2022 Prospect League season

2022 Prospect League season
LeagueProspect League
SportBaseball
DurationJune 1 – August 6
(Playoffs: August 7 – August 14)
Number of games60 (480 games in total)
Number of teams16
Ohio River Valley Division
League championsChillicothe Paints
Wabash River Division
League championsIllinois Valley Pistol Shrimp
Great River Division
League championsQuincy Gems
Prairie Land Division
League championsAlton River Dragons
Prospect League Championship
ChampionsChillicothe Paints
  Runners-upAlton River Dragons
Seasons
← 2021
2023 →

The 2022 Prospect League season was the 13th 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 16 Prospect League teams, split evenly between Eastern and Western Conferences. These conferences are then split up between the Ohio River Valley, Wabash River, Great River, and Prairie Land divisions.

The Cape Catfish entered the season as defending champions, having defeated the Lafayette Aviators, two games to one, in the league's 2021 championship series.[1]

Season schedule

[edit]

Very little changed for the 2022 season, with the only difference in the team lineup being an ownership and name change for the Springfield, Ill. franchise as the Sliders became the Lucky Horseshoes. A new franchise for Jackson, Tennessee, was announced, which will take the field beginning with the 2023 season at the former home of the class Double-A Jackson Generals, The Ballpark at Jackson.[2]

The 16 teams in the league are split evenly between two conferences Eastern and Western. These two conferences are then split up into four divisions, Ohio River Valley, Wabash River, Great River, and Prairie Land.

The season will be played with a 60-game schedule, which is split between two halves, with the first-half ending on July 4 and second-half ending on August 6. 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).[3]

Regular season standings

[edit]

First half standings

[edit]

Eastern Conference

[edit]
Ohio River Valley Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 y – Chillicothe Paints 31 21 10 .677 --
2 Johnstown Mill Rats 31 12 19 .387 9.0
3 West Virginia Miners 29 11 18 .379 9.0
4 Champion City Kings 29 9 20 .310 11.0
Wabash River Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 y – Danville Dans 30 21 9 .700 --
2 Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp 31 20 11 .645 1.5
3 Terre Haute REX 30 19 11 .633 2.0
4 Lafayette Aviators 30 14 16 .467 7.0

Western Conference

[edit]
Great River Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 y – Quincy Gems 32 19 13 .594 --
2 Clinton LumberKings 31 15 16 .484 3.5
3 Normal CornBelters 30 14 16 .467 4.0
4 Burlington Bees 31 11 20 .355 7.5
Prairie Land Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 y – Alton River Dragons 31 18 13 .581 --
2 O'Fallon Hoots 32 17 15 .531 1.5
3 Springfield Lucky Horseshoes 31 12 19 .387 6.0
4 Cape Catfish 31 12 19 .387 6.0

Second half standings

[edit]

Eastern Conference

[edit]
Ohio River Valley Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 y – Chillicothe Paints 29 17 12 .586 --
2 x – Johnstown Mill Rats 29 17 12 .586 --
3 Champion City Kings 28 14 14 .500 2.5
4 West Virginia Miners 28 9 19 .321 7.5
Wabash River Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 y – Danville Dans 27 19 8 .704 --
2 x – Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp 28 18 10 .643 1.5
3 Terre Haute REX 30 18 12 .600 2.5
4 Lafayette Aviators 29 11 18 .379 9.0

Western Conference

[edit]
Great River Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 y – Normal CornBelters 29 17 12 .586 --
2 Clinton LumberKings 29 13 16 .448 4.0
3 Quincy Gems 28 12 16 .429 4.5
4 Burlington Bees 28 9 19 .321 7.5
Prairie Land Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 y – Springfield Lucky Horseshoes 29 15 14 .517 --
2 Cape Catfish 28 14 14 .500 0.5
3 Alton River Dragons 29 14 15 .483 1.0
4 O'Fallon Hoots 28 11 17 .393 3.5

Full season standings

[edit]

Eastern Conference

[edit]
Ohio River Valley Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 y – Chillicothe Paints 60 38 22 .633 --
2 x – Johnstown Mill Rats 60 29 31 .483 9.0
3 Champion City Kings 57 23 34 .404 13.5
4 West Virginia Miners 57 20 37 .351 16.5
Wabash River Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 y – Danville Dans 57 40 17 .702 --
2 x – Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp 59 38 21 .644 3.0
3 Terre Haute REX 60 37 23 .617 4.5
4 Lafayette Aviators 59 25 34 .424 16.0

