KIT League
| Sport | Baseball |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2004 |
| No. of teams | 7 (1 inactive) |
| Country |
 United States |
| Most recent champion(s) | Tradewater Pirates |
| Official website | KIT League Baseball |
The Kentucky-Illinois-Tennessee League (KIT League) is a summer collegiate wooden bat league. The league's name is formed from the initials of the states that originally hosted the first iteration of the KIT League. However, since the league's latest formation in 2004, the KIT League has not had any teams in Illinois and has had two teams in Missouri.
Players in the KIT League are unpaid collegiate players who join the league to gain experience and to prepare themselves for other leagues. To date, several players from the league have gone on to sign contracts with major league ball clubs.
In previous years, each team in the KIT league was limited to 22 players and three coaches, but the rosters of each team were expanded to a maximum of 24 players beginning with the 2009 season. The league also poses limits on the age of players and the number of veteran players permitted on each team.
The league's season consists of 50 games for each team and normally runs from the beginning of June to the end of July with play-offs taking place at the end of July and in early August. The 2009 season started on May 29.
For the 2009 season, the league was intended to expand to eight active teams with the addition of the Western Kentucky Mavericks. This would have given the league the ability to divide the eight teams into two divisions with Sikeston, Farmington, Union City and Fulton in the Western Division and Marion, Owensboro, Tradewater, and Mayfield (Western Kentucky) in the Eastern Division. However, due to the withdrawal of the Farmington [1] team in April 2009, the league was reduced once again to six active teams for the 2009 season, with no divisions.
Current Teams
| Team | City | Stadium |
|---|---|---|
| Dubois County Bombers | Huntingburg, IN | League Stadium |
| Farmington Firebirds* | Farmington, MO | Wilson Rozier Field |
| Fulton Railroaders | Fulton, KY | Lohaus Field |
| Marion Bobcats | Marion, KY | Marion City Park |
| Owensboro Oilers | Owensboro, KY | Panther Park at Kentucky Wesleyan College |
| Sikeston Bulls* | Sikeston, MO | VFW Memorial Stadium |
| Tradewater Pirates | Dawson Springs, KY | Riverside Park, Dawson Springs |
| Union City Greyhounds* | Union City, TN | Elam Stadium at LH Ladd Field |
*For the 2009 season, the Firebirds are inactive. The Bulls were inactive in 2008, but have returned for the 2009 season. The Greyhounds are inactive starting with the 2010 season. [1]
History
The KIT League was formed in 2004 with teams in Kentucky, Tennessee, and Missouri. Though the league was formed in 2004, its first season was in 2005.
The current league commissioner, Randy Morgan, has been the commissioner of the league since its inception.
The heritage for the KIT League is in the old KITTY League. This was a Class D Minor League that operated between 1903 and 1955. The KIT League consists of teams that have the same names as the original Class D Minor League teams, such as the Union City Greyhounds, a former Brooklyn Dodgers affiliate, and the Fulton Railroaders, a former Washington Senators affiliate. [2]
KIT League Champions
- 2010- Tradewater Pirates (Season)/Tradewater Pirates (Playoff)
- 2009- Tradewater Pirates (Season)/Tradewater Pirates (Playoff)
- 2008 - Tradewater Pirates (Season)/Owensboro Oilers (Playoff)
- 2007 - Fulton Railroaders (Season)/Union City Greyhounds (Playoff)
- 2006 - Owensboro Oilers
- 2005 - Farmington Firebirds (Season)/Sikeston Bulls (Playoff)
Notable events
- Three back-to-back homers were hit by Owensboro Oilers' batters on June 28, 2009 in Marion, Kentucky. This is the first time in KIT League history that home runs have been hit by three consecutive batters. The event took place in the top of the fourth inning, contributing to the 6-1 win for the first-place Oilers.[3]
- Tyler McKay of the Owensboro Oilers pitched a 7-inning complete game shutout on July 1, 2009. The game was limited to seven innings because it was the first game of a double-header.
