2024 Prospect League season

15th annual season of the Prospect League

Sports season

2024 Prospect League season

League| Prospect League
Sport| Baseball
Duration| May 28 - July 31
(Playoffs: August 1 - August 8)
Number of games| 60 (540 games in total)
Number of teams| 18
Northeast Division
League champions| Chillicothe Paints
Central Division
League champions| Terre Haute Rex
Northwest Division
League champions| Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp
South Division
League champions| Thrillville Thrillbillies
Prospect League Championship
Champions| Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp
Runners-up| Terre Haute Rex
Finals MVP| Jared Herzog
Seasons

← 2023

2025 →

The 2024 Prospect League season is the 15th season of collegiate summer baseball in the Prospect League, a collegiate summer baseball league in the Midwestern United States, since its creation in June 2009. There are 18 Prospect League teams, split evenly between Eastern and Western Conferences. These conferences are then split up between the Northeast, Central, Northwest, and South divisions.

The Chillicothe Paints entered the season as two-time defending champions, having defeated the Quincy Gems, two games to one, in the league's 2023 championship series.[1]

## Season schedule

[edit]

Despite reaching the Prospect League Championship in 2023, the Quincy Gems announced that they would no longer play at QU Stadium and would not return for the 2024 season. The Gems would seek relocation for any potential future seasons.[2][3]

After the Gems announced they would not play in 2024, the league brought in two new teams for the season, the Dubois County Bombers and the Full Count Rhythm.[4][5] For the Bombers, it would be their second stint in the league with the first one being from 2009 to 2012.

The 18 teams in the league are split evenly between two conferences Eastern and Western. These two conferences are then split up into four divisions, Northeast, Central, Northwest, and South.

The season will be played with a 60-game schedule, which is split between two halves, with the first half ending on June 30 and the second half ending on July 31. The first-half winners in each division will host the second-half winners in a one-game divisional championship round. (If the same team wins both halves, the team with the next-best second-half record makes the playoffs).[6]

## Regular season standings

[edit]

### First half standings

[edit]

#### Eastern Conference

[edit]

Northeast Division Regular Season Standings  Pos  | Team  | G | W | L | Pct. | GB

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | y – Chillicothe Paints | 29 | 19 | 10 | .655 | \--
2  | Lafayette Aviators | 27 | 14 | 13 | .519 | 4.0
3  | x – Johnstown Mill Rats | 29 | 13 | 16 | .448 | 6.0
4  | Champion City Kings | 29 | 7 | 22 | .241 | 12.0
Central Division Regular Season Standings  Pos  | Team  | G | W | L | Pct. | GB

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | x – Danville Dans | 30 | 17 | 13 | .567 | \--
2  | x – Terre Haute Rex | 28 | 15 | 13 | .536 | 1.0
3  | Normal CornBelters | 29 | 14 | 15 | .483 | 2.5
4  | Full Count Rhythm | 28 | 12 | 16 | .429 | 4.0
5  | Dubois County Bombers | 29 | 12 | 17 | .414 | 4.5

#### Western Conference

[edit]

Northwest Division Regular Season Standings  Pos  | Team  | G | W | L | Pct. | GB

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | x – Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | 26 | 17 | 9 | .654 | \--
2  | x – Clinton LumberKings | 26 | 15 | 11 | .577 | 2.0
3  | Springfield Lucky Horseshoes | 26 | 8 | 18 | .308 | 9.0
4  | Burlington Bees | 29 | 6 | 23 | .207 | 12.5
South Division Regular Season Standings  Pos  | Team  | G | W | L | Pct. | GB

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | x – Thrillville Thrillbillies | 27 | 21 | 6 | .778 | \--
2  | Jackson Rockabillys | 27 | 17 | 10 | .630 | 4.0
3  | O'Fallon Hoots | 28 | 17 | 11 | .607 | 4.5
4  | Alton River Dragons | 26 | 13 | 13 | .500 | 7.5
5  | x – Cape Catfish | 29 | 14 | 15 | .483 | 8.0

### Second half standings

[edit]

#### Eastern Conference

[edit]

Northeast Division Regular Season Standings  Pos  | Team  | G | W | L | Pct. | GB

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | y – Chillicothe Paints | 27 | 17 | 10 | .630 | \--
2  | x – Johnstown Mill Rats | 27 | 13 | 14 | .481 | 4.0
3  | Lafayette Aviators | 29 | 12 | 17 | .414 | 6.0
4  | Champion City Kings | 27 | 11 | 16 | .407 | 6.0
Central Division Regular Season Standings  Pos  | Team  | G | W | L | Pct. | GB

