SARATOGA BRIGADE SET TO OPEN 2013 NECBL SEASON ON JUNE 6
SARATOGA SPRINGS - The boys of summer have returned to Saratoga.
The Saratoga Brigade, the newest member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, will open the 2013 season against the Mystic Schooners, on June 6, at East Side Rec, at 6:30 p.m.
The Brigade will play a 44-game season that ends with the playoffs in early August. Saratoga is the first franchise to play in the NECBL from the state of New York. The NECBL is a Major League Baseball-sponsored summer collegiate league designed to give top-level players the chance to improve their game, while also enhancing life in the communities of the league's franchises.
The NECBL has 13 teams for the 2013 season, with organizations throughout New England. Saratoga will compete in the West Division, along with Danbury, Holyoke, North Adams, Vermont and Keene. Nearly 100 NECBL alums have reached the Major Leagues and more than 250,000 fans came out to NECBL games in 2012. For more info on the league, visit NECBL.com.
The franchise returns to Saratoga, following three seasons as the Outlaws in Oneonta. The organization began in Saratoga, as the Saratoga Phillies, in 2004. Four former Saratoga players, J.D. Martinez '08 (Houston), Mike Fiers '07-08 (Milwaukee), Darin Mastroianni '06 (Minnesota) and Casper Wells '04 (Chicago White Sox) are currently playing in Major League Baseball. Miles Mikolas '08 (San Diego) and Michael Schwimer '05 (Toronto) have also made their MLB debuts, while Andrew Carraway '06 is starring at Triple-A Tacoma (Seattle).
This season, the Brigade have players from some of the top college baseball teams in the country, including the University of Virginia, Oklahoma State, N.C. State and Michigan. The 2013 roster is posted at saratogabrigade.com.
The Brigade also will have some local flare, as former Section II stars Brian O'Keefe (Colonie/St. Joseph's), Nick Cioffi (Averill Park/Towson) and Garrett Bernardo (La Salle/Maine) play for the organization in 2013.
The Brigade will be coached by Garett Baron. Baron coached this past spring at Albany High and has also spent time as an assistant coach at the University at Albany. Baron previously coached for the franchise, leading the 2006 Saratoga Phillies to the New York College Baseball League title.
Follow more info on the Brigade, follow us on Twitter @SaratogaBrigade, on Facebook and on our web site saratogabrigade.com. All of the Brigade's games will be broadcast, both video and audio, on Teamline, the official broadcast partner of the NECBL.
