page_title: Lewis & Clark Baseball League
section_title: Players
hierarchical_section_title: Lewis & Clark Baseball League / Players
caption_attribution_description: Matt Tracy of the Travelers modeling the 2013 uniforms
context_page_description: The Lewis & Clark Baseball League, or LCBL, was a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of the top college players from the St. Louis metropolitan area and beyond. Founded by Nicholas R. A. Mahrt in 2013, this upstart amateur baseball season runs from June through early August in the St. Louis metropolitan area. It is a non-profit organization and the charter member of the Commonwealth Leagues United — a nationwide collection of baseball leagues that put the emphasis on student-athlete's summer work/study opportunities. Players are not paid, as to maintain their college eligibility and amateur status; their ages range from 18-23.
context_section_description: The talent level of the players who participate in the LCBL has always been tailored to the student-athlete. The largest representation among the various levels of collegiate baseball is that of the Division-III athlete. This is both the byproduct of an ample baseball programs in the St. Louis area (evidenced by an entire conference bearing "St. Louis" in its moniker) and also part of the original mission of the commissioner. As D-III coaches, Mahrt and Clites looked to take care of their own under-served market sector first.
  The LCBL has a wider eligibility range than typical summer baseball programs. Rosters from the Prospect League, for instance, are composed exclusively of freshmen, sophomore, and junior class players from four-year affiliated institutions. Additionally, no more than four members of the same institution are permitted to play on the same summer team. The mindset is to give opportunities to those with a) proven collegiate ability and b) at least one year remaining in their college baseball careers.
  The Lewis & Clark Baseball League certainly aims to follow this model, but the league is not MLB funded or NCAA sanctioned, so it can grant generous exemptions. If a high school senior has a letter of acceptance into an accredited college or university, and it is accompanied by a letter from the school's baseball coach — confirming a mutual commitment, offered athletic scholarship(s), or general recruiting interest — the individual is permitted to play in the LCBL during the summer before his first collegiate semester.
  Furthermore, the league also uniquely grants eligibility on the back-end of a college player's career. Academic seniors and graduate students are permitted to play one final summer of baseball, so long as their graduation day, most recent college baseball season, and final LCBL season all correspond in the same calendar year.  This means that a player does not have to return to a college or university upon August's completion of the league schedule.
caption: The first-generation LCBL uniform; jersey by Rawlings and hat by New Era (shown: Matt Tracy, Travelers)
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