Newport's Cardines Field in Final Four of Ballpark Digest "Best of Ballparks" Vote
July 12, 2022 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release
After winning their Elite Eight matchup, the NECBL's Newport Gulls (Cardines Field) have moved on to the Final Four in the 2022 Summer Collegiate Best of the Ballparks fan vote. The competition, run by Ballpark Digest, began with one hundred and fifteen stadiums that house summer collegiate baseball teams. After narrowing the field to sixty-four contenders, ballparks were randomly drawn against each other, with fans deciding the winner of each matchup. Since Round 1, Newport has survived three additional rounds to reach the Final Four.
Fan voting is now open for the Final Four! Vote here to select Cardines Field to move into the championship round.
Final Four voting ends on July 14 at 2 p.m. Fans can vote once per day until the window closes.
Newport's journey to the Final Four started with a slim win over the Forest City Owls (McNair Field) in Round 1, where the Gulls had just 51% of the vote. In Round 2, the Gulls downed the Batavia Muckdogs (Dwyer Stadium) with 66% of the vote. Newport advanced through Round 3 and to the Elite Eight after garnering 54% of the vote against the Waterloo Bucks (Riverfront Stadium). The Gulls reached the Final Four after a close 51% win over the Florence Flamingos (Carolina Bank Field) in the Elite Eight. Newport is currently up against the O'Fallon Hoots (CarShield Field) of the United States Prospect League in the Final Four.
Other New England League ballparks were a part of the competition as well. The North Shore Navigators (Fraser Field) and Bristol Blues (Muzzy Field) were eliminated in Round 1. The Ocean State Waves (Old Mountain Field) reached the second round before their eventual exit. The Keene Swamp Bats made it all the way to the Elite Eight before falling to the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes (Robin Roberts Stadium). Despite their loss, the Swamp Bats were one of the top four vote getting teams in the Elite Eight.
Stadiums were chosen by Ballpark Digest through various sets of criteria. These include their personal opinion of the ballpark, the stadium's history, performance in previous fan votes and league/geological balance. Fans are allowed to vote multiple times, but only once per day. The matchups are decided based on a running tally of votes, meaning the fans do not have to fill out a full ballot to make their votes count.
The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the New England League started play in 1994 and has sent over 150 alumni to the Major Leagues with nearly 30 alumni taken in the first round of the MLB Draft. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on Twitter, Instagram and on Facebook.
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 12, 2022
- Newport's Cardines Field in Final Four of Ballpark Digest "Best of Ballparks" Vote - NECBL
- Gulls Outlast Navigators, 3-1 for Eighth Straight Home Victory - Newport Gulls
- The NECBL Daily Rundown - 7/11/22 - Bristol's Late Comeback, Valley's 7-Run Inning - NECBL
- Newport's Colton Ledbetter and Ryan Ginther Receive Week 5 NECBL Honors - NECBL
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