Summer League baseball is back

It’s the 10th season for the Florida Collegiate Summer League, and for the first time the league that’s sent nearly 200 players to the major leagues will have a team in College Park. With first-round talent, it’s as close as Orlando gets to the big leagues.

The name College Park Freedom may sound familiar, but not quite. They used to play a bit down the road in Orlando. This year they made the move to Bishop Moore High School in College Park for their home field, bringing coach Scotty Makarewicz with them.

The Sanford River Rats play the DeLand Suns at 7 p.m. June 4 at Sanford Memorial Stadium at 1201 S. Mellonville Ave. in Sanford.

The Winter Park Diamond Dawgs play the College Park Freedom at 7 p.m. June 6 at Alfond Stadium at 801 Orange Ave. in Winter Park.

The Freedom franchise will take the field for the third season this summer. They’ve struggled in their young history, coming in second to last in the league in 2011, and last in 2012 with a 10-29 record in the regular season.

They’ll be looking to jump start their season against an FCSL juggernaut in the Winter Park Diamond Dawgs, one of two teams from the league’s inaugural season that’s still around today. Last season the Dawgs went 25-15, missing out on the regular season title by just half a game to the Leesburg Lightning.

The teams will play back-to-back games to start the season, with the Freedom’s home opener at 7 p.m. June 5 at College Park, and then at 7 p.m. June 6 at Winter Park’s Alfond Stadium. Visit floridaleague.com for more information.