Newport Gulls
| Newport Gulls | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
||||
| League | NECBL (Southern Division) | |||
| Location |
Newport, RI (2001-present) Cranston, RI (1998-2000) |
|||
| Ballpark | Cardines Field (2001-present) | |||
| Year founded | 1998 | |||
| League championships | 6 (2001, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2014) | |||
| Post-Season Division championships | 11 (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2014) | |||
| Regular-Season Division championships | 10 (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015) | |||
| Former name(s) | Newport Gulls (2001-present) Rhode Island Gulls (1998-2000) |
|||
| Former league(s) |
|
|||
| Former ballparks | Cranston Stadium (1998–2000) | |||
| Colors |
Blue
Orange
Black
|
|||
| Mascot | Gully & Gully Jr. | |||
| Ownership | Chuck Paiva, Chris Patsos Ron Westmoreland, Greg Fater, Mark Horan |
|||
| Management | Chuck Paiva (GM), Nick Lima (Baseball Operations) |
|||
| Manager | Al Leyva | |||
| Website | newportgulls.com | |||
The Newport Gulls are a wooden-bat, summer collegiate baseball team based in Newport, Rhode Island. The Newport Gulls Baseball Club is a member of both the New England Collegiate Baseball League and the NECBL's Southern Division. From 2001 to the present, the Gulls have played at Cardines Field.
An NECBL expansion team, the club was founded in Cranston in 1998. The Gulls have been one of the NECBL's most successful teams since their inception, winning 6 Fay Vincent, Sr. Cups as champions of the NECBL, and eleven Division Titles.
While most teams playing at Cardines average attendance in the dozens or, at most, a few hundred per game, the Newport Gulls, since moving to Newport in 2001, have helped bring the field back to its former glory days of the mid-twentieth century, averaging over 2,300 fans for a regular-season home game. During the 2004 season alone, the Gulls attracted over 50,000 fans through just 26 home games, with sellout crowds in excess of 3,000 people. Following the 2006 season, the Gulls set a team and league record (since surpassed) for regular season home attendance, totaling 42,424 fans after 21 games, along with the league's all-time best win-loss record of 32-10. In 15 seasons in Newport, the Gulls have never failed to win fewer than 25 regular season games.
Newport Gulls games often feature fan participation activities between innings, along with concessions, low ticket prices, and a safe atmosphere. This reputation has only added to their popularity, not only among tourists passing through Newport, but with many Aquidneck Island children and families, as well. The active crowds, historic atmosphere, and competent club management have allowed the Gulls to recruit some of the best college baseball players in the nation, with talent rivaling the Cape Cod League. Since 2001, Cardines Field has hosted the Gulls through 10 regular season Division titles, 10 postseason Division titles, and 6 league championships, along with other notable awards, such as the RI Governor's Cup, Pell Bridge Series Championship, and Dunkin' Donuts Cup. The Gulls have also begun an annual tradition of playing Team USA in an exhibition around Independence Day every July, in what is often a sellout game. In July 2005, the Gulls hosted the NECBL All-Star Game and Home Run Derby at Cardines, which was a major event for the park, the league, and the City of Newport. The Gulls later hosted the 2010 NECBL All-Star Game, and will host the event a third time on July 17, 2016.
...
Wikipedia