week locally meaning they can work during the day. Games this season are played at either Brockport or St. John Fisher.
“The baseball played is at a high level and the kids have a chance to continue to work,” said Joe Reina, head coach of the University of Rochester baseball team, who has five players in the league. “We think this model could be copied throughout the country.”
Each team has a small roster with only 18 players. With only six pitchers, two catchers and 10 position players, everyone should see significant playing time this season.
“We definitely want to expand the league,” Sullivan said. “We are trying to get players who have all different kinds of goals. We hope to get college freshman, maybe who were blocked out of playing time, and older guys who want to play and work. When the fall comes we want to make sure they are ready to play.”
The league filled a need for several players including RIT catcher Brian Brazee. Brazee, an Auburn native, accepted an internship with ITT Exelis, but wanted to stay in shape for the fall.
Brazee was eager to return to the field after hitting .346 this spring.
“This was the perfect situation for me,” said Brazee, an infielder with the Wings. “I hope to keep improving my game, do the little things well and keep playing hard.”
Tyler Ward, a Penfield native and Bishop Kearney graduate, is one of many players who returned to Rochester for the summer because of an internship. Ward pitches for Flagler College, a Division II school in St. Augustine, Fla.
“It allows me to play competitive baseball and gain work experience when baseball is over with,” said Ward, a pitcher for the Grays. “There are a lot of good competitive guys and it’s a long year, four games a week, and we should have some fun. I’m excited.”
