Unless you are a diehard fan of baseball or a parent of a baseball player, the idea of college players playing baseball all summer after playing in the spring would seem foreign. Thousands of community college, NAIA, division I, division II, and division III players have the opportunity to play in over 300 teams in 25 leagues. It gives them opportunity to pick up a wooden bat and see if they have what it takes to play at the next level. For many of them, it is the first time to play the “pro game”. Wooden bats are the great equalizer in the hitting game and show who has the true power and bat speed. The flat seam baseball shows which pitches can command the ball from the mound. The California Collegiate League has been in existence for over eighteen years. All seven of the teams in the CCL reside in the upper echelon of America’s summer baseball teams. The level of play on the baseball field in the CCL is second to none; it is intense and competitive day after day and the coaching staff is the best. Five of the CCL teams have former MLB players on their coaching/advisory staff. The coaching staff stays the same, thus it is a tradition of instruction and accountability. The baseball players come by invitation only and come to the CCL to improve as athletes and achieve this goal. The recruiting coordinators for each of the seven CCL teams work closely with the coaches in the colleges and universities each fall to assemble the rosters. The baseball players report to their summer team once their college semester/quarter and playing season are complete. Some arrive later due to school continuing or their team playing in post season. Many of the players stay with a host family or live at home. Once the summer season arrives it is baseball and more baseball for the players and staff. The California Collegiate League teams play approximately 50 games in 75 days so baseball becomes the players’ life for the summer. The main goal in all the CCL is development and giving players a positive environment to develop as athletes and human beings.
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