Independence League Baseball is a collegiate summer baseball league in the United States with teams playing in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming. The league played its inaugural season in 2022 with ten teams and had eight teams for 2023. eight teams are listed for the 2024 season.
History The league was announced in October 2021 with seven teams which were leaving the Expedition League: Badlands Big Sticks (Dickinson, North Dakota) Canyon County Spuds (Caldwell, Idaho) Casper Horseheads (Casper, Wyoming) Fremont Moo (Fremont, Nebraska) Hastings Sodbusters (Hastings, Nebraska) Spearfish Sasquatch (Spearfish, South Dakota) Western Nebraska Pioneers (Gering, Nebraska)
For the 2022 season, the league added the Gem City Bison (Laramie, Wyoming), the North Platte Plainsmen (North Platte, Nebraska), and the Nebraska Prospects, a traveling team to balance the schedule. The Western Nebraska Pioneers were the champions of the inaugural season.
For the 2023 season, the Oahe Zap were founded in Pierre, South Dakota while the North Platte Plainsmen and the Western Nebraska Pioneers left the league to play their own independent schedules. In December 2022, the Casper Horseheads ceased operations after four years in the two leagues and the Canyon County Spuds announced their relocation from Caldwell, Idaho to Casper, Wyoming to become the Casper Spuds. In January 2023, the Gem City Bison announced that they were skipping the 2023 season, citing "ongoing challenges", and that they will be "working diligently" to return in 2024. In February 2023, the Sawtooth Sockeyes (Caldwell, Idaho) joined the league as an unaffiliated, travel only team to help balance the schedule.
The 2023 season also introduced a new format to the league playoffs. The new format split the league into two half-seasons. The winner of the first half would face off against the second half winner in a 5-game series. The Fremont Moo captured the first-half title, while the Casper Spuds would secure their playoff spot with a second-half run. The championship series came down to game five, winner-take-all, with the Fremont Moo winning the League Championship.
In October 2023, the Badlands Big Sticks left the league to join the Northwoods League for the 2024 season.
In October 2025, the Hastings Sodbusters announced they would be leaving to join the newly formed Diamond Baseball League.
the league has four teams as members for the 2026 season (Casper Spuds, Fremont Moo, Oahe Zap, Spearfish Sasquatch) and three teams as unaffiliated, travel only teams (Nebraska Prospects, Plainsmen Baseball, Bison Baseball). It isn't stated if the Plainsmen or Bison are connected to the same-named previous teams, nor is there anything said about the Sawtooth Sockeyes absence.
Teams Current members Current teamsTeamFoundedJoinedStadiumCityCapacity Bison Baseball 2024 2024 None (traveling team) n/a n/a Capital City Aviators 2026 2026 None (traveling team) Cheyenne, WY n/a Casper Spuds 2021 2022 Mike Lansing Field Casper, WY 2,500 Fort Collins Foxes 2005 2026 None (traveling team) Fort Collins, CO n/a Oahe Zap 2023 2023 Hyde Stadium Pierre, SD 1,200 Spearfish Sasquatch 20182022Black Hills Energy Stadium Spearfish, SD 1,100
Former members Former teams Team Years City Stadium Disposition Casper Horseheads 2022 Casper, WY Mike Lansing Field Founded 2018. Discontinued North Platte Plainsmen 2022 North Platte, NE Historic Bill Wood Field Founded 2022. Left to become independent. Western Nebraska Pioneers 2022 Gering, NE Oregon Trail Park Stadium Founded 2018. Left to become independent. Gem City Bison 2022 Laramie, WY Cowboy Field Founded 2022. Planning to return in 2024. Badlands Big Sticks 2022–23 Dickinson, ND Dakota Community Bank & Trust Ballpark Founded 2018. Left to join Northwoods League. Sawtooth Sockeyes 2023 Caldwell, ID None (traveling team) Founded 2023. Hastings Sodbusters 2022–2025 Hastings, NE Duncan Field Founded 2018. Fremont Moo 2022–2025 Fremont, NE Moller Field Founded 2019. Left to join the Diamond Baseball League. Nebraska Prospects 2022–2025 n/a None (traveling team) Founded 2022.
Membership timeline
Map
References
External links Official Website