LYNN — The North Shore Navigators have revealed their schedule for the 2024 New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) season, featuring 22 home games at historic Fraser Field. Sunday’s announcement was made by NECBL Commissioner Sean McGrath and Navs Vice President of Operations Maggie Barden.
North Shore kicks off the 44-game summer slate at home for the first time since 2021 when it hosts a Camp Day matinee against the Valley Blue Sox on Tuesday, June 4. Following a three-game road trip, the Navigators will return to Fraser on Saturday, June 8 to host the Bristol Blues for their “Opening Night” game.
The Navs’ 17th season of summer collegiate baseball is full of weekend dates, featuring five regular-season home games on Saturdays and six on Sundays.
Regular-season home games in 2024 are scheduled to begin at 6:05 p.m. on Monday through Friday nights and 5:05 p.m. on weekends. The lone exceptions are two 11:05 a.m. starts to accommodate field trip days for local schools and camps.
The Navs will also feature promotions and theme nights in conjunction with local businesses throughout the 2024 season. Further details will be announced in the coming months.
The popular Field of Dreams Baseball Clinic will return in 2024, with a pair of three-day clinics running from June 24-26 (Monday-Wednesday) and July 10-12 (Wednesday-Friday). Each clinic session includes a scheduled Navs home game to which participants will be invited.
Individual-game and season tickets will go on sale on Thursday, Feb. 15. Registration for the Field of Dreams Baseball Clinic will also begin on that date.
On the field, the Navs remain in the Coastal Division alongside the defending NECBL champion Newport Gulls, as well as the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks, Mystic (Conn.) Schooners and Ocean State Waves (South Kingstown, R.I.) for the third consecutive year.
The North Division features the Keene (N.H.) Swamp Bats, Sanford Mainers, Upper Valley Nighthawks (White River Junction, Vt.) and Vermont Mountaineers (Montpelier). The North Adams (Mass.) SteepleCats, Bristol (Conn.) Blues, Danbury (Conn.) Westerners and Valley Blue Sox (Holyoke, Mass.) make up the West Division.
Following the conclusion of the regular season on Tuesday, July 30, the 2024 NECBL Postseason opening round will begin on Thursday, Aug. 1, with the top four seeds (including all three division winners) facing seeds 5-8 in the opening of a best-of-three series. The Final Four will begin on Sunday, Aug. 4 in the same best-of-three format. The Championship Series will begin on Wednesday, Aug. 7, with the winner raising the 2024 Fay Vincent, Sr. Cup.
A charter member of the New England League’s inaugural season dating back to 1994, the Navs rejoined the NECBL in 2021 after a nine-year hiatus and proceeded to capture the Northern Division regular-season championship. The franchise has qualified for the NECBL playoffs in five of its first seven NECBL seasons and won its fourth Fay Vincent Sr. Cup in 2010.
