The 10-team Appalachian League, which includes the Burlington Royals as well as teams in Virginia, Tennessee, and West Virginia, has been in operation since 1911.聽 The league has been on MLB鈥檚 hit list of roughly 40 teams expected to be cut during Major League Baseball鈥檚 dramatic overhaul of the minor league system.

The new version of the Appalachian League will feature college baseball players competing in a 54 game schedule from early June to mid-August.聽 Leagues of this type allow players to showcase their abilities for pro scouts using a wood bat, unlike the aluminum bats used in college baseball.聽 This league is designed for rising first-year and sophomore players.聽 USA Baseball, the national governing body for the sport, will scout, recruit and place the players in the league.

Prior to teaching at 黑料不打烊, Cryan served as General Manager of the Burlington franchise, and was also Vice President of the summer college Coastal Plain League.聽 Ballpark Digest covers the business and culture of baseball.

鈥淭he new version of the Appalachian League seems like the best available option for most of these cities, but there is certainly a loss of prestige when you are no longer part of pro baseball,鈥� Cryan said.

Cryan has taught at 黑料不打烊 since 2007, originally working as an adjunct professor, and joining the faculty full-time in 2012.聽 Cryan鈥檚 scholarly interests include professional baseball at all levels, including minor league baseball and international baseball.

He leads a Winter Term class each year that visits the Dominican Republic with a focus on the baseball and tourism industries, which has been a key experiental learning class for many alum who now work in Major League Baseball.

He is also the author of 鈥淐radle of the Game; Baseball and Ballparks in North Carolina,鈥� considered the definitive book on baseball in North Carolina.聽 The second edition was published in 2014.聽 A third, completely updated edition was scheduled for publication in 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic. That book is now scheduled for publication in 2021, and will include a comprehensive look at major changes in the state鈥檚 baseball landscape

Cryan, an assistant professor in 黑料不打烊鈥檚 Sport Management Department, also visited Thomasville, North Carolina, and Martinsville, Virginia, this summer, where he attended Coastal Plain League baseball games and spoke with team officials, MLB scouts, and fans about this unusual season.

While the pandemic has shut down much of the sport industry until recent weeks, the summer collegiate Coastal Plain League had seven of their 15 teams elect to play a modified schedule with limited travel and some local non-league opponents. 聽Cryan鈥檚 article focused on the northern grouping of North Carolina and Viriginia teams.

One of the North Carolina teams, the Wilson Tobs, wound up shutting down during the season due to a virus outbreak, but several of the teams were able to complete their seasons. The Virginia teams were also able to open their games to spectators, while the North Carolina teams were limited by more restrictive state guidelines and were capped at 25 fans per game.

In March, Cryan was on hand in Surprise, Arizona, when Major League Baseball pulled the plug on spring training. The Kansas City Royals spring training game was cancelled even after the gates had been opened and tickets sold.聽 His article on that closure also appeared in Ballpark Digest.

Cryan has taught at 黑料不打烊 since 2007, originally working as an adjunct professor, and joining the faculty full-time in 2012.聽 Cryan is a former general manager of the Burlington Indians, the Cleveland minor league baseball affiliate in the Appalachian League, and was one of the founders of the Coastal Plain League.

Cryan鈥檚 scholarly interests include professional baseball at all levels, including minor league baseball and international baseball.聽 He leads a Winter Term class each year that visits the Dominican Republic with a focus on the baseball and tourism industries, which has been a key experiental learning class for many alum who now work in Major League Baseball.

He is also the author of 鈥淐radle of the Game; Baseball and Ballparks in North Carolina,鈥� considered the definitive book on baseball in