Valley Baseball League
ClassificationCollegiate
SportBaseball
Founded1923
PresidentR.W. "Porky" Bowman, Jr.
CommissionerR.W. "Porky" Bowman, Jr.
Motto"Gateway to the majors"
No. of teams12
Country United States
Most recent
champion(s)		Harrisonburg Turks
(2023)
Official websiteValley Baseball League

The Valley Baseball League is an NCAA and MLB-sanctioned collegiate summer baseball league in the Shenandoah Valley region of Virginia.[1]

The league was started in 1923 and sanctioned by the NCAA in 1961. It has been a wooden bat league since 1993. It is one of almost a dozen leagues in the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball. The VBL is funded in part by a grant from Major League Baseball. The Valley League has produced well over 1,000 professional baseball players, including a record 79 former players drafted in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

In 2007, the Valley Baseball League expanded to include one new team with the addition of the Fauquier Gators. Another team was planned to be added in Lexington, Virginia but difficulties with the lighting system delayed the team's addition to the league. The VBL announced in July 2008 that the Rockbridge Rapids would start play in the 2009 season, but the team folded a couple years later. In 2011 the Strasburg Express entered the league and in 2015 the Charlottesville Tom Sox entered the league.[2]

The league canceled the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4]

The Culpeper Cavaliers joined as the league's 12th team in 2023.[5]

The Harrisonburg Turks host the Winchester Royals in a Valley Baseball League game in June 2022.

Current teams

John Moxie Memorial Stadium, home of the Staunton Braves since the Valley League's inception in 1923.
Team City Stadium Capacity
Charlottesville Tom Sox Charlottesville CHO Airport Field 1,200
Covington Lumberjacks Covington Casey Field 2,000
Culpeper Cavaliers Culpeper Culpeper County High School
Front Royal Cardinals Front Royal Bing Crosby Stadium 1,500
Harrisonburg Turks Harrisonburg Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park 1,200
New Market Rebels New Market Rebel Park 550
Purcellville Cannons Purcellville Fireman's Field 2,000
Staunton Braves Staunton John Moxie Stadium
Strasburg Express Strasburg First Bank Park
Winchester Royals Winchester Bridgeforth Field 1,200
Woodstock River Bandits Woodstock Central High School Field 796
Waynesboro Generals Waynesboro Kate Collins Field at Union Home Mortgage Park 350

Former teams

Team City Years Active
Aldie Senators Aldie 2013-2015
Charles Town Cannons Charles Town, WV 2013-2015
Charlottesville Hornets Charlottesville 1967-1974
Elkton Blue Sox Elkton 1954-1957
Fauquier Gators Warrenton 2007-2009
Haymarket Battle Cats Haymarket 2005
Haymarket Senators Haymarket 2006-2012
Loudoun Rangers Middleburg 2004
Luray Colonials Luray 1963-1969
Luray Wranglers Luray 2001-2012
Madison Blue Jays Madison 1969-1988
Rockbridge Rapids Lexington 2009-2013
Shenandoah Indians Shenandoah 1958-1975

Season structure

The regular season consists of 44 games played beginning the first week of June and continuing until late July. Through the 2019 season, teams played all inter-division opponents 3 times and intra-division opponents 5 or 6 times. Beginning in 2021, teams no longer travel to every other ballpark in a single season: rather, all inter-division meetings were scheduled as a single, 7-inning weekend doubleheader. This format was continued in 2022 but with the home teams reversed.

In 2023, the league eliminated divisions and moved to a scheduling model where each team played each other four times for an expanded 44-game schedule, an addition of two games from the previous 42.

Playoff format

Playoffs begin immediately following the regular season and continue into early August. In all series, the higher seeded team hosts games 1 and 3. No off-days are taken except for rain-outs and while waiting on other series' to finish.

First Round
#1 vs. #8 (Best 2 of 3 games)
#2 vs. #7 (Best 2 of 3 games)
#3 vs. #6 (Best 2 of 3 games)
#4 vs. #5 (Best 2 of 3 games)
Semifinals
#1/#8 vs. #4/#5 (Best 2 of 3 games)
#2/#7 vs. #3/#6 (Best 2 of 3 games)
Championship
Matchup of semifinal series winners (Best 2 of 3 games)

