Play Ball!
Catch professional baseball action this summer in the Adirondacks.
Photo courtesy Tupper Lake Riverpigs
Just because you’re in the wilderness doesn’t mean you have to miss out on professional baseball action. The Adirondacks are home to several professional baseball organizations with up-and-coming players.
The majority of the professional teams that play in the Adirondacks are part of the Empire Baseball League (EPBL), a developmental professional baseball league with five teams within the Adirondack Pak.
The Tupper Lake Riverpigs are an independent American professional baseball team that plays in the EPBL.
The Riverpigs take to the ball field at the picturesque Tupper Lake Municipal Park every summer from June to August.
The name "Riverpigs" was chosen to reflect the region’s logging history. Riverpigs were skilled loggers who broke up logjams on rivers.
Formerly known as the RedBirds, the Plattsburgh Thunderbirds are playing at Veterans Park Post 1619, 219 Rand Hill Road, Morrisonville, for the 2023 season.
You can check their website for their schedule, roster and more information.
The Empire Baseball League's 2021 champions, the Surge, are back on the field for an action-packed 2023 season. They promise thrilling games filled with heart-pounding moments and unforgettable plays.
Home games are held at the iconic Petrova Field. Admission is free.
The newest baseball club in the Empire Baseball League, the Malone Border Hounds, are based out of the far northern Adirondacks and is coached and operated by the Empire League executives.
As the name implies, the Japan Islanders are a team with a roster of Japanese players. The team mostly serves as a traveling team playing against the other Empire Baseball League Teams in New York State.
The other baseball organization in the ADK is the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League (PGCBL), founded in 2010 and currently comprised of 12 franchises in New York State, including three teams in the Adirondack region.
The Dragons are made up of collegiate baseball players from all over North America. The team plays 49 regular season games throughout June and July.
At the end of the regular season, the best teams move on to the playoffs to determine which of the PGCBL's 12 franchises will be this year's League Champion.
Boonville, on the western edge of the Adirondacks, is home to the Lumberjacks. They are owned and operated by Butch Russo, who acquired the team in 2023, formally the Adirondack Trailblazers, and rebranded as the Boonville Lumberjacks.
Watertown Rapids
Watertown has a long history of supporting minor league baseball. Watertown teams played as members of the 1888 Eastern International League, 1936 Canadian–American League and Border League from 1946 to 1951.
The Watertown Grays and Athletics hosted home games at Duffy Fairgrounds. Watertown was a minor league affiliate of the Boston Bees in 1936.
Sports fans today can enjoy minor-league action with the Watertown Rapids.
The PGCBL is considered one of the country's top 10 wooden bat summer leagues. Numerous players come from top national college programs to play, many are drafted into Major League Baseball.
Adirondack baseball teams offer affordable, family-oriented entertainment all summer long. For more insight on baseball in the Adirondacks, check out this article from the Adirondack Explorer.
