The Greater Northeast Collegiate Baseball League established in 2017, by Coach Max Salevsky, was recently acquired by a larger baseball league conglomerate, The Players League from North Carolina.
According to Lexie Allerd, Director of Marketing for TPL, The Players League is an umbrella organization for collegiate baseball leagues. The Greater Northeast Collegiate Baseball League will be their very first expansion (of several) from the state of North Carolina. The TPL has already revamped the existing GNCBL logo and updated the website and social media platforms to reflect the change. The Players League will also be expanding into Virginia, Texas, and Florida in the year of 2025 in addition to New England.
What does this mean for college baseball players in Maine who play at the collegiate level in the summer? GNCBL will be adding 4 brand new teams this year and adding 4 new venue locations in Bangor, Augusta, Gorham and Old Orchard Beach. Since GNCBL began, 7 years ago, players have traveled to various venues from the Oxford Hills Region to Goodall Park in Sanford, to Saint Joseph’s College of Maine to Old Orchard Beach, with The Ballpark (OOB) location being the only venue to offer amenities. According to Max Salevsky, founder of GNCBL, with this expansion, the goal is to field more teams with a 30-game schedule this summer. Salevsky concluded “our vision for summer collegiate baseball is to expand on the already established player friendly atmosphere and make the merger the best that it can be for the players.” Salevsky will continue to assume the role as commissioner of the GNCBL. Salevsky also coached the Nor’easters who won back-to-back titles in the 2018 & 2019 summer seasons.
Photo credit: Katie BrownGNCBL League Championship team at Goodall Field 2020
Allerd added, “The leadership at TPL plans to take their proven structure and strategy from North Carolina and adopt it through the GNCBL in Maine. To them, this means focusing on a top-notch player and fan experience with a hyper-local focus.” Allerd concluded, “The League plans to be player friendly by providing luxury gear and equipment, team transportation, post-game meals, and more to the GNCBL players. The GNCBL will feature the best local talent in Maine. The TPL also plans to completely reinvent the fan experience and will shift their focus to providing a fun and exciting family environment with games and entertainment, higher competition, and food and beverage at every location.”
Through these combined efforts the goal is to change the way the players are valued and bring more excitement to the game of college baseball in the Northeast. New teams will be released in the very near future. The new locations and revamps will surely be a hit with fans and families who support college baseball teams and athletes in Maine.