TAMPA, FL – The Empire League kicked off its 2019 regular season of baseball and it was an exciting one. The Plattsburgh Thunderbirds defeated the New York Bucks in blowout fashion, Saranac Lake Surge earn first win in franchise history as new  city, and Road City Explorers break a long losing streak by defeating the Puerto Rico Islanders in Puerto Rico.

The Plattsburgh Thunderbirds win over the New York Bucks was one you didn’t want to miss as third baseman Danny Muller belted 3 Home Runs which is a league record for most home runs in a game. Cas Silber tossed 4 innings striking out 9 batters before exiting due to tightness in his hamstring. The team also set a record for most home runs in a game with a total of 7. Johann Paniagua, Mohammed Hussein, Adam Tricarico and Gavin Stupienski all  hit their first of their seasons in a 17-9 victory over the Bucks

In Puerto Rico, it was the Julio Eusebio show for the Road City Explorers as he starts off the season with a complete game 1 run victory over the Puerto Rico Islanders. Eusebio struck out 11 batters to end the long losing streak of the Explorers. However the winning the streak against the Puerto Rico Islanders continues.

The newest franchise of the Empire League, Saranac Lake Surge, won their first game this evening in Concord, New Hampshire  by the score of 7-3. This was the city’s first victory as a team in Saranac Lake and also the first for first year manager Ken Matzusaka.  Catcher Tyler Hill of the Surge led the offensive attack going 3 for 3 with a run and a RBI, while Right hander Ricky Schafer tossed a 7 innings  allowing just 1 earned run .

7 homers in one game, 1 complete games thrown, first victory for manager and franchise and most home runs in a game completes day one of Empire League play.

Game times for tomorrow are 12:00pm Thunderbirds vs Bucks at Lefty Wilson Field, 2:00pm Surge vs Wild in Concord New Hampshire and 7:30pm Explorers vs Wild in Aguada, Puerto Rico.

Article by Empire Media

TAMPA, FL – The Empire League Grays team that will be competing in the CanAm League series has announced two players that have been selected for the games.

Alex Vargas, a right handed pitcher consistently throwing 94-95 mph and topping out at 97 mph, will join last years top hitting second baseman John Tierney Jr  from the now Saranac Lake Surge .

The final players are still being carefully  looked at and discussed. Final roster will be throughout the month.

Article By Empire Media

TAMPA, FL –    An umpiring demand in Independent  Baseball is opening doors for those looking to break in to the professional umpiring industry.  With the  industry  shifting and veteran umpires retiring, opportunities are opening up at the high level pro leagues for guys that are newly graduated from umpire schools or the Pro Baseball  Umpires Academy.

The Empire League  is known as a first step league for those looking to get into professional baseball,  players , coaches and even interns are not the only ones that can benefit.   Federation Leagues  are all looking to provide opportunities to new faces in the umpiring industry and they want guys getting experience and quality evaluations.   For that Reason, the Empire League has a great short season opportunity for  men or women looking for a career in Pro Baseball umpiring.

The Empire League has several  requirements that could provide the path to a rewarding career.

• Graduated from a Umpires School or Academy
• Be able to Travel
• Understand the commitment of possibly one to two months

The EPBL  will provide professional Independent Leagues and affiliated   umpire organizations the formalized evaluations of the Umpires performances.    This will allow for immediate calls  up to the high level leagues directly from umpiring at the Empire League.

For  those interested in jumping into a pro baseball officiating career, here is an opportunity for you!!

EPBL Umpiring  Opportunity comes with:  Housing, and game compensation valued at nearly $5,000 for the Summer.

Contact us via email at Baseball@empireproleague.com

TAMPA, FL – The Empire League Select squad, The Grays, roster  is now forming.

While all 6    team rosters of the EPBL are not formed until all players are fully evaluated at camp,   the first of multiple CanAm League series games against the Empire League squad will actually take place  during the Empire Leagues   Spring Training Camp. Therefore ,   Empire League Player Development staff has confirmed  that the select team roster representing the Empire League  during the first set of games will be made up  of EPBL camp confirmed Empire League players.

Due to the timing  of the events, the Empire Select squad is required to have  most of the official roster finalized before June 10th, and final decisions on players to be made at evaluations on that day.   Baseball Director and Empire Grays  manager Eddie Gonzalez is looking forward to the challenge and having the entire Player procurement  staff assist him to put together a very competitive team.

Player Development Director of the EPBL and assistant coach for the Empire League Grays Jerry Gonzalez mentioned, “The next several days are going to be key for us. We are going to sit down and evaluate the players we have accepted and confirmed to camp and immediately start building this roster.  I am  confident that we are going to have a very competitive team made up of the great talent we have attending camp.”

The staff has mentioned that they should have the roster finalized in a few days from only those  players already confirmed to camp.

If you’re a  player looking for an opportunity in the Empire League, click on the Spring Tryout Camp link and get accepted to camp today.

Article by Empire Media

TAMPA, FL –   The Empire League officially welcomes Joe Gannon to the staff.

The former   pitcher who  spent over 15 years in Professional Baseball along with several years of scouting and coaching in the Atlantic League will join the Empire program to be a mentor for the young talent.

Gannon who is also a great referring voice to many of the Pro Federation organizations, will specialize in  player procurement and instruction in the Empire League.

His experience and knowledge will not only be an asset to the players, but  also be an additional referring force to the Independent leagues looking for young players from the Empire League.

Article by Empire Media