The Prospect League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. So as to maintain their college eligibility, players are not paid. Beginning in 2026, the league dropped four games from the season, making a total of 56 games per team (28 home and 28 road).
League history Origin In 1963, the Central Illinois Collegiate League (CICL), the precursor league to the Prospect League, was formed as a charter member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) summer collegiate baseball program. The league existed under NCAA rules and guidance for 41 years. In 2005, the NCAA ended its official association with summer collegiate baseball; however, the CICL continued to preserve the amateur status of its member athletes by abiding by the rules and regulations of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB). In 2009, the CICL planned to expand to six teams by adding the Hannibal Cavemen, but in winter 2008, the league ownership voted against further expansion.
Dr. Chris Hanners, owner of the Chillicothe franchise and one of the founders of the independent professional Frontier League, wanted to keep a Paints baseball team in Chillicothe. Dr. Hanners, Leo Trich, former Frontier league director of development; General Manager and majority owner of the Butler BlueSox, and Duke Ward, former owner of the Frontier League's Richmond Roosters worked with the ownership of the CICL to form the Prospect League.
The Prospect League began its inaugural season in summer 2009 with the original CICL teams forming the Western Division. Five expansion teams formed the Eastern Division. Three of the Eastern Division teams began play in markets previously served by Frontier League teams. Besides the Chillicothe Paints, the Richmond RiverRats (Richmond, Indiana) played in the previous home of the Frontier League's Richmond Roosters, which are now the Traverse City Beach Bums. The Slippery Rock Sliders (Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania) played in the previous home of the Frontier League team of the same name.
2010 expansion In 2010, the Prospect League expanded adding four new franchises: the Terre Haute Rex (Terre Haute, Indiana), the West Virginia Miners (Beckley, West Virginia), the DeKalb County Liners (Sycamore, Illinois), and the Nashville Outlaws (Nashville, Tennessee).
Due to a change in team ownership in 2010, the North Coast Knights became the Lorain County Ironmen.
2011 and 2012 team departures In 2011 the DuPage Dragons franchise folded after five years with the CICL (2006–08) and Prospect League (2009–10). As a result, the league returned to a 2-division format after having 3 divisions in 2010. Richmond was moved to the six-team Eastern Division, while Danville, Nashville, Terre Haute, and Dubois County were moved to the eight-team Western Division.
Before the 2012 season, the Nashville Outlaws folded, and the DeKalb County Liners left the league to join the Midwest Collegiate League, leaving the Prospect League with twelve teams in two, six-team divisions. The 2012 schedule consisted of 60 games with no "cross-over" games; with all games played among teams from the same division only. The only time teams from opposite divisions meet is in the Championship Series.
Expansion into New York For the 2015 season, the league added its easternmost team yet, the Jamestown Jammers (Jamestown, New York). The Kokomo Jackrabbits (Kokomo, Indiana) were also added to the league to play in the new Kokomo Municipal Stadium, set to open for the 2015 season. After the 2015 season, the Richmond RiverRats folded, and the Jamestown Jammers moved to the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League after just one season in the Prospect League.
Lafayette and DuPage join the league The league stayed at 12 total teams for the 2016 season by adding the new Lafayette Aviators (Lafayette, Indiana) and DuPage Drones (Lisle, Illinois).
2017 contraction For the 2017 season, the league contracted to 10 teams, as the Hannibal Cavemen and DuPage Drones both ceased operation. Hannibal reentered the league for the 2018 season as the Hannibal Hoots.
2019 expansion and reorganization The league returned to a twelve team league for the 2019 season with the addition of the Cape Catfish in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, the departure of the Kokomo Jackrabbits to the Northwoods League, the addition of the Normal CornBelters from the Frontier League and the addition of the DuPage Pistol Shrimp in Lisle, Illinois.
The 2019 league featured two divisions, each with six teams. The West Division consisted of the Cape Catfish, DuPage Pistol Shrimp, Hannibal Hoots, Normal CornBelters, Quincy Gems and the Springfield Sliders. The East Division consisted of the Champion City Kings, Chillicothe Paints, Danville Dans, Lafayette Aviators, Terre Haute REX and the West Virginia Miners.
2020 season cancellation On May 29, 2020, the Prospect League announced cancellation of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In January 2020, the league announced adding a new team in Alton, Illinois for the 2021 season. In September 2020, the league announced adding a new team in Johnstown, Pennsylvania for the 2021 season.
2021 expansion In February 2021, the league announced the addition of two new teams in Iowa, the Clinton LumberKings and Burlington Bees. Both teams are former Midwest League teams displaced in the 2021 realignment of the minor leagues.
2023 expansion In December 2021, the league announced the addition of the Jackson Rockabillys for the 2023 season, playing home games in Jackson, Tennessee at West Tennessee Baseball Stadium (formerly known as The Ballpark at Jackson). In August 2022, the league announced that a Southern Illinois team would begin play in 2023 at Rent One Park in Marion, Illinois; in February 2023, the team was named the Thrillville Thrillbillies. The league announced that the West Virginia Miners would be dormant for the 2023 season.
2024 expansion
In September 2023, the Dubois County Bombers announced they will rejoin the Prospect League for the 2024 season playing their home games at the historic League Stadium.
