WESTFIELD, Indiana — It was a scramble to get something organized after college baseball was canceled last year.
"Probably around the middle of April is when we decided we've got to do something," said Mark Walther, the commissioner of the College Summer League at Grand Park. "We had about five or six weeks total to put everything together."
Not only was the spring baseball season canceled but many summer leagues, including the prestigious Cape Cod League, were canceling as well.
"These kids not only had to go a whole spring without playing, but now they were forced to go a whole summer without playing and they were going to head back to their universities in the fall without throwing a pitch or seeing a live pitch in six to eight months," Walther said.
Year one came together quickly and was a major success. Year two, things got even more established.
"I think we'll continue to grow," Walther said. "I don’t see any reason why we can't be a top-3 college baseball league in the country."
The players aren't just getting innings in. They're being evaluated with every pitch. Major League scouts are usually in attendance.
"Just a lot more college guys, a lot more pro scouts," said Snapping Turtles pitcher Dillon Marsh. "I mean, it's definitely a good place to be for a good summer league, some good competition. I mean, there's guys from Louisville here, Purdue, Ball State."
"Major League scouts are typically driving around the Midwest or around certain regions around the country trying to catch one or two players at a time whereas here they can go watch four ballgames all at once and catch anywhere from eight to 16 guys," Walther said.