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | x – Terre Haute Rex | 27 | 17 | 10 | .630 | \--
2  | Normal CornBelters | 26 | 14 | 12 | .538 | 2.5
3  | x – Danville Dans | 26 | 13 | 13 | .500 | 3.5
4  | Full Count Rhythm | 27 | 13 | 14 | .481 | 4.0
5  | Dubois County Bombers | 25 | 7 | 18 | .280 | 9.0

#### Western Conference

[edit]

Northwest Division Regular Season Standings  Pos  | Team  | G | W | L | Pct. | GB

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | x – Clinton LumberKings | 29 | 19 | 10 | .655 | \--
2  | x – Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | 30 | 18 | 12 | .600 | 1.5
3  | Springfield Lucky Horseshoes | 29 | 16 | 13 | .552 | 3.0
4  | Burlington Bees | 27 | 11 | 16 | .407 | 7.0
South Division Regular Season Standings  Pos  | Team  | G | W | L | Pct. | GB

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | x – Cape Catfish | 27 | 17 | 10 | .630 | \--
2  | Jackson Rockabillys | 28 | 16 | 12 | .571 | 1.5
3  | O'Fallon Hoots | 28 | 12 | 16 | .429 | 5.5
4  | Alton River Dragons | 27 | 11 | 16 | .407 | 6.0
5  | x – Thrillville Thrillbillies | 28 | 10 | 18 | .357 | 7.5

### Full season standings

[edit]

#### Eastern Conference

[edit]

Northeast Division Regular Season Standings  Pos  | Team  | G | W | L | Pct. | GB

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | y – Chillicothe Paints | 56 | 36 | 20 | .643 | \--
2  | Lafayette Aviators | 56 | 26 | 30 | .464 | 10.0
3  | x – Johnstown Mill Rats | 56 | 26 | 30 | .464 | 10.0
4  | Champion City Kings | 56 | 18 | 38 | .321 | 18.0
Central Division Regular Season Standings  Pos  | Team  | G | W | L | Pct. | GB

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | x – Terre Haute Rex | 55 | 32 | 23 | .582 | \--
2  | x – Danville Dans | 56 | 30 | 26 | .536 | 2.5
3  | Normal CornBelters | 55 | 28 | 27 | .509 | 4.0
4  | Full Count Rhythm | 55 | 25 | 30 | .455 | 7.0
5  | Dubois County Bombers | 54 | 19 | 35 | .352 | 12.5

#### Western Conference

[edit]

Northwest Division Regular Season Standings  Pos  | Team  | G | W | L | Pct. | GB

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | x – Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | 56 | 35 | 21 | .625 | \--
2  | x – Clinton LumberKings | 55 | 34 | 21 | .618 | 0.5
3  | Springfield Lucky Horseshoes | 55 | 24 | 31 | .436 | 10.5
4  | Burlington Bees | 56 | 17 | 39 | .304 | 18.0
South Division Regular Season Standings  Pos  | Team  | G | W | L | Pct. | GB

|
|
|
|
|
|

1  | Jackson Rockabillys | 55 | 33 | 22 | .600 | \--
2  | x – Thrillville Thrillbillies | 55 | 31 | 24 | .564 | 2.0
3  | x – Cape Catfish | 56 | 31 | 25 | .554 | 2.5
4  | O'Fallon Hoots | 56 | 29 | 27 | .518 | 4.5
5  | Alton River Dragons | 53 | 24 | 29 | .453 | 8.0

* y – Clinched division
* x – Clinched playoff spot

[7]

## Statistical leaders

[edit]

### Hitting

[edit]

Stat  | Player  | Team  | Total

|
|
|

HR | Gabe Wright, Shane Lewis | Terre Haute Rex, Lafayette Aviators | 9
AVG | Alec Gonzalez | Lafayette Aviators | .400
RBIs | Jaison Andujar | Springfield Lucky Horseshoes | 51
SB | Lane Crowden, Jimmy Koza | Cape Catfish, Springfield Lucky Horseshoes | 46

### Pitching

[edit]

Stat  | Player  | Team  | Total

|
|
|

W | Joshua Mauney, Trey Watson | Springfield Lucky Horseshoes, Jackson Rockabillys | 6
ERA | Trey Watson | Jackson Rockabillys | 3.21
SO | Gunnar Brown | Danville Dans | 70
SV | Jaxson Lucas | Jackson Rockabillys | 13

## Awards

[edit]

### All-star selections

[edit]

#### Eastern Conference

[edit]

