There will be a new collegiate league in the area next year, allowing local talent to play baseball throughout the summer in the Philadelphia region.
The East Coast Collegiate Baseball League will begin play in June of 2024 with eight teams, including clubs in Trenton, Quakertown, South Jersey, Lower Bucks, Allentown, Scranton, and the Poconos.
Elite Championship Travel Baseball (ECTB) Holdings announced the formation of the league via release last week.
“I’ve had the benefit of meeting and getting to know some incredible coaches and managers,” said Dominic Albanese, the Director of Baseball of ECTB Holdings, who will serve as League President for the inaugural year. “When we saw an opportunity to partner with some of these guys, I immediately knew that it would be a great opportunity to put together a high quality collegiate league that will focus on the development and integrity that the game of baseball and our players deserve.”
A pair of Trenton-area squads that have made an impact on the summer amateur circuit will highlight the Southern Division. The Trenton Generals and South Jersey Kings played for the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League Wolff Division title a year ago. They’ll be joined by the Shore-based Jersey Wildcats and a squad from Lower Bucks County.
Clubs in Quakertown, Allentown, Scranton, and the Poconos will play in the Northern Division.
College student-athletes may play in the ECCBL, with no team having more than four current players from the same collegiate institution, per NCAA rules. Players must have completed the spring college semester or been a full-time high school student immediately preceding the ECCBL season and must have remaining college eligibility.
“I’ve always felt a league is only as strong as its weakest franchise, and that’s one of the things that has me excited about this,” said Dylan Dando, who guided the Allentown Railers to four ACBL championships in five years, winning from 2015-2017 and again in 2019. ”It is important to do this with the right franchises and the right people, and that’s what we have here.”
