North American Women's Baseball League
Encyclopedia
The North American Women's Baseball League (NAWBL) is an amateur league based around Boston
, Massachusetts
. (The official title includes "Northeast Division," but there are no other divisions.) The NAWBL plays games scheduled for seven innings, using NCAA rules, including base-stealing and taking leads off bases. Lineup rules allow liberal substitutions and unlimited re-entry into games, and all players must get some playing time in each game. The season runs from June through August. Robin Wallace is the organizer and Executive Director, and Al Melanson is the Commissioner.
Players vary in age from high-school freshman to early forties. Some travel from as far as Connecticut
or central New Hampshire
. Several current players have made boys' or men's teams at school. The league is competitive but friendly; arguments with umpires and with opponents are unheard-of. Selected players organize outside the regulation season and enter tournaments; they have competed throughout the United States
and in Canada
, the Dominican Republic
, and Japan
.
Quality of play is variable, as the league exists not just for good players who have no other outlet to play baseball but to train new players. Ground outs are executed crisply and double plays are routine. Base running is excellent, and is often drilled during the year. But a team may have an outfielder who doesn't know where a fly ball will land. Teammates know to coach her into position. Four errors a game is a typical number, and they occur in bunches. Starting pitching is increasingly a specialty rather than a shared duty, and several players have become dominant as starters. Control is intermittent and a NAWBL rule adopted in 2008 requires a pitcher who issues five walks in an inning to be replaced.
The squads, named Outlaws (red/black), Ravens (gold/navy), Saints (green—inactive in 2008), and Seahawks (turquoise) are chosen at the start of the year for parity. Trades between teams during a season almost never happen. The teams are run by the league; although some attract their own fans and chart-keepers, they don't promote themselves separately. The league does a minimum of self-promotion. Depending on the availability of facilities, they play day and evening games, with lights, the scoreboard, and an announcer.
of the independent Can-Am League. The NAWBL operated from 2003 through 2005 within the Spirit organization and played its games on Spirit off-days at Fraser Field
in Lynn, Massachusetts
. The NAWBL all-stars were known as the Lady Spirit. In 2006 and 2007, the NAWBL was based at Holman Stadium
in Nashua, New Hampshire
, with the financial backing of John Stabile, owner of the Nashua Pride
, also of the Can-Am League. The all-stars traveled as the Pride Pioneers.
In 2008, the NAWBL was funded by player dues and conducted a three-team season independent of any professional club. It moved back to Fraser Field, and played some games at World Series Park in Saugus, Massachusetts
. In 2009, only a single game was played, due to rainouts and the bad economy. On June 28 at Fraser Field, the Ravens led the Saints, 8-0, after four innings and held on to win, 11-10. The league did not operate in 2010.
The predecessor New England Women's Baseball League was a player-run and -funded organization that played at many fields in the metro Boston area.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. (The official title includes "Northeast Division," but there are no other divisions.) The NAWBL plays games scheduled for seven innings, using NCAA rules, including base-stealing and taking leads off bases. Lineup rules allow liberal substitutions and unlimited re-entry into games, and all players must get some playing time in each game. The season runs from June through August. Robin Wallace is the organizer and Executive Director, and Al Melanson is the Commissioner.
Players vary in age from high-school freshman to early forties. Some travel from as far as Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
or central New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
. Several current players have made boys' or men's teams at school. The league is competitive but friendly; arguments with umpires and with opponents are unheard-of. Selected players organize outside the regulation season and enter tournaments; they have competed throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Quality of play is variable, as the league exists not just for good players who have no other outlet to play baseball but to train new players. Ground outs are executed crisply and double plays are routine. Base running is excellent, and is often drilled during the year. But a team may have an outfielder who doesn't know where a fly ball will land. Teammates know to coach her into position. Four errors a game is a typical number, and they occur in bunches. Starting pitching is increasingly a specialty rather than a shared duty, and several players have become dominant as starters. Control is intermittent and a NAWBL rule adopted in 2008 requires a pitcher who issues five walks in an inning to be replaced.
The squads, named Outlaws (red/black), Ravens (gold/navy), Saints (green—inactive in 2008), and Seahawks (turquoise) are chosen at the start of the year for parity. Trades between teams during a season almost never happen. The teams are run by the league; although some attract their own fans and chart-keepers, they don't promote themselves separately. The league does a minimum of self-promotion. Depending on the availability of facilities, they play day and evening games, with lights, the scoreboard, and an announcer.
History
The NAWBL began under Nick Lopardo, owner of the North Shore SpiritNorth Shore Spirit
The North Shore Spirit was a minor-league baseball team based in Lynn, Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007. The Spirit played in the Canadian American Association of Professional Baseball , an independent league that is not affiliated with Major League Baseball or with the Minor League Baseball...
of the independent Can-Am League. The NAWBL operated from 2003 through 2005 within the Spirit organization and played its games on Spirit off-days at Fraser Field
Fraser Field
Fraser Field is a baseball park in Lynn, Massachusetts which was built in 1940 by the Works Progress Administration as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal. Fraser Field has played host to many minor-league baseball teams over the years. The North Shore Navigators of the New England...
in Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 89,050 at the 2000 census. An old industrial center, Lynn is home to Lynn Beach and Lynn Heritage State Park and is about north of downtown Boston.-17th century:...
. The NAWBL all-stars were known as the Lady Spirit. In 2006 and 2007, the NAWBL was based at Holman Stadium
Holman Stadium (Nashua)
Holman Stadium is a baseball stadium in Nashua, New Hampshire. It was constructed in 1937, as a multi-purpose stadium, by the City of Nashua. The official seating capacity is 4,375 people. Holman is currently the home of the Nashua Silver Knights of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League...
in Nashua, New Hampshire
Nashua, New Hampshire
-Climate:-Demographics:As of the census of 2010, there were 86,494 people, 35,044 households, and 21,876 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,719.9 people per square mile . There were 37,168 housing units at an average density of 1,202.8 per square mile...
, with the financial backing of John Stabile, owner of the Nashua Pride
Nashua Pride
The Nashua Pride were a professional baseball team based in Nashua, New Hampshire, in the United States, not affiliated with Major League Baseball. They played home games at Holman Stadium from 1998 through 2008, when they were sold and renamed the American Defenders of New Hampshire. In 2010 that...
, also of the Can-Am League. The all-stars traveled as the Pride Pioneers.
In 2008, the NAWBL was funded by player dues and conducted a three-team season independent of any professional club. It moved back to Fraser Field, and played some games at World Series Park in Saugus, Massachusetts
Saugus, Massachusetts
Saugus is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. The population was 26,628 at the 2010 census.-History:Saugus was first settled in 1629. Saugus is an Indian name believed to mean "great" or "extended"...
. In 2009, only a single game was played, due to rainouts and the bad economy. On June 28 at Fraser Field, the Ravens led the Saints, 8-0, after four innings and held on to win, 11-10. The league did not operate in 2010.
The predecessor New England Women's Baseball League was a player-run and -funded organization that played at many fields in the metro Boston area.
External links
- NAWBL official website. In 2009, depending on the workload of individuals, a web site at http://www.nawbl.org sometimes contained current information.
- More information may be found about women's baseball at:
- USA Baseball website
- American Women's Baseball Federation website