Western Conference

[edit]
Great River Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 x – Normal CornBelters 59 31 28 .525 --
2 x – Quincy Gems 60 31 29 .517 0.5
3 Clinton LumberKings 60 28 32 .467 3.5
4 Burlington Bees 59 20 39 .339 11.0
Prairie Land Division Regular Season Standings
Pos Team G W L Pct. GB
1 x – Alton River Dragons 60 32 28 .533 --
2 O'Fallon Hoots 60 28 32 .467 4.0
3 x – Springfield Lucky Horseshoes 60 27 33 .450 5.0
4 Cape Catfish 59 26 33 .441 5.5
  • y – Clinched division
  • x – Clinched playoff spot

[4]

Statistical leaders

[edit]

Hitting

[edit]
Stat Player Team Total
HR Eddie King Alton River Dragons 15
AVG Blake Burris Alton River Dragons .361
H Alec Brunson Terre Haute REX 84
RBIs Alec Brunson Terre Haute REX 59
SB Blake Burris Alton River Dragons 47

[5]

Pitching

[edit]
Stat Player Team Total
W Nick Lallathin, Connor Lockwood Chillicothe Paints, Champion City Kings 6
ERA Jake Curtis Springfield Lucky Horseshoes 2.86
SO Connor Lockwood Champion City Kings 73
SV Garrett McClain Terre Haute REX 7

[6]

[7]

Awards

[edit]

All-star selections

[edit]

End of year awards

[edit]
Award Player Team
Most Valuable Player Eddie King Jr. Alton River Dragons
Pro Prospect of the Year Khal Stephen Danville Dans
Starting Pitcher of the Year Josh Leerssen Danville Dans
Relief Pitcher of the Year Landon Tomkins Danville Dans
Manager of the Year Eric Coleman Danville Dans

Playoffs

[edit]

Format

[edit]

The Divisional Championship Round consists of one winner-take-all game between the winner of the first half in each division and the division's second-half winner (If the same team wins both halves, the team with the next-best second-half record makes the playoffs). Division Championship games will take place August 7.

The winners of the divisional games advance to the Conference Championship Round. Again, this is a one-game, winner-take-all game between the two winners of the division championship games in the Eastern Conference and the two-division championship game-winners in the Western Conference. These games will take place August 9.

The Eastern and Western Conference champions play each other in the best-of-three Prospect League Championship Series. Game one is August 11, hosted by the team with the lesser regular-season record. After a travel day, game two is August 13. If necessary, game three will take place August 14, at the same stadium as game two. The team with the best overall record gets to pick to either host game one or games two and three.[8]

Playoff bracket

[edit]
Divisional Championship Round Conference Championship Round Prospect League Championship Series
(best-of-three)
           
Chillicothe Paints 16
Johnstown Mill Rats 0
Chillicothe Paints 7
↑ Ohio River Valley / ↓ Wabash River
Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp 4
Danville Dans 10
Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp 11
Chillicothe Paints 5 0 14
↑ Eastern / ↓ Western
Alton River Dragons 3 2 4
Quincy Gems 6
Normal CornBelters 3
Quincy Gems 7
↑ Great River / ↓ Prairie Land
Alton River Dragons 8
Alton River Dragons 4
Springfield Lucky Horseshoes 1

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Cape Catfish ground Aviators, win Prospect League Championship at Loeb Stadium". wlfi.com. August 12, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  2. ^ "History - Prospect League Baseball". prospectleague.com. January 7, 2022. Retrieved June 1, 2022.
  3. ^ "2022 Schedule Announced". prospectleague.com. January 7, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "2022 Prospect League Standings". prospectleague.com. May 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  5. ^ "2022 Prospect League Individual Hitting Stats". prospectleague.com. May 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  6. ^ "2022 Prospect League Individual Pitching Stats". prospectleague.com. May 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  7. ^ "2022 Prospect League League Leaders". prospectleague.com. May 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
  8. ^ "About - Prospect League Baseball". prospectleague.com. November 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2022.