Members
Current members
Eastern ConferenceDivisionTeamFoundedJoinedStadiumCityCapacityNortheast Champion City Half Trax20092013Carleton Davidson Stadium Springfield, Ohio1,077 Chillicothe Paints*19932009V.A. Memorial Stadium^ Chillicothe, Ohio3,000+ Johnstown Mill Rats20202021Point Stadium^ Johnstown, Pennsylvania7,500 Kokomo Creek Chubs2026Kokomo Municipal Stadium Kokomo, Indiana4,000 Lafayette Aviators2015Loeb Stadium Lafayette, Indiana2,600Central Danville Dans19892009Danville Stadium^ Danville, Illinois4,000 Decatur Bean Ballers2026Workman Family Baseball Field Decatur, Illinois459 Dubois County Bombers19982024League Stadium^ Huntingburg, Indiana3,300 Springfield Lucky Horseshoes20072009Robin Roberts Stadium^ Springfield, Illinois5,200 Terre Haute Rex2010Bob Warn Field at Sycamore Stadium Terre Haute, Indiana2,500Western ConferenceDivisionTeamFoundedJoinedStadiumCityCapacityNorthwest Burlington Bees*19242021Community Field^ Burlington, Iowa3,200 Clinton LumberKings*19542021NelsonCorp Field^ Clinton, Iowa5,500 Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp20192021Schweickert Stadium at Veterans Memorial ParkPeru, Illinois575+ Normal CornBelters*20092019The Corn Crib^ Normal, Illinois7,000 Quincy Doggy Paddlers2025QU Stadium^ Quincy, Illinois2,000South Alton River Dragons20202021Lloyd Hopkins Field Alton, Illinois2,500 Cape Catfish20182019Capaha Field Cape Girardeau, Missouri2,000 Jackson Rockabillys2023The Ballpark at Jackson^ Jackson, Tennessee6,000 O'Fallon Hoots20182020CarShield Field^ O'Fallon, Missouri5,150 Thrillville Thrillbillies2023Marion Stadium^ Marion, Illinois7,000 * Former professional baseball team ^ Former professional baseball venue Charter members: Butler BlueSox, Champion City Kings (as the Slippery Rock Sliders), Chillicothe Paints, Danville Dans, DuPage Dragons, Hannibal Cavemen, North Coast Knights, Richmond RiverRats, Springfield Sliders, Quincy Gems
Former members +TeamCityJoinedLeftCurrent leagueButler BlueSoxButler, Pennsylvania20092018Tri-State Collegiate LeagueDeKalb County LinersSycamore, Illinois20102011none (defunct)DuPage DragonsLisle, Illinois20092011none (defunct)DuPage DronesLisle, Illinois2016none (defunct)Full Count RhythmHendersonville, Tennessee2024Ohio Valley LeagueHannibal CavemenHannibal, Missouri20092016none (defunct)Hannibal HootsHannibal, Missouri20182019Moved to O'Fallon, Missouri in 2020Jamestown JammersJamestown, New York2015none (defunct)Kokomo JackrabbitsKokomo, Indiana20152018Northwoods LeagueLorain County IronmenLorain, Ohio20102014Great Lakes Summer Collegiate LeagueNashville OutlawsNashville, Tennessee20102012none (defunct)North Coast KnightsLorain, Ohio2009Renamed to Lorain County Ironmen in 2010Quincy GemsQuincy, Illinois20092023none (defunct)Richmond RiverRatsRichmond, Indiana20092015none (defunct)Slippery Rock SlidersSlippery Rock, Pennsylvania20092013Moved to Springfield, Ohio in 2013West Virginia MinersBeckley, West Virginia20102022none (defunct) The Cape Catfish, DuPage Pistol Shrimp and Normal CornBelters joined the league in the 2019, replacing the Kokomo Jackrabbits, who left for the Northwoods League, and the Butler BlueSox, who suspended operations.
Division and league champions
Playoff format 2009: After 56-game schedule, teams with best record in each division faced each other in a best-of-three series for the Championship.
2010: 56-game schedule divided in two halves. Winners from each half in each division faced each other in a one-game playoff (home field to team with best overall record). Where the same team won both halves in a division, the team with the next-best overall record from that division was declared the wild card. Championship Series was a two-game affair with the divisional playoff winner with the best overall record receiving a bye into the Championship Game. The remaining two divisional playoff winners met in a one-game play-in for the right to go to the Championship Game. Championship Series held at Chillicothe, Ohio.
Teams in italics qualified for that season's playoffs as a wild card entry under that particular season's playoff format.
2011: 56-game schedule divided in two halves. Winners from each half in each division faced each other in a one-game playoff (home field to team winning the first half). Where the same team won both halves in a division, the team with the next-best overall record from that division was declared the wild card. Divisional playoff winners met in one-game playoff with home field awarded to the team with the best overall record from the regular season.
2012: 60-game schedule divided in two halves. Winners from each half in each division to face each other in a one-game playoff to be hosted by the first-half champions in each division. If the same team wins both halves, the team with the best overall record from that division will be declared the wild card. Winners of each divisional playoff game will meet in a best-of-three Championship Series, with home advantage given to the division that wins the annual All-Star Game (to be held in Butler, PA). Game One of the Championship Series will be played at the home field of the team from the losing division at the All-Star Game, with Game Two and Game Three (if necessary) held at the home field of the team from the winning division at the All-Star Game.