Corn Belt League Wraps Up Another Great Summer Season

The 2023 Corn Belt Collegiate Summer Baseball League ended another successful season with intense competition and development in the second season of having eight teams. The 2023 season was the most competitive season yet. Entering the final day of the regular season, there were 4 seeds to be determined with the standings so tight throughout the season. Over 180 players from 90 different colleges came to Omaha to play in a league where travel was limited to Seymour Smith Park in Omaha and to Doc Ross Field on the campus of Iowa Western Community College.

One of our biggest additions to help the league grow is the availability to stream games on our Corn Belt League YouTube channel. Our “Corn Crew” is made up of HS/College students interested in having a career in broadcasting. Along with the 40+ games they broadcasted, we also continued our partnership with News Channel Nebraska, who broadcasted every Thursday night game on their cable network.

On July 3^rd, the CBL played a very special game against the Military WarDogs, a team comprised of current active-duty and veterans who serve our country. The Corn Belt League’s roster for this game was represented by players that have family members that served in our military. Leading up to the game, the WarDogs held a special passing of the flag ceremony. Prior to first pitch, former Omaha Mayor, Hal Daub, threw out the first pitch before receiving a special WarDogs bat.

The annual Corn Fest All Star Game was held on July 9^th between our In-State vs. Out-of-State All Stars. For the first time, the Out-of-State team defeated the In-State in a close game. The festivities at the All-Star Game were spectacular with multiple giveaways, a water balloon hitting contest for kids, and of course, our famed Corn-On-The-Cob Eating contest. Covered in corn, fans of all ages were willing to participate! The contestants included kids, parents, players, coaches, and even the umpire.

The Royal Blue Dogs were crowned this summer’s Regular Season Champions going 19-9 over the regular season. When it came time for the Single Elimination Postseason Tournament, tension was in the air knowing any of the eight teams could come out as the Champion. After 3 days of intense competition, the championship game was set between the #4 seed FIlthballers and #3 seed Red Raiders. This game was one for the ages as it came down to the very last pitch of the game, where the Red Raiders walked it off on a base hit in the bottom of the 7^th inning.

Following the Corn Belt League season, a team made up of CBL player’s took part in the SummerBall ShowDown in Wichita, Kansas. Despite losing in the quarterfinals, our players represented the league with class down in Wichita.

We are looking forward to the 2024 season and will need the community’s support and involvement for the upcoming season! We have a lot of improvements that we would like to make to our home field and our upcoming golf fundraiser on August 26^th will help us in getting closer to that goal. To see how you can be a part of the 2024 summer season, visit www.CornBeltLeague.com. We are always looking for sponsorships, host families, and so much more to continue to grow this league on a national level because Omaha is home to the greatest show on dirt.