Season standings
2008
| Team | W | L | % | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tradewater | 35 | 15 | .700 | - |
| Fulton | 29 | 20 | .591 | 5.5 |
| Owensboro | 27 | 20 | .574 | 6.5 |
| Union City | 26 | 24 | .520 | 9 |
| Marion | 20 | 28 | .417 | 14 |
| Farmington | 8 | 38 | .174 | 25 |
2007
| Team | W | L | % | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fulton | 32 | 18 | .640 | - |
| Union City | 31 | 19 | .620 | 1 |
| Owensboro | 25 | 23 | .520 | 6 |
| Tradewater | 25 | 25 | .500 | 7 |
| Sikeston | 17 | 30 | .362 | 13.5 |
| Farmington | 17 | 32 | .347 | 14.5 |
2005
| Team | W | L | % | GB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Farmington | 31 | 8 | .795 | - |
| Union City | 29 | 11 | .725 | 2.5 |
| Sikeston | 12 | 27 | .308 | 19 |
| Fulton | 7 | 33 | .175 | 24.5 |
All-Star Games
The KIT League plays its All-Star games against the Central Illinois Collegiate League All-Stars. In 2007 and 2008, the games were held at League Stadium in Huntingburg, Indiana, home of the Dubois County Bombers.[4]
2008
The 2008 All-Star Game was played on Monday, July 21, 2008 and featured the annual Home Run Derby. Players for the 2008 All Star team were selected during a meeting of all KIT League team managers and coaches on Monday, July 14, 2008. The Central Illinois Collegiate League all-stars beat the KIT League all-stars with a final score of 7-6.
2007
The 2007 All-Star Game was held on July 23, 2007. The Central Illinois Collegiate League all-stars beat the KIT League all-stars with a final score of 7-2.[5]
Notable players
Since its inception, the KIT League has produced several players who have been drafted by Major League baseball teams:
- Marty Beno: Marty played for the Union City Greyhounds in 2005 and was the first KIT League alumnus to be drafted by a Major League franchise. In 2008, he played for the Hagerstown Suns before moving to the Potomac Nationals, both of which are farm teams for the Washington Nationals. In 2007, he made his professional debut with the Gulf Coast Nationals. [6]
- Tyler Blanford, a former Owensboro Oiler, was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2009. He was previously drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 2006.[7]
- Brandon Braboy: A former Tradewater Pirate, Brandon was picked up in the 18th round of the draft by the New York Yankees.
- Tim Dunn, a current player for the Fulton Railroaders was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in 2009.
- Wade Gaynor: A former Tradewater Pirate, Wade was drafted in 2009 by the Detroit Tigers.[8]
- Rafael Hill: A former Union City Greyhound, Rafael was drafted by the Texas Rangers.
- Josh Hester: Josh, who played for the Fulton Railroaders in 2006 was drafted by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008.[9]
- Justin Long: A 2008 player for the Tradewater Pirates, was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2009.[www.kitleaguebaseball.com]
- Ryan Modglin, a right-handed pitcher for the Bulls in 2009, was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2008. [10]
- Cory White: A Fulton Railroaders player for the 2007, 2008, and 2009 seasons was drafted by the Cleveland Indians.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "KIT League's Farmington team folds after four seasons". Semosportsweb.Com. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ↑ "Chronology". Kittyleague.com. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ↑ "Sikeston Bulls Baseball". Sikestonbulls.com. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ↑ "2008 All-Star Game". Ciclbaseball.com. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ↑ "KIT League vs CICL All-Stars (Jul 23, 2007)". Ciclbaseball.com. 2007-07-23. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ↑ "Martin Beno Stats, Bio, Photos, Highlights | Potomac Nationals Stats". Potomac.nationals.milb.com. 2009-10-21. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ↑ "Five Cowboys Taken On Second Day Of MLB Draft - OKLAHOMA STATE OFFICIAL ATHLETIC SITE". Okstate.com. 2009-06-10. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ↑
- ↑ "Cardinals dial Hester in 17th". al.com. 2008-06-07. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ↑ "2008 Kansas City Royals Picks in the MLB June Amateur Draft". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
External links
- KIT League
- Full League Schedule
- Fulton Railroaders
- Marion Bobcats
- Owensboro Oilers
- Sikeston Bulls
- Tradewater Pirates
- Union City Greyhounds
- KITTY League - History of the Class D professional league for which the league was named
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