The 2022 Prospect League season was the 13th season of collegiate summer baseball in the Prospect League, a collegiate summer baseball league in the Midwestern United States, since its creation in June 2009. There are 16 Prospect League teams, split evenly between Eastern and Western Conferences. These conferences are then split up between the Ohio River Valley, Wabash River, Great River, and Prairie Land divisions.
The Cape Catfish entered the season as defending champions, having defeated the Lafayette Aviators, two games to one, in the league's 2021 championship series.
Season schedule Very little changed for the 2022 season, with the only difference in the team lineup being an ownership and name change for the Springfield, Ill. franchise as the Sliders became the Lucky Horseshoes. A new franchise for Jackson, Tennessee, was announced, which will take the field beginning with the 2023 season at the former home of the class Double-A Jackson Generals, The Ballpark at Jackson.
The 16 teams in the league are split evenly between two conferences Eastern and Western. These two conferences are then split up into four divisions, Ohio River Valley, Wabash River, Great River, and Prairie Land.
The season will be played with a 60-game schedule, which is split between two halves, with the first-half ending on July 4 and second-half ending on August 6. The first-half winners in each division will host the second-half winners in a one-game divisional championship round. (If the same team wins both halves, the team with the next-best second-half record makes the playoffs).
Regular season standings
First half standings
Eastern Conference
+ Ohio River Valley Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1x – Chillicothe Paints312110--2y – Johnstown Mill Rats3112199.03West Virginia Miners2911189.04Champion City Kings2992011.0
+ Wabash River Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1x – Danville Dans30219--2y – Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp3120111.53Terre Haute REX3019112.04Lafayette Aviators3014167.0
Western Conference
+ Great River Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1x – Quincy Gems321913--2Clinton LumberKings3115163.53y – Normal CornBelters3014164.04Burlington Bees3111207.5
+ Prairie Land Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1x – Alton River Dragons311813--2O'Fallon Hoots3217151.53y – Springfield Lucky Horseshoes3112196.04Cape Catfish3112196.0
Second half standings
Eastern Conference
+ Ohio River Valley Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1x – Chillicothe Paints291712--2y – Johnstown Mill Rats291712--3Champion City Kings2814142.54West Virginia Miners289197.5
+ Wabash River Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1x – Danville Dans27198--2y – Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp2818101.53Terre Haute REX3018122.54Lafayette Aviators2911189.0
Western Conference
+ Great River Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1y – Normal CornBelters291712--2Clinton LumberKings2913164.03x – Quincy Gems2812164.54Burlington Bees289197.5
+ Prairie Land Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1y – Springfield Lucky Horseshoes291514--2Cape Catfish2814140.53x – Alton River Dragons2914151.04O'Fallon Hoots2811173.5
Full season standings
Eastern Conference
+ Ohio River Valley Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1x – Chillicothe Paints603822--2y – Johnstown Mill Rats6029319.03Champion City Kings57233413.54West Virginia Miners57203716.5
+ Wabash River Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1x – Danville Dans574017--2y – Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp5938213.03Terre Haute REX6037234.54Lafayette Aviators59253416.0
Western Conference
+ Great River Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1y – Normal CornBelters593128--2x – Quincy Gems6031290.53Clinton LumberKings6028323.54Burlington Bees59203911.0
+ Prairie Land Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1x – Alton River Dragons603228--2O'Fallon Hoots6028324.03y – Springfield Lucky Horseshoes6027335.04Cape Catfish5926335.5
x – First Half Winner, clinched playoff spot y – Second Half Winner, clinched playoff spot
Statistical leaders
Hitting Stat Player Team Total HR Eddie King Alton River Dragons 15 AVG Blake Burris Alton River Dragons .361 H Alec Brunson Terre Haute REX 84 RBIs Alec Brunson Terre Haute REX 59 SB Blake Burris Alton River Dragons 47
Pitching Stat Player Team Total W Nick Lallathin, Connor Lockwood Chillicothe Paints, Champion City Kings 6 ERA Jake Curtis Springfield Lucky Horseshoes 2.86 SO Connor Lockwood Champion City Kings 73 SV Garrett McClain Terre Haute REX 7
Awards
All-star selections
Eastern Conference +Hitters PositionPlayerTeam C Mike Sprockett Paints 1B Tucker Bougie Pistol Shrimp 2B Carlos Vasquez Dans 3B Keenan Taylor Dans SS Drake DiGiorno Dans OF Alec Brunson Rex OF Zach Lane Pistol Shrimp OF Aaron Beck Rex DH Tim Orr Paints
+Pitchers PositionPlayerTeam SP Josh Leerssen Dans SP Parker Carlson Dans SP Gyeongju Kim Aviators RP Landon Tomkins Dans RP Harrison Bodendorf Pistol Shrimp RP Nick Lallathin Paints
Western Conference +Hitters PositionPlayerTeam C Cade Moss LumberKings 1B Zach Stewart Gems 2B Danny Sperling Catfish 3B Kolton Poorman Catfish SS Jackson Chatterton CornBelters OF Eddie King Jr. River Dragons OF Blake Burris River Dragons OF Patrick Clohisy Hoots DH Kevin Santiago Bees
+Pitchers PositionPlayerTeam SP Jake Curtis Lucky Horseshoes SP Jackson Kent LumberKings SP Adam Stilts River Dragons RP Colin Bryant Catfish RP Noah Bush River Dragons RP Austin Brock Catfish
End of year awards Award Player Team Most Valuable Player Eddie King Jr. Alton River Dragons Pro Prospect of the Year Khal Stephen Danville Dans Starting Pitcher of the Year Josh Leerssen Danville Dans Relief Pitcher of the Year Landon Tomkins Danville Dans Manager of the Year Eric Coleman Danville Dans
Playoffs
Format The Divisional Championship Round consists of one winner-take-all game between the winner of the first half in each division and the division's second-half winner (If the same team wins both halves, the team with the next-best second-half record makes the playoffs). Division Championship games will take place August 7.
The winners of the divisional games advance to the Conference Championship Round. Again, this is a one-game, winner-take-all game between the two winners of the division championship games in the Eastern Conference and the two-division championship game-winners in the Western Conference. These games will take place August 9.
The Eastern and Western Conference champions play each other in the best-of-three Prospect League Championship Series. Game one is August 11, hosted by the team with the lesser regular-season record. After a travel day, game two is August 13. If necessary, game three will take place August 14, at the same stadium as game two. The team with the best overall record gets to pick to either host game one or games two and three.
Playoff bracket
See also 2022 NCAA Division I baseball season 2022 NCAA Division I baseball tournament 2022 Men's College World Series 2022 NCAA Division III baseball tournament
References