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The Prospect League is a collegiate summer baseball league comprising teams of college players from North America and beyond. All players in the league must have NCAA eligibility remaining in order to participate. So as to maintain their college eligibility, players are not paid. Beginning in 2012, the league added four games to the season, making a total of 60 games per team (30 home and 30 road).
Dr. Chris Hanners, owner of the Chillicothe franchise and one of the founders of the independent professional Frontier League, wanted to keep a Paints baseball team in Chillicothe. Dr. Hanners, Leo Trich, former Frontier league director of development; General Manager and majority owner of the Butler BlueSox, and Duke Ward, former owner of the Frontier League's Richmond Roosters worked with the ownership of the CICL to form the Prospect League.
The Prospect League began its inaugural season in summer 2009 with the original CICL teams forming the Western Division. Five expansion teams formed the Eastern Division. Three of the Eastern Division teams began play in markets previously served by Frontier League teams. Besides the Chillicothe Paints, the Richmond RiverRats (Richmond, Indiana) played in the previous home of the Frontier League's Richmond Roosters, which are now the Traverse City Beach Bums. The Slippery Rock Sliders (Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania) played in the previous home of the Frontier League team of the same name.
Due to a change in team ownership in 2010, the North Coast Knights became the Lorain County Ironmen.
Before the 2012 season, the Nashville Outlaws folded, and the DeKalb County Liners left the league to join the Midwest Collegiate League, leaving the Prospect League with twelve teams in two, six-team divisions. The 2012 schedule consisted of 60 games with no "cross-over" games; with all games played among teams from the same division only. The only time teams from opposite divisions meet is in the Championship Series.
The 2019 league featured two divisions, each with six teams. The West Division consisted of the Cape Catfish, DuPage Pistol Shrimp, Hannibal Hoots, Normal CornBelters, Quincy Gems and the Springfield Sliders. The East Division consisted of the Champion City Kings, Chillicothe Paints, Danville Dans, Lafayette Aviators, Terre Haute REX and the West Virginia Miners.
| Chillicothe Paints* | Chillicothe, Ohio | 3,000+ |
| Johnstown Mill Rats | Johnstown, Pennsylvania | 7,500 |
| Lafayette Aviators | Lafayette, Indiana | 2,600 |
| Dubois County Bombers | Huntingburg, Indiana | 3,300 |
| Normal CornBelters* | Normal, Illinois | 7,000 |
| Springfield Lucky Horseshoes | Springfield, Illinois | 5,200 |
| Terre Haute Rex | Terre Haute, Indiana | 2,500 |
| Clinton LumberKings* | Clinton, Iowa | 5,500 |
| Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | Peru, Illinois | 575+ |
| Quincy Doggy Paddlers | Quincy, Illinois | 2,000 |
| Cape Catfish | Cape Girardeau, Missouri | 2,000 |
| Jackson Rockabillys | Jackson, Tennessee | 6,000 |
| O'Fallon Hoots | O'Fallon, Missouri | 5,150 |
| Thrillville Thrillbillies | Marion, Illinois | 7,000 |
| + !Team !City !Joined !Left !Current league | ||||
| Butler BlueSox | Butler, Pennsylvania | 2009 | 2018 | Tri-State Collegiate League |
| DeKalb County Liners | Sycamore, Illinois | 2010 | 2011 | none (defunct) |
| DuPage Dragons | Lisle, Illinois | 2009 | 2011 | none (defunct) |
| DuPage Drones | Lisle, Illinois | 2016 | 2016 | none (defunct) |
| Full Count Rhythm | Hendersonville, Tennessee | 2024 | 2025 | Ohio Valley League |
| Hannibal Cavemen | Hannibal, Missouri | 2009 | 2016 | none (defunct) |
| Hannibal Hoots | Hannibal, Missouri | 2018 | 2019 | Moved to O'Fallon, Missouri in 2020 |
| Jamestown Jammers | Jamestown, New York | 2015 | 2015 | none (defunct) |
| Kokomo Jackrabbits | Kokomo, Indiana | 2015 | 2018 | Northwoods League |
| Nashville Outlaws | Nashville, Tennessee | 2010 | 2012 | none (defunct) |
| Quincy Gems | Quincy, Illinois | 2009 | 2023 | none (defunct) |
| Richmond RiverRats | Richmond, Indiana | 2009 | 2015 | none (defunct) |
| West Virginia Miners | Beckley, West Virginia | 2010 | 2022 | none (defunct) |
2010: 56-game schedule divided in two halves. Winners from each half in each division faced each other in a one-game playoff (home field to team with best overall record). Where the same team won both halves in a division, the team with the next-best overall record from that division was declared the wild card. Championship Series was a two-game affair with the divisional playoff winner with the best overall record receiving a bye into the Championship Game. The remaining two divisional playoff winners met in a one-game play-in for the right to go to the Championship Game. Championship Series held at Chillicothe, Ohio.