Hitters  | Position  | Player  | Team

|
|

C | Cole Raile  | Paints
1B | Landen Johnson  | CornBelters
2B | Jhors Gomez  | Paints
3B | Dom Krupinski  | Mill Rats
3B | Felix Polanco  | Paints
SS | Nomar Garcia  | Rex
OF | Eric Colaco  | Paints
OF | Mikey Scott  | Aviators
OF | Gabe Wright  | Rex
UT | Tyler Castro  | CornBelters
DH | Graham Mastros  | Dans
Pitchers  Position  | Player  | Team

|
|

SP | Gunnar Brown  | Dans
SP | Ian Korn  | Mill Rats
SP | Aaron Moss  | Rex
SP | Deron Swanson  | Rex
RP | Austin Morris  | Dans
RP | Jake Stuteville  | Bombers
RP | Breyllin Suriel  | Rex
RP | Carter White  | Paints

#### Western Conference

[edit]

Hitters  | Position  | Player  | Team

|
|

C | Makana Olaso  | Pistol Shrimp
1B | Erik Broekemeier  | River Dragons
2B | Jack Meyer  | Hoots
3B | Bryson Lofton  | Hoots
SS | Kyle Gibson  | Pistol Shrimp
OF | Tyler Dorsch  | Pistol Shrimp
OF | Jalen Martinez  | LumberKings
OF | Jaison Andujar  | Lucky Horseshoes
UT | Lane Crowden  | Catfish
DH | Justin Santoyo  | River Dragons
Pitchers  Position  | Player  | Team

|
|

SP | Jimmy Burke  | LumberKings
SP | Ean DiPasquale  | LumberKings
SP | Jared Herzog  | Pistol Shrimp
SP | Trey Waton  | Rockabillys
RP | Markell Dixon  | Hoots
RP | Harrison Dubois  | River Dragons
RP | Sam Lavin  | LumberKings
RP | Jaxson Lucas  | Rockabillys

### End of year awards

[edit]

Award[8] | Player  | Team

|
|

Most Valuable Player | TBD | TBD
Pro Prospect of the Year | Eric Colaco | Chillicothe Paints
Pitcher of the Year | Ean DiPasquale | Clinton LumberKings
Relief Pitcher of the Year | Jaxson Lucas | Jackson Rockabillys
Manager of the Year | John Jakiemiec | Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp
Social Media of the Year | N/A | TBD
Broadcaster of the Year | TBD | TBD
Ballpark Experience of the Year | N/A | TBD
PLTV Broadcast of the Year | N/A | TBD
Executive of the Year | TBD | TBD
Organization of the Year | N/A | TBD

## Playoffs

[edit]

### Format

[edit]

The playoffs will begin with four winner-take-all division championships followed by two winner-take-all conference championships and will conclude with a best-of-three league championship series. The playoffs are tentatively slated to begin on August 1 and conclude on August 8.

### Playoff bracket

[edit]

| Division Championship Round | | | Conference Championship Round | | | Prospect League Championship Series
(best-of-three) |

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

|  |  |  | | |  |  |  | | |  |  |  |  |  |
| Chillicothe Paints | 11 | | |
| Johnstown Mill Rats | 10 |
| | Chillicothe Paints | 2 |
| ↑ Northeast / ↓ Central |
| | | Terre Haute Rex | 4 |
| Danville Dans | 3 |

| Terre Haute Rex | 10 |
| | Terre Haute Rex | 8 | 2 | X |
| ↑ Eastern / ↓ Western |
| | | Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | 13 | 4 | X |
| Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | 3 | |

| Clinton LumberKings | 0 |
| | Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | 11 |
| ↑ Northwest / ↓ South |
| | | Thrillville Thrillbillies | 5 |
| Thrillville Thrillbillies | 13 |

| Cape Catfish | 6 |

## See also

[edit]

* 2024 Major League Baseball season

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Prospect League: Chillicothe Paints win 2nd straight title". advantagenews.com. August 14, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
2. ^ "Quincy Gems not returning next season; future beyond 2024 unclear". wgem.com. August 29, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
3. ^ "Owners say Gems won't play in Quincy during 2024 season, plan to move franchise to different city". muddyriversports.com. August 29, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
4. ^ "Dubois County Bombers join nationally renowned Prospect League in 2024". duboiscountyfreepress.com. September 21, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
5. ^ "Full Count Rhythm set to join Prospect League in 2024". mainstreetmediatn.com. September 20, 2023. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
6. ^ "Prospect League Announces 2024 Schedule". prospectleague.com. January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
7. ^ "2024 Prospect League Standings". prospectleague.com. January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
8. ^ "Prospect League Announces 2024 Awards". 2024-08-23. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)