Baseball fans who long to hear the crack of the bat in Clinton again are in luck.
The Lumberkings have joined the Prospect League, a collegiate, wood bat, summer league.
General Manager Ted Tornow says the Clinton franchise researched other leagues as Major League Baseball prepared to reduce the number of its minor league affiliates.
So, the Lumberkings were prepared when they were dropped and decided to work out an agreement with the Prospect League.
Tornow says the season will be shorter, starting Memorial Day weekend and ending in early August. That'll give the Lumberkings more opportunities to host high school sports and other events at NelsonCorp Field.
The 2020 Midwest Baseball League season was cancelled because of the pandemic. In 2019, the Lumberkings played in the Midwest League championship series, but lost.
The Burlington Bees, another former Midwest Baseball League team, also joined the Prospect League. Major League Baseball also dropped the Kane County Cougars, but the team hasn't announced a new league yet.
The Quad Cities River Bandits are now an Advanced-A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.
