Midwest Collegiate League
 | |
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| No. of teams | 6 |
| Countries |
 United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | DuPage County Hounds (2015) |
| Most titles | Southland Vikings (2) |
| Official website | MidwestCollegiateLeague.com |
The Midwest Collegiate League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams made up of college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have college eligibility remaining in order to participate. Players are not paid, so as to maintain their college eligibility.
History
Formed in 2010 as a four-team summer collegiate wood bat league, MCL played their first season in the summer of 2011. The original four members were Chicago Zephyrs, Rockford Foresters, Southland Vikings and Will County CrackerJacks. Teams play a 30-45 game schedule with league playoffs. The league all-star game is played sometime around mid-season.
The league quickly expanded to eight teams for their second season in 2012, with the addition of DeKalb County Liners, DuPage County Hounds, Illinois Lincolns and Northwest Indiana Oilmen. Two of teams (Illinois and Will County) failed to complete the season schedule.
Six teams made up the 2013 season as the league welcomed the Lexington Snipes, replacing DeKalb County.
MCL stayed steady with six teams with the addition of Joliet Admirals (2014) and Michigan City Lakers (2015) replacing teams (Rockford in 2014; Chicago in 2015) who ceased operations.
Before the 2016 season Lexington Snipes announced that they would sit out the season. The league continued with six teams with the addition of the Bloomington Bobcats.[1][2]
Teams
| Team | City | Home Ballpark | Year Joined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomington Bobcats | Bloomington, IL | O'Neil Park | 2016 |
| DuPage County Hounds | Lemont, IL | Lemont High School Sports Complex | 2012 |
| Joliet Admirals | Joliet, IL | Wayne L. King Field | 2014 |
| Michigan City Lakers | Michigan City, IN | Marquette Athletic Complex | 2015 |
| Northwest Indiana Oilmen | Whiting, IN | Oil City Stadium | 2012 |
| Southland Vikings | Chicago Heights, IL | Hap Bruno Field | 2011 |
NOTE: Lexington Snipes are on hiatus for 2016.
Former teams
- Chicago Zephyrs (2011-14)
- DeKalb County Liners (2012)
- Illinois Lincolns (2012)
- Rockford Foresters (2011-13)
- Will County CrackerJacks (2011-12)
Champions
Championship series are a best-of three.
| Season | Winner | Runner-up | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Will County CrackerJacks | Rockford Foresters | 2-1 |
| 2012 | Northwest Indiana Oilmen | DeKalb County Liners | 2-0 |
| 2013 | Southland Vikings[3] | Northwest Indiana Oilmen | 2-0 |
| 2014 | Southland Vikings[4] | DuPage County Hounds | 2-0 |
| 2015 | DuPage County Hounds[5] | Lexington Snipes | 2-1 |
| 2016 |
References
- ↑ "New for 2016: Bloomington Bobcats". Ballpark Digest. 26 January 2016.
- ↑ "Bloomington Bobcats set to return". The Pantagraph. 27 January 2016.
- ↑ "Southland rides Chigas to MCL title". Northwest Indiana Times. 4 August 2013.
- ↑ "Local products carry standard on field for Northwest Indiana Oilmen". Chicago Tribune. 30 May 2015.
- ↑ "Matt Wollnik hones his batting eye playing with DuPage County Hounds". Chicago Tribune. 9 August 2015.