The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL) announced today that it has completed its corporate transition to a limited liability company to provide the league with strong organizational governance for the future.
All the existing PGCBL teams have become members of the corporation and the league’s newest franchise in Watertown, which is set to debut in the upcoming 2018 season, was admitted as the 14th team.
In addition to the corporate re-structuring, the PGCBL unanimously decided to divide the league’s 14 teams in a new three-division structure. In addition to the traditional East and West Divisions, a Central Division will be added to the mix in 2018. The breakdown of the three divisions is as follows:
East |
Central |
West |
Albany |
Adirondack |
Elmira |
Amsterdam |
Mohawk Valley |
Geneva |
Glens Falls |
Utica |
Jamestown |
Oneonta |
Watertown* |
Newark |
Saugerties |
Onondaga** |
|
*Will play its inaugural season in 2018.
**Elected voluntary suspension for 2018 season.
Each division nominated a member to sit on the newly-organized Executive Committee. Robbie Nichols (Elmira) will represent the West, Travis Heiser (Mohawk Valley) will represent the Central and Jason Brinkman (Albany) will represent the East. Alyce Lee (Onondaga) was elected Treasurer.
In addition to its ongoing duties, the Executive Committee has been given the additional responsibility of managing the company until a new independent Operating Manager is hired. A national search is being conducted to find a strong leader with experience in collegiate and/or minor league baseball to fill the newly recreated office.
Jason Brinkman, vice president and general manager of the Albany Dutchmen, said, "With the corporate transition and the addition of Watertown's experienced ownership group, we have strengthened the foundation of the league. It will be an exciting challenge to identify an Operating Manager that will help guide us towards continued future success."
The PGCBL also elected a scheduling committee in the same divisional representational manner, with the task of preparing the 2018 schedule.
Robbie Nichols, owner of the Elmira Pioneers, commented, “In the six seasons since owning the Elmira Pioneers, this was by far the best and most productive meeting yet. We are united and adding a strong Watertown franchise with a quality ownership group makes our league even better.”
Bob Ohmann, together with his wife, Leslie, owners of the Newark Pilots and Geneva Red Wings added, “Saturday's meeting was a wonderful coming together to take the PGCBL to a new level. The continuous unanimous votes on all pertinent issues showed that we were all on the same page. We came away from the meeting completely satisfied with our direction for the future.”
Echoing those sentiments was, Travis Heiser, owner of the Mohawk Valley DiamondDawgs, who said, “It was very evident that we are all deeply committed to being the very best summer collegiate baseball league in the country.”
About the PGCBL
The Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League is a 14-team summer collegiate baseball league in Upstate New York. Since its inaugural season in 2011, the PGCBL – which annually draws talent from some of the best NCAA, NAIA, and junior college programs – has quickly evolved into the premier wood bat league in the state of New York, while becoming one of the most widely respected summer leagues in the country. The PGCBL is affiliated with Perfect Game, the nation’s largest independent amateur scouting bureau. Last year, there were more than 1,500 players in the pros who either wore the uniform of a PGCBL team or participated in a Perfect Game event. For more information, please visit www.pgcbl.com.