The Valley Baseball League was founded May 15, 1897, in Edinburg, VA and included charter members Winchester, Woodstock, Strasburg, Front Royal, and Edinburg.
It evolved in the early years from a Class D minor league to an NCAA-sanctioned league in 1961 operating under NCAA rules. The league adopted wooden bats in 1993. Each team plays a 40-game schedule June through late July concluding with a six team playoff that extends to early August to determine the Lineweaver Cup Championship.
The VBL is funded in part by a grant from Major League Baseball and is a member of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball, a national affiliation of 13 collegiate summer leagues. The Valley League has produced well over 1,100 professional baseball players, including over 250 playing Major League Baseball. In 2023, there were 22 playing Major League Baseball and currently 20 in 2024.
In 2011, the VBL transitioned to not-for-profit status. All teams, as well as the League, are now not-for-profit organizations supported by numerous volunteers. The Valley League name is derived from the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, which is nestled between the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east and the Allegheny Mountains to the west in Virginia and West Virginia, a short drive from Washington D.C.
The league consists of 12 teams playing a two division format. Current franchises include Covington Lumberjacks, Harrisonburg Turks, New Market Rebels, Staunton Braves, Waynesboro Generals, Charlottesville Tom Sox, Front Royal Cardinals, Purcellville Canons, Strasburg Express, Winchester Royals and Woodstock River Bandits. The Cavaliers inaugural season was in the summer of 2023.
Each team plays a 40-game schedule beginning the 1st weekend in June, with playoffs starting toward the end of July.
The Valley Baseball League will not tolerate discrimination on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, martial status, citizenship, military or veteran status. The VBL supports all of our teams in addressing these issues at their individual ballparks.
