The Appalachian League announced the schedule for its inaugural season as a newly established collegiate summer league within the Major League Baseball (MLB) and USA Baseball Prospect Development Pipeline. Opening Day is set for Thursday, June 3, for all 10 Clubs, featuring home series in Danville, Elizabethton, Johnson City, Kingsport and Princeton.
The 54-game season will feature three two-game series per week through Saturday, August 7, culminating in a one-game Appalachian League Championship on Monday, August 9. There will be a single off-day per week for the league throughout the inaugural season and a league-wide shutdown will take place from Monday, July 5-Wednesday, July 7, allowing teams to reset their rosters following the conclusion of the college baseball postseason.
View the entire 2021 Appalachian League schedule. (Printable)
The first-ever Appalachian League All-Star Game will take place on Tuesday, July 27, as part of a two-day community event. The Appalachian League will unveil the host city and schedule of events for its All-Star Game in early 2021.
“We are delighted to reveal the 2021 schedule for the Appalachian League,” said Appalachian League President Dan Moushon. “We continue to work diligently on this revamped system and cannot wait to welcome Appalachian League baseball back into our communities on Thursday, June 3. We are also excited to announce that we will host an All-Star Game for the first time in our history in 2021 and look forward to creating a fun, community-based event surrounding that game for our players and fans.”
“It is an exciting day for USA Baseball as we continue to move forward in our partnership with the Appalachian League to bring elite amateur baseball to the communities deep in the heart of the Appalachia Region of the United States,” said USA Baseball Senior Director of Baseball Operations Ashley Bratcher. “We anxiously await the beginning of this new season and building a premier summer collegiate league that will focus on athlete development and identifying the future stars of our pastime’s future.”
The Opening Day matchups for the Appalachian League are as follows:
- Pulaski at Danville
- Greeneville at Elizabethton
- Bristol at Johnson City
- Bluefield at Kingsport
- Burlington at Princeton
The Appalachian League is one of the longest-running baseball leagues in the history of professional baseball, beginning in 1911 before transitioning into a short-season league for Minor League Baseball in 1957. The league has undergone another new transformation in 2021 as it becomes a summer collegiate baseball league in partnership with MLB and USA Baseball and its Prospect Development Pipeline (“PDP”).
The PDP is the collaborative effort between MLB and USA Baseball that establishes a player development pathway for amateur baseball players in the United States, and will be an integral part of the identification and development process for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and other future national teams.
For more information on the Appalachian League, visit AppyLeague.comand follow @AppyLeague on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
About the Appalachian League
The Appalachian League is a summer collegiate baseball league that is part of the MLB and USA Baseball Prospect Development Pipeline, a pathway for amateur baseball players in the United States, and will also be an integral part of the identification and development process for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team and other future national teams. The league is comprised of 10 Clubs deep in the heart of the Appalachia Region of the United States: Bluefield, West Virginia; Bristol, Virginia; Burlington, North Carolina; Danville, Virginia; Elizabethton, Tennessee; Greeneville, Tennessee; Johnson City, Tennessee; Kingsport, Tennessee; Princeton, West Virginia; and Pulaski, Virginia.
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