New England Collegiate Baseball League Announces Addition of Ocean State Waves
(Wakefield, RI):The Ocean State Waves, a Rhode Island-based summer collegiate baseball team, has joined the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) as part of the league’s 2013 expansion. The Waves will debut in the NECBL in the summer of 2013. NECBL Commissioner Sean McGrath made the announcement recently.
“The Ocean State Waves is a great addition to the NECBL,” said McGrath. “This organization shares the core values of the NECBL: bringing top quality baseball and family entertainment value while being integrated in the community fabric. ”
The Waves will play a 44 game schedule, including 22 home games in South County. A proposal to utilize Old Mountain Field in Wakefield is pending approval from the town of South Kingstown.
The team will be comprised of top collegiate players from through the country. Priority will go to local players who are capable of competing at the highly competitive level.”
The Ocean State Waves will be owned and operated by local businessman Jeff Sweenor, owner of the Bomb Squad Baseball Company, a state of the art indoor facility in South County.
“We are excited to be part of the NECBL and bring some of the top collegiate players in the country to South County this summer,” said Sweenor. “The Waves will provide a highly competitive level of baseball and fun, affordable entertainment for all those who attend our games.”
Phil Davidson, the former RI Gatorade Player of the Year and North Carolina State standout, will serve as the Waves head coach. Davidson, 30, is the founder and director of the Rhode Island Rebels, the area’s elite showcase baseball program. In the last four years more than 85 of Davidson’s Rebels players have continued competing at the college level. In addition, more than a dozen who have trained under Davidson have gone on to play professionally.
Matt Finaylson has been appointed as the Waves’ General Manager. Previously Finalyson served as the Director of Baseball Operations at the University of Rhode Island.
The Waves join the Newport Gulls as the two Rhode Island based teams represented in the 13-team NECBL. The Gulls come off a tremendous season in 2012 in which theywon a NECBL -record fifth Fay Vincent, Sr. Cup, finished the year at 37-11 overall, a franchise-best record. The winners of the 2012 NECBL, the Gulls were ranked first in Perfect Game USA's Top 50 2012 Summer Collegiate Team Rankings. The instant in-state rivalry between the Gulls and Waves will be showcased six times during the season, with three games held in South County and an additional three contests played at historic Cardines Field.
The Ocean State Waves, Plymouth, MA and Saratoga, NY are the latest additions to the NECBL. The Newport Gulls, Danbury Westerners, Mystic Schooners, New Bedford Bay Sox, Keene Swamp Bats, North Adams Steeple Cats, Sanford Mainers, Laconia Muskrats, Holyoke Blue Sox, and Vermont Mountaineer round out the league.
The NECBL is recognized among the top summer collegiate programs in the country. Annually the league’s top players are scouted and selected in the Major League Baseball draft. More than 250NECBL alumni are currently playing professionally.
