| Eastern Pennsylvania Baseball League | |
|---|---|
 "America’s Favorite Past-Time" | |
| Predecessor | Minor League Baseball, Central Pennsylvania League |
| Type | Semiprofessional Sports League |
| Headquarters | 128 Main Street, Bloomsburg, Commonwealth of Susquehanna |
| Commissioner | Frank Bolick |
Overview[]
The Eastern Pennsylvania Baseball League is a semiprofessional baseball league operating in former eastern Pennsylvania in the nations of Reading and the Commonwealth of Susquehanna. It was founded after the 2017 merger of the Reading League and the Susquehanna Baseball League. There are eight teams playing in two leagues, the Reading League and Susquehanna League.
Background[]
Reading saw the first baseball leagues form in the early 2000's with several teams forming by enthusiasts and college students. Initially, competition was informal and sporadic as teams played other groups in their area to reduce travel cost. As interest increased and local businesses began to gain interest, a formal league, the Reading League was formed in 2007. Two levels formed within the nation, a semiprofessional minor league and a weekend minor league, as well as a separate Little League organization that included both middle and high school levels. Collegiate baseball was managed independently by the local universities.
Susquehanna's baseball league emerged nearly a decade later, in 2014. The Susquehanna Baseball League was only composed of a single semiprofessional minor league and generally played a shorter season from May to October with games occurring on Friday nights or the weekend. Middle and high school baseball was handled by the Susquehanna Interscholastic Athletic Association and collegiate level by the Susquehanna National Athletic Conference. However, frequently due to the few operational teams, the semiprofessional baseball teams would play college teams to fill out the season.
Teams[]
Most of the teams were merged directly from the predecessor leagues, however a few smaller teams were disbanded and other teams were relocated.
The teams are:
- Allentown Red Sox (Reading)
- Bloomsburg Capitals (Susquehanna)
- Danville Ironmen (Susquehanna)
- Hazleton Mountaineers (Susquehanna)
- Lancaster Red Roses (Reading)
- Lebanon Orioles (Reading)
- Lehigh Yankees (Lehigh)
- Reading Phillies (Reading)
Allentown Red Sox[]
The Allentown Red Sox succeeded the team of the same name of the Reading Baseball League. It was named after a team of the same name that played in the Minor League Baseball Eastern League from 1958 to 1960. The Red Sox play at the Bicentennial Park in South Allentown, which was built in 1939 and hosted the Allentown Dukes from 1939 to 1940, Allentown Wings from 1941 to 1944, and the Allentown Cardinals from 1945 to 1947. Allentown also hosted the Allentown Cardinals from 1948 to 1952 and again from 1954 to 1956, Allentown Chiefs in 1957, and the Allentown Red Sox from 1958 to 1960.
Bloomsburg Capitals[]
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The Bloomsburg Capitals succeeded the Susquehanna Baseball League Bloomsburg Nationals. The name adjustment was decided during the merger of the two leagues to affirm the location of the team in the capital of Susquehanna. The Capitals play in the Jan M. Hutcherson Field on the campus of Bloomsburg University.
Danville Ironworkers[]
The Danville Ironworkers succeeded the Susquehanna Baseball League Danville Ironman and was renamed to avoid confusion with the local grade school baseball team. The Ironworkers play at the Washies Baseball Fields on the east side of the borough.
Hazleton Mountaineers[]
The Hazleton Mountaineers succeeded the Susquehanna Baseball League team of the same name. The Susquehanna Baseball League team was named after the 1929 to 1950 minor league baseball team. The Mountaineers play at the Hazleton High School baseball field.
Lancaster Red Roses[]
Lancaster Red Roses
The Lancaster Red Roses succeeded the team of the same name in the Reading Baseball League. The team was named after the baseball team that played at various times from 1884 to 1961 and plays at the Lancaster Municipal Stadium, which was built in 2011 as part of a public works project to stimulate the local economy.
Lebanon Orioles[]
Lebanon Orioles
The Lebanon Orioles succeeded the team of the same name in the Reading Baseball League. The Lebanon Orioles were named after the pre-Doomsday Baltimore Orioles and play at the Lebanon High School football field.
Lehigh Yankees[]
Lehigh Yankees
The Lehigh Yankees succeeded the Susquehanna Baseball League Berwick Yankees. The Yankees play in the Lehigh Sports Complex Baseball Field adjacent to the Lehigh Elementary and Jr. High schools.
Reading Phillies[]
The Reading Phillies succeeded the Reading Baseball League and were named after the pre-Doomsday Reading and Philadelphia teams. The Phillies play at the Reading Municipal Stadium and is the largest ballfield in the country, with a capacity of 10,000 people.
Little League[]
The Eastern Pennsylvania Baseball League is also responsible for managing the Little League teams, which are organized at a borough level, though smaller communities may share a team.