VBL champions

YearVBL ChampionRunner-upSeries
2023 Harrisonburg Turks Charlottesville Tom Sox 2-0
2022 Charlottesville Tom Sox Woodstock River Bandits 2-0
2021 Strasburg Express Waynesboro Generals 2-0
2020 None[lower-alpha 1] None N/A
2019 Charlottesville Tom Sox Strasburg Express 2-0
2018 New Market Rebels Charlottesville Tom Sox 2-0
2017 Charlottesville Tom Sox Strasburg Express 2-1
2016Strasburg Express Waynesboro Generals 2-0
2015Strasburg Express Staunton Braves 2-1
2014Waynesboro Generals Charles Town Cannons 2-1
2013Waynesboro Generals Strasburg Express 2-1
2012Harrisonburg Turks Winchester Royals 3-1
2011Covington Lumberjacks Rockbridge Rapids 2-1
2010Luray Wranglers Front Royal Cardinals 2-0
2009Haymarket Senators Covington Lumberjacks 3-1
2008Luray Wranglers Covington Lumberjacks 3-0
2007Waynesboro Generals Luray Wranglers 4-1
2006Luray Wranglers Staunton Braves 3-2
2005Covington Lumberjacks New Market Rebels 2-1
2004Winchester Royals Staunton Braves 2-0
2003Winchester Royals New Market Rebels 3-2
2002New Market Rebels Covington Lumberjacks 3-1
2001Winchester Royals Covington Lumberjacks 3-2
2000Harrisonburg Turks Staunton Braves 3-0
1999Staunton Braves Winchester Royals 3-0
1998Waynesboro Generals Staunton Braves 3-0
1997Winchester Royals Front Royal Cardinals Forfeit
1996Staunton Braves Harrisonburg Turks 3-1
1995Staunton Braves Waynesboro Generals 3-0
1994New Market Rebels Harrisonburg Turks 3-2
1993Winchester Royals Staunton Braves 3-2
1992Winchester Royals Harrisonburg Turks 3-1
1991Harrisonburg Turks Front Royal Cardinals 3-1
1990Winchester Royals Staunton Braves 3-2
1989New Market Rebels Harrisonburg Turks 3-1
1988Waynesboro Generals Madison Blue Jays 3-2
1987Winchester Royals Waynesboro Generals 3-0
1986Front Royal Cardinals Harrisonburg Turks 3-1
1985Staunton Braves New Market Rebels 3-0
1984Waynesboro Generals Harrisonburg Turks 3-0
1983Winchester Royals Staunton Braves 4-3
1982Winchester Royals New Market Rebels 3-0
1981Winchester Royals New Market Rebels 4-0
1980Winchester Royals New Market Rebels 3-1
1979Winchester Royals Madison Blue Jays 4-3
1978Madison Blue Jays Harrisonburg Turks 4-1
1977Harrisonburg Turks Waynesboro Generals 4-0
1976Staunton Braves Harrisonburg Turks 4-0
1975Madison Blue Jays Harrisonburg Turks 4-2
1974Shenandoah Indians Waynesboro Generals 4-2
1973Shenandoah Indians Madison Blue Jays 4-2
1972 Shenandoah Indians Charlottesville Hornets 4-2
1971Harrisonburg Turks Shenandoah Indians 4-0
1970Harrisonburg Turks New Market Rebels 4-1
1969Harrisonburg Turks Staunton Braves 4-0
1968Luray Colonials Harrisonburg Turks 4-0
1967Luray Colonials Harrisonburg Turks 2-0
1966Luray Colonials Shenandoah Indians 4-1
1965Luray Colonials New Market Rebels 4-2
1964Harrisonburg Turks Shenandoah Indians 4-0
1963Shenandoah Indians New Market Rebels 4-1
1962Harrisonburg Turks Shenandoah Indians 4-2
1961Shenandoah Indians Harrisonburg Turks 4-0
1960Shenandoah Indians Staunton Braves 4-3
1959Harrisonburg Turks New Market Rebels 4-2
1958Harrisonburg Turks New Market Rebels 4-3
1957Staunton Braves Harrisonburg Turks 4-3
1956Staunton Braves Shenandoah Indians 4-2
1955Harrisonburg Turks Shenandoah Indians 4-3
1954Staunton Braves Elkton Blue Sox 4-1
  1. ↑ Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

Championships per team

  • Harrisonburg -13
  • Winchester -13
  • Luray-7
  • Shenandoah -6
  • Staunton -6
  • Waynesboro -6
  • New Market -4
  • Charlottesville - 3
  • Strasburg -3
  • Covington -2
  • Madison -2
  • Elkton -1
  • Front Royal -1
  • Haymarket -1

Not all teams have been with VBL since 1954. Throughout its history, teams have been removed and added.

The summer of 2008 was highlighted by a promotion called Around the Valley in 60 Days. This promotion was started by Crystal Clear Delivery and S. Carter Studios and encouraged patrons to visit all 11 parks in the 60-day season. The program was deemed a huge success as some fifty fans completed the program and attended all 11 ballparks.

Notable players

    References

    1. ↑ Fisher, Marc (June 16, 2004). "Perfect Pitch". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
    2. ↑ Hudtloff, Marty (February 5, 2015). "Tom Sox Chosen as Name of Charlottesville's New VBL Team". WVIR-TV. Archived from the original on February 5, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
    3. ↑ "The 2020 Valley League Has Been Cancelled". ValleyLeagueBaseball.com (Press release). Valley Baseball League. April 2, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
    4. ↑ Hite, Patrick (April 2, 2020). "Valley Baseball League season canceled". The News Leader. Staunton, Virginia. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
    5. ↑ Payne, Devin. "Summer college baseball coming to Culpeper in 2023". Culpeper Star-Exponent. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
    6. ↑ "Cardinals That Made it to The Show". Front Royal Cardinals. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
    7. ↑ "Eddy Rodríguez". Miami Hurricanes. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
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