The Vermont Mountaineers’ baseball organization, a non-profit 501(c)(3), is a member of the nationally recognized New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) which plays in all six New England states and recruits its players from the top U.S. collegiate baseball programs. Since the league started play in 1994, over 100 players have gone on to play in the Major Leagues, including Stephen Strasburg, Andre Ethier, Joe Nathan and Craig Breslow, and former Mountaineers including AJ Pollock, Darin Mastroianni, and recently, Nick Greenwood and Nick Martinez.
The Vermont Mountaineers consistently are extremely competitive, having only missed the post season twice in their team history. From 2003-2014, they were in four championship series and won the Fay Vincent Championship trophy twice.
Our organization is volunteer-based. The Mountaineers have approximately 150 registered volunteers, of which 30 are needed to run each game. Folks from all walks of life contribute regularly as ticket takers, grounds crew, parking and security, announcers, scorers and souvenir vendors, among many roles.
The Mountaineers, continuing a strong tradition of baseball in Central Vermont started in 1887, call the historic Montpelier Recreation Field its home. Although they lease the field, the Mountaineers have made over $550,000 worth of improvements to the facility and, by extension, to the community at large. It’s often called the “jewel” in the NECBL and players from other NECBL teams, year after year, call it their favorite location to play. Many former Major League stars have joined the Mountaineers over the years, including the late Robin Roberts, Jim Kaat, Bill Lee and Bernie Carbo.
Mountaineer games, while played in the smallest market in the NECBL, always are in the top three in attendance in the league. Their games, attracting people of all ages from throughout the state, average over 1,400 enthusiastic fans per game. Fans not only witness competitive, high quality baseball games, but have oppotunities to chat with team members, get player autographs, witness the antics of our mascot Skip and relax with friends and family. Area vendors provide a wonderful variety of food options.
The Vermont Mountaineers’ organization takes seriously its responsibility to give back to the local community. Every year they donate thousands of dollars worth of goods and services to youth groups, schools, fellow non-profits and other community action programs. During the season, charities are given the opportunity to raise money at the park, with the help of the Mountaineers and their players. Family members of players and coaches often come to the area to support the team, also benefiting the local economy.
