NORTH SHORE (Podcast) The Red Sox win streak has reached 9 straight wins following a double header win in Minnesota on Wednesday. The Twins and Red Sox will conclude the series this afternoon. (Thursday 1:10 p.m.) In this week’s Baseball Insider Andy Carbone updates Red Sox team news and stories from around Major League Baseball in this week’s podcast. Below, update on the North Shore Navigators
Baseball Insider Andy Carbone with Bill Newell
"I think the intensity we bring on a daily basis is a reflection of who we are on the field."- Alex Cora@MadDogUnleashed | @alannarizzo | #HighHeat | @RedSox pic.twitter.com/mRlIAfYDNn
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 13, 2021
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. – The New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) is returning to the North Shore… and Fraser Field.
After a nine-year hiatus, the North Shore Navigators – a charter member of the New England League’s inaugural season dating back to 1994 – will rejoin the NECBL this summer. The return of the “Navs” will boost the New England League’s membership to a record-high 14 organizations in 2021, as the league has now added an expansion team in three straight seasons (Bristol in 2020; Martha’s Vineyard in 2019).
“The New England League is delighted to welcome back the North Shore Navigators,” Sean McGrath, NECBL commissioner, stated. “We are all excited to return to the North Shore region of Massachusetts, the city of Lynn, and beautiful Fraser Field, where the Navigators won the 2010 NECBL Championship. It’s truly a great day for our league.”
The Navigators began their NECBL tenure nearly 30 years ago as a charter member based out of Middletown, Connecticut. The organization enjoyed remarkable success throughout their time in the New England League, most notably when they won three straight NECBL titles as the Middletown Giants from 1997-99, which still is the only time an NECBL team has “three-peated” over the league’s illustrious history.
Following a three-year stint as the Holyoke (Mass.) Giants, the team would relocate to the North Shore in Lynn, Massachusetts, where they have called Fraser Field home since 2008. The Navigators qualified for the NECBL postseason in four straight seasons, highlighted by their winning a fourth Fay Vincent Sr. Cup in 2010.
North Shore will represent the fourth NECBL team located in the Bay State, joining the North Adams SteepleCats, Martha’s Vineyard Sharks and the Valley Blue Sox.
“We are excited to rejoin this great league,” said North Shore President and General Manager Derek January. “With 14 teams in the league, our fans will have an opportunity to see how good the college baseball talent is across the country. The league’s not-for-profit status is aligned with our desire to give back to the community, and we have many promotions planned to do just that. We think being in the NECBL is a home run for our players, fans and sponsors. We have been working behind the scenes to get ready for June 4th. It has been a long time since we have had Navs Nation at Fraser Field, and we look forward to you watching us compete for an NECBL championship!”
“The NECBL is rated among the top-three summer collegiate leagues in the country for a reason, and we are very confident the January family will take the Navigators to the next level by recruiting professional-caliber players from some of the top tier collegiate programs from around the country,” added McGrath.
The North Shore region, known commonly as the coastal area between Boston and New Hampshire, represents an important historical, cultural, and economic region of Massachusetts. Lynn is the ninth-largest municipality in Massachusetts located less than five miles from Boston. It is part of Greater Boston’s urban inner core and is the fifth-oldest colonial settlement in the Commonwealth An early industrial center, Lynn is known today for its contemporary public art, historic architecture, downtown cultural district and public parks and open spaces.
For information on the North Shore Navigators, visit www.NSNavs.com.
