| 2024 Prospect League season | |
|---|---|
| League | Prospect League |
| Sport | Baseball |
| Duration | May 28 – July 31 (Playoffs: August 1 – August 8) |
| Number of games | 60 (540 games in total) |
| Number of teams | 18 |
| Northeast Division | |
| Central Division | |
| Northwest Division | |
| South Division | |
| Prospect League Championship | |
The 2024 Prospect League season is the 15th season of collegiate summer baseball in the Prospect League, a collegiate summer baseball league in the Midwestern United States, since its creation in June 2009. There are 18 Prospect League teams, split evenly between Eastern and Western Conferences. These conferences are then split up between the Northeast, Central, Northwest, and South divisions.
The Chillicothe Paints entered the season as two-time defending champions, having defeated the Quincy Gems, two games to one, in the league's 2023 championship series.[1]
Season schedule
Despite reaching the Prospect League Championship in 2023, the Quincy Gems announced that they would no longer play at QU Stadium and would not return for the 2024 season. The Gems would seek relocation for any potential future seasons.[2][3]
After the Gems announced they would not play in 2024, the league brought in two new teams for the season, the Dubois County Bombers and the Full Count Rhythm.[4][5] For the Bombers, it would be their second stint in the league with the first one being from 2009 to 2012.
The 18 teams in the league are split evenly between two conferences Eastern and Western. These two conferences are then split up into four divisions, Northeast, Central, Northwest, and South.
The season will be played with a 60-game schedule, which is split between two halves, with the first half ending on June 30 and the second half ending on July 31. The first-half winners in each division will host the second-half winners in a one-game divisional championship round. (If the same team wins both halves, the team with the next-best second-half record makes the playoffs).[6]
Regular season standings
First half standings
Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Champion City Kings | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 2 | Chillicothe Paints | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 3 | Johnstown Mill Rats | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 4 | Lafayette Aviators | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danville Dans | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 2 | Dubois County Bombers | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 3 | Full Count Rhythm | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 4 | Normal CornBelters | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 5 | Terre Haute Rex | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burlington Bees | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 2 | Clinton LumberKings | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 3 | Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 4 | Springfield Lucky Horseshoes | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alton River Dragons | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 2 | Cape Catfish | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 3 | Jackson Rockabillys | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 4 | O'Fallon Hoots | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 5 | Thrillville Thrillbillies | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
Second half standings
Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Champion City Kings | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 2 | Chillicothe Paints | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 3 | Johnstown Mill Rats | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 4 | Lafayette Aviators | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danville Dans | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 2 | Dubois County Bombers | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 3 | Full Count Rhythm | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 4 | Normal CornBelters | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 5 | Terre Haute Rex | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burlington Bees | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 2 | Clinton LumberKings | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 3 | Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 4 | Springfield Lucky Horseshoes | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alton River Dragons | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 2 | Cape Catfish | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 3 | Jackson Rockabillys | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 4 | O'Fallon Hoots | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 5 | Thrillville Thrillbillies | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
Full season standings
Eastern Conference
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Champion City Kings | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 2 | Chillicothe Paints | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 3 | Johnstown Mill Rats | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 4 | Lafayette Aviators | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danville Dans | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 2 | Dubois County Bombers | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 3 | Full Count Rhythm | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 4 | Normal CornBelters | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 5 | Terre Haute Rex | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
Western Conference
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burlington Bees | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 2 | Clinton LumberKings | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 3 | Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 4 | Springfield Lucky Horseshoes | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| Pos | Team | G | W | L | Pct. | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alton River Dragons | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 2 | Cape Catfish | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 3 | Jackson Rockabillys | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 4 | O'Fallon Hoots | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
| 5 | Thrillville Thrillbillies | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | -- |
- y – Clinched division
- x – Clinched playoff spot
Statistical leaders
Hitting
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| HR | TBD | TBD | |
| AVG | TBD | TBD | |
| H | TBD | TBD | |
| RBIs | TBD | TBD | |
| SB | TBD | TBD |
Pitching
| Stat | Player | Team | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| W | TBD | TBD | |
| ERA | TBD | TBD | |
| SO | TBD | TBD | |
| SV | TBD | TBD |
Awards
All-star selections
Eastern Conference
|
Western Conference
|
End of year awards
| Award | Player | Team |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | TBD | TBD |
| Pro Prospect of the Year | TBD | TBD |
| Starting Pitcher of the Year | TBD | TBD |
| Relief Pitcher of the Year | TBD | TBD |
| Manager of the Year | TBD | TBD |
| Social Media of the Year | N/A | TBD |
| Broadcaster of the Year | TBD | TBD |
| Ballpark Experience of the Year | N/A | TBD |
| PLTV Broadcast of the Year | N/A | TBD |
| Executive of the Year | TBD | TBD |
| Organization of the Year | N/A | TBD |
Playoffs
Format
The playoffs will begin with four winner-take-all division championships followed by two winner-take-all conference championships and will conclude with a best-of-three league championship series. The playoffs are tentatively slated to begin on August 1 and conclude on August 8.
Playoff bracket
| Division Championship Round | Conference Championship Round | Prospect League Championship Series (best-of-three) | ||||||||||||||
| ↑ Northeast / ↓ Central | ||||||||||||||||
| ↑ Eastern / ↓ Western | ||||||||||||||||
| ↑ Northwest / ↓ South | ||||||||||||||||
See also
References
- ↑ "Prospect League: Chillicothe Paints win 2nd straight title". advantagenews.com. August 14, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ↑ "Quincy Gems not returning next season; future beyond 2024 unclear". wgem.com. August 29, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ↑ "Owners say Gems won't play in Quincy during 2024 season, plan to move franchise to different city". muddyriversports.com. August 29, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ↑ "Dubois County Bombers join nationally renowned Prospect League in 2024". duboiscountyfreepress.com. September 21, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ↑ "Full Count Rhythm set to join Prospect League in 2024". mainstreetmediatn.com. September 20, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ↑ "Prospect League Announces 2024 Schedule". prospectleague.com. January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ↑ "2024 Prospect League Standings". prospectleague.com. January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.