2030 High School & Collegiate Review

[Wind Dancers]

With the PEBA hitting the final month of regular-season baseball, let’s take a look at some of the lesser-known leagues. I, of course, am talking about the four PEBA-sanctioned “feeder” leagues where the prospects of tomorrow do whatever they can to catch the eyes of big-league scouts. Currently, the PEBA feeder league system consists of two high-school leagues and two college leagues with each level having an international and American league. These leagues are made up of 112 of the most elite HS/COL ball teams in the world and are regularly added to and moved around. It’s here where 100% of the players in the PEBA Draft start and begin their journey towards the PEBA.

International Collegiate Baseball Association (ICBA)

The ICBA is the world’s premier international collegiate baseball league where 24 teams compete against teams from Japan, Austalia, Canada, and more. Since it’s inception in 2021, 8 teams have lifted the ICBA championship with two teams winning twice. One of those teams, the Keio University Unicorns won their 2nd championship just this year. The Unicorns won their division by just one game and had an up and down journey through the playoffs but in the end, they brought home the prize. Throughout the season, Keio relied on the top offense in the league behind stars 3B Alexander Bawden and 1B Manny Lara. Bawden took home plenty of trophies at the end of the year, winning the Glove Wizard, Platinum Stick, and All-Star selection, and came in 3rd for the outstanding hitter award. “Mustache” will be entering his senior year in 2031where he will look to defend his title. 1B Manny Lara was a key contributor in the Unicorns win and quickly caught the attention of scouts. He was selected 26th overall in the PEBA draft by the Shin Seiki Evas. After sweeping Curtin University in the first round, Keio was forced into game 7 against Outback State in the conference finals. Down 3-1 in the bottom of the 9th, Keio rallied with a quick run followed by catcher Isamu Koyama belting a walk-off double that brought in 2 finishing things at 4-3. With their toughest challenge out of the way, the Unicorns made quick work of the Ciefuegos Peloteros in the finals, sweeping them 4-0.

United States Collegiate Baseball Association (USCBA)

Similar to its international counterpart, the USCBA is the American collegiate league featuring some of the well-known colleges around the country. In this league, 40 teams duke it out in conferences of 10 each making it the highest populated PEBA affiliated league in the world. The USCBA has been around since the start of PEBA in 2007 and has shared the title with many different teams. This year, it was the UCONN Klondikes taking home their first title since 2012 and their 2nd overall. Battling in the competitive Eastern Seaboard Conference, UCONN snuck in as the 2nd seed within the conference (2 teams per conference make playoffs). But once there, nothing would stand in there way losing only 4 games before dropping Ohio state 4-1 in the championship series. Ace SP Richard Lindsey led the way for the Klondikes, going 8-1 in the season with a 1.53 ERA and 10.6 K/9. Lindsey has been highly touted since high school and was previously drafted in 2027 by Florida before choosing to go to college instead. Because of his age, Lindsey COULD have returned for his senior season but was drafted 17th overall by the Palm Springs Codgers where he signed a whopping $3.3mil signing bonus. While Lindsey was the shining light of UCONN, RF sophomore Jacob Gill was the coming storm. Gill hit .293 with 19 home runs in 2030 across just 205 ABs. Viewed as one of the next high-potential prospects on PEBA, Gill will have two more years to hone his craft before inevitably garnering much attention in 2032.

International High School Athletic Association (IHS)

The premier international high school baseball league, the IHS has seen some changes over the past few years with the addition of a few more teams. Int he IHS, a few teams have won the championship but one team stands above the rest and they also happen to be the winners in 2030. The Osaka Toin HS Eijisu Masters won their 3rd championship after a 5-year drought. But before the IHS came to be, it was actually an LRS affiliated league where the Eijisu Masters also competed. If you combine both leagues, Osaka Toin now has 15 playoff appearances and 5 championships. They handled Strathcona easily in the first round before being pushed through back to back 7-game series. With the league priding itself as a pitcher-heavy league, it’s difficult to find star bats in this league. But freshman LF Yo Ito of Osaka Toin hit .255 with 13 HRs and 20 RBIs in 185 PAs. On the mound, it was junior Zac Lavergne who had a 1.14 ERA and 10.6 K/9.

Interscholastic Federation (IFHS)

The PEBA-affiliated high school league in the Staes, the IFHS dates back to 2007 and also has an “undeniable king” of their own, Chatsworth High School in Chatsworth California. After winning the Pacific Conference once again, many expected Chatwosworth to make another deep run this year. But it was a school from the gulf coast the would shock everyone. It was the Sarasota Sailors from Florida, a divisional 2nd seed, that would sweep Chatsworth 3-0 in the 1st round before fighting the whole way through the gauntlet and winning the championship, their first-ever after making playoffs 8 times. While 3B Keith Thompson could be labeled as the star player (now playing for college team Washington) it was a full team effort by many underclassmen that made this dream a reality. With the vast majority of their core returning next year, Sarasota will have the quality to dodge the target they placed on themselves.

[Zephyrs]

Thanks for writing this.

[Arroyos]

Nice to know there are talents coming up the pipeline. Or does one only go down the pipeline?