Prospect League

The Prospect League is a summer college baseball league featuring top college players who are looking to improve their skills and to potentially play professional baseball. The League operates under NCAA rules allowing the participants to maintain their NCAA eligibility.

Each team can roster up to 32 players who live with host families in their respective communities. Players come from across the country to compete against elite competition. The Prospect League features athletes from NCAA DI, D2, D3, the NAIA and the NJCAA. In 2021, 51% of the players in the League were from D1 universities.

The League was founded in 2009 when the Central Illinois College League (founded in 1963) merged into the Prospect League. Since 2009, more than 300 Prospect League players have been drafted by Major League Baseball with hundreds more playing professional baseball.

In the 2021 MLB draft, 9 former Prospect League players were drafted including former Lafayette Aviator Trey Sweeney who was the #1 pick of the New York Yankees in 2021. Last year, 16 former Prospect League alumni were playing in the Major Leagues.

The 16-team Prospect League is the only league of its caliber in the footprint bound by the Mississippi River to the west and Johnstown, PA to the east. Teams play a 60-game regular season schedule starting in 2022 on May 28 and concluding on July 31. The first half winners in each division meet in a one-game playoff followed by a one-game conference championship playoff. The two conference champions meeting in a best 2 of 3 for the League Championship.

The Prospect League features many excellent facilities, many of which were home to former professional teams including Burlington, Chillicothe, Clinton, Johnstown, Normal and O’Fallon. The Lafayette Aviators opened a new 2,000+ seat stadium in 2021.