Teams in italics qualified for that season's playoffs as a wild card entry under that particular season's playoff format.
2011: 56-game schedule divided in two halves. Winners from each half in each division faced each other in a one-game playoff (home field to team winning the first half). Where the same team won both halves in a division, the team with the next-best overall record from that division was declared the wild card. Divisional playoff winners met in one-game playoff with home field awarded to the team with the best overall record from the regular season.
2012: 60-game schedule divided in two halves. Winners from each half in each division to face each other in a one-game playoff to be hosted by the first-half champions in each division. If the same team wins both halves, the team with the best overall record from that division will be declared the wild card. Winners of each divisional playoff game will meet in a best-of-three Championship Series, with home advantage given to the division that wins the annual All-Star Game (to be held in Butler, PA). Game One of the Championship Series will be played at the home field of the team from the losing division at the All-Star Game, with Game Two and Game Three (if necessary) held at the home field of the team from the winning division at the All-Star Game.
2013–2016: 60-game schedule divided into two halves. Winners from each half in each division to face each other in a best-of-three with game one being held at second-half winner and games two and three (if necessary) at home of first-half winner. There are no travel days in the Division Series. Each division champion plays in the best-of-three Prospect League Championship Series. Game one is held at the home of the team representing the division that lost that year's All-Star Game. Games two and three (if necessary) are held at the home of the team representing the division that won that year's All-Star Game.
2017–present: After a 60-game schedule, the top two teams in the East Division and the West Division play each other in the first round in a best of 3 series with the first place teams getting home field advantage. The winner of the East Division and West Division series face off in a best-of-three Prospect League Championship series with the team with the best record getting home field advantage.
