MLB Extends Commitment to Draft League Through 2030

(STATE COLLEGE, Pa.) – Major League Baseball has announced that the MLB Draft League has been extended through the 2030 season. The MLB Draft League has become the premier destination for draft-eligible players each summer, providing opportunities for hundreds of players to be evaluated by MLB Club scouts and to receive unparalleled player development resources.

The State College Spikes, along with the league’s other five founding members, the Frederick Keys (Frederick, Md.), Mahoning Valley Scrappers (Niles, Ohio), Trenton Thunder (Trenton, N.J.), West Virginia Black Bears (Morgantown, W.Va.) and Williamsport Crosscutters (Williamsport, Pa.) will start their 80-game 2024 schedule on June 4th, with Trenton hosting State College, West Virginia hosting Frederick and Williamsport hosting Mahoning Valley. The MLB Draft League is also planning to expand by two teams in the coming seasons.

Since its founding in 2021, the MLB Draft League has had more than 230 players sign with MLB organizations, as 133 were selected in the annual 20-round MLB Draft, and another 103 players signed out of the MLB Draft League as free agents. As of the start of the 2024 season, 37 Draft League alums have reached AA or higher and 8 players are currently in AAA. Additionally, the 2023 Draft was the league’s most successful to date, with more players drafted in the top ten rounds in 2023 than in the 2021 and 2022 Drafts combined.

“We are excited that the MLB Draft League will continue to offer opportunities for up-and-coming players through 2030,” said Scott Walker, Spikes President & General Manager. “In the coming years, Happy Valley will remain a place where the future of baseball takes shape before our very eyes. With tremendous upgrades throughout Medlar Field at Lubrano Park to enhance the fan experience, all of us at the Spikes are looking forward to being a strong long-term partner of MLB for years to come.”

Fans can enjoy the Spikes’ 40-game home schedule while sampling major improvements throughout Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. The first thing many fans will notice is the brand-new, 2,739-square-foot videoboard in left field that presents game action along with graphics and video in eye-popping high-definition over an area five times larger than the previous videoboard at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park.

More enhancements include a new point-of-sale system that will create more efficient lines at ballpark concessions stands with digital menu boards, a grab-and-go concessions location on the concourse for added convenience, a newly installed field of fresh Kentucky bluegrass along with upgraded irrigation and drainage, new padded walls in the outfield and other ballpark areas, and new, brighter LED lights capable of entertaining light shows to celebrate special occasions at Spikes home games and other events.

“In three short years, the MLB Draft League has done exactly what we had hoped, as it has provided players another chance to be evaluated by scouts from all MLB clubs both before and after the draft,” said Sean Campbell, Executive Director of the MLB Draft League. “The league has also kept professional-caliber baseball in six terrific baseball cities,

and we are most appreciative of the fans that come out to watch these players chase their dreams of playing in the Major Leagues.”

Tim Battle Jr., the New York Yankees’ third-round draft choice in 2003 who served as the Spikes’ hitting coach in 2023, will return to Happy Valley as manager. Battle joins five other Draft League managers who enjoyed professional playing careers in the 2024 ranks. West Virginia’s David Carpenter, a 2006 Spikes alum, along with Frederick’s Jacque Jones, Mahoning Valley’s Quinton McCracken and Williamsport’s Ryan Hanigan reached the Major League level as players. Trenton’s Adonis Smith played professionally in the United States and overseas.

The West Virginia Black Bears have won the last two league titles after Trenton claimed the first Draft League title in 2021.

The Spikes’ 2024 home schedule starts on Friday, June 7, with a 6:35 p.m. matchup against the West Virginia Black Bears on Opening Night presented by PSECU. The pomp and pageantry of the 2024 home opener includes the chance for one lucky fan to take the $25,000 Pitching Challenge, where one pitch could be worth $25,000. Following the game, the skies over Happy Valley will light up with the first of 12 fantastic FIREWORKS shows this summer.

Plus, it’s a 4-Pack Friday, with four Diamond Club or Field Box seats, four hot dogs, and four sodas available for just $54 when ordered by phone or in person.

Single-game tickets for Opening Night and all 40 regular season home games are on sale now at StateCollegeSpikes.com, by phone at 814-272-1711, or in person at Medlar Field at Lubrano Park. Fans purchasing in person should head to the Team Office gate, located past Gate J, to place their ticket orders.

To purchase single-game tickets, Season Ticket Memberships, Flex Books, or a wide variety of group and hospitality options, call a Spikes ticket representative at (814) 272-1711 or log on to StateCollegeSpikes.com. More team and ticket information is available at StateCollegeSpikes.com.

Media requesting additional information should contact Joe Putnam at jputnam@statecollegespikes.com.