(LOS ANGELES, CA) - The California Collegiate League’s 2020 season will have a new look in the upcoming summer as the league will now consist of a three division format: South, Central, and North Divisions.
Four teams will make up the new Northern Division, with the Healdsburg Prune Packers, Lincoln Potters and the Solano Mudcats making the transition from being members of the former Affiliate Division, into becoming full-members of the California Collegiate League in 2020. They will be joined by the fourth team of the new conference, the Walnut Creek Crawdads.
The Healdsburg Prune Packers Baseball Club was formed in 2014 to carry on the tradition of the original Healdsburg Prune Packers team that was originally formed in 1921. Since their rebirth in 2014, they have played a season in both the Golden State Collegiate Baseball League and the Horizon Air Summer Series, then in 2016 they made the move to the CCL where they have competed ever since. Under the guidance of Joey Gomes, the Club’s manager on and off the field, Healdsburg will look to repeat their success in 2020 by building off their 2019 campaign in which they claimed the Affiliate Division crown and finished as runner-up in the California State Championship to the Santa Barbara Foresters.
The Lincoln Potters returned to Lincoln in 2017, but can follow their baseball roots in the city all they way back to 1923. In their first two seasons, the Potters competed as members of the Great West League, finishing as runner-ups in 2018. Then in 2019, they made the move to the CCL as members of the Affiliate Division, finishing just behind rival conference member, Healdsburg. Led by manager Ryan Stevens, the Potters will look to avenge last season’s shortcomings and hope to find themselves representing the Northern Conference as champions in 2020.
The Solano Mudcats were formed in Solano County in 1990 and were once an established semi-professional baseball club before making the switch and becoming a collegiate baseball organization in 2012. They were an independent organization for the first five years after the transition, but in 2018 they joined the Bay Area Collegiate League and earned themselves the league title in their first and only year as members. In 2019, they joined the CCL as members of the Affiliate Division. With their President, Head Coach and General Manager, Ben Crombie, at the helm, the Mudcats will look to improve upon their 2019 season and compete for a conference title in 2020.
The Walnut Creek Crawdads round out the conference, returning to the CCL after having previously been apart of the league for the 2014-17 seasons. Originally founded in 2010, the Crawdads have also competed as members of the Far West League. After a brief hiatus, Brant Cummings has taken the lead on revitalizing the organization, as he will both run and manage the team during the 2020 season. With Cummings in charge, Walnut Creek hopes to make an immediate impact in their return to the CCL and make a run at the Northern Division.
The top teams from each Division will face off in the CCL State Championship Tournament the first weekend of August. Stay tuned for more exciting news regarding that!