| +Championship results !Year ! colspan="2" | East Division playoff champion ! colspan="2" | West Division playoff champion !League champions | |||
| 2009 | Chillicothe Paints | 0 | Quincy Gems | 2 | Quincy Gems |
| 2010 | Chillicothe Paints | 1 | Danville Dans | 0 | Chillicothe Paints |
| 2011 | West Virginia Miners | 0 | Quincy Gems | 1 | Quincy Gems |
| 2012 | West Virginia Miners | 2 | Dubois County Bombers | 0 | West Virginia Miners |
| 2013 | West Virginia Miners | 2 | Quincy Gems | 0 | West Virginia Miners |
| 2014 | Chillicothe Paints | 1 | Quincy Gems | 2 | Quincy Gems |
| 2015 | West Virginia Miners | 0 | Terre Haute Rex | 2 | Terre Haute Rex |
| 2016 | West Virginia Miners | 2 | Quincy Gems | 0 | West Virginia Miners |
| 2017 | Butler BlueSox | 1 | Lafayette Aviators | 2 | Lafayette Aviators |
| 2018 | Kokomo Jackrabbits | 0 | Terre Haute Rex | 2 | Terre Haute Rex |
| 2019 | Chillicothe Paints | 2 | Cape Catfish | 1 | Chillicothe Paints |
| 2020 | None (season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic) | ||||
| 2021 | Lafayette Aviators | 1 | Cape Catfish | 2 | Cape Catfish |
| 2022 | Chillicothe Paints | 2 | Alton River Dragons | 1 | Chillicothe Paints |
| 2023 | Chillicothe Paints | 2 | Quincy Gems | 1 | Chillicothe Paints |
| 2024 | Terre Haute Rex | 0 | Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | 2 | Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp |
| 2025 | Lafayette Aviators | 0 | Cape Catfish | 2 | Cape Catfish |
| +Championship appearances by team !Total !Titles !Team !Last | |||
| 6 | 4 | Chillicothe Paints | 2023 |
| 6 | 3 | Quincy Gems | 2023 |
| 5 | 3 | West Virginia Miners | 2016 |
| 3 | 2 | Terre Haute Rex | 2024 |
| 3 | 2 | Cape Catfish | 2025 |
| 3 | 1 | Lafayette Aviators | 2025 |
| 1 | 1 | Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | 2024 |
| 1 | 0 | Danville Dans | 2010 |
| 1 | 0 | Dubois County Bombers | 2012 |
| 1 | 0 | Butler BlueSox | 2017 |
| 1 | 0 | Kokomo Jackrabbits | 2018 |
| 1 | 0 | Alton River Dragons | 2022 |
| Richmond River Rats | ||
| Chillicothe Paints | ||
| Quincy Gems | ||
| Springfield Sliders | ||
| Slippery Rock Sliders | ||
| Chillicothe Paints | ||
| Butler Bluesox | ||
| DuPage Drones | ||
| Lafayette Aviators | ||
| Cape Catfish | ||
| Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | ||
| Burlington Bees | ||
| Alton River Dragons | ||
| Chillicothe Paints | ||
| Chillicothe Paints | ||
| Northcoast Knights | ||
| West Virginia Miners | ||
| Chillicothe Paints | ||
| Hannibal Cavemen, West Virginia Miners | ||
| Hannibal Cavemen | ||
| Butler BlueSox, West Virginia Miners | ||
| Chillicothe Paints | ||
| Terre Haute Rex | ||
| Lafayette Aviators | ||
| Cape Catfish | ||
| Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | ||
| Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | ||
| Danville Dans | ||
| Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | ||
| Clinton LumberKings | ||
| Danville Dans | ||
| Slippery Rock Sliders | ||
| Terre Haute Rex | ||
| West Virginia Miners | ||
| Chillicothe Paints | ||
| DuPage Drones | ||
| Terre Haute Rex | ||
| Chillicothe Paints | ||
| Chillicothe Paints | ||
| Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | ||
| O'Fallon Hoots | ||
| Danville Dans | ||
| Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | ||
| Jackson Rockabillys | ||
| Chillicothe Paints | ||
| Quincy Gems | ||
| Springfield Sliders Terre Haute Rex | ||
| Danville Dans | ||
| Chillicothe Paints | ||
| Butler BlueSox | ||
| Lafayette Aviators | ||
| Chillicothe Paints Springfield Sliders | ||
| Cape Catfish | ||
| Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | ||
| Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | ||
| Danville Dans | ||
| Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | ||
| Chillicothe Paints | ||
| Chillicothe Paints | ||
| Quincy Gems | ||
| DuBois County Bombers Terre Haute Rex | ||
| Danville Dans | ||
| Butler BlueSox | ||
| Terre Haute Rex | ||
| Lafayette Aviators | ||
| Kokomo Jackrabbits | ||
| Cape Catfish | ||
| Season cancelled (COVID-19 pandemic) | ||
| Cape Catfish | ||
| Danville Dans | ||
| Thrillville Thrillbillies | ||
| Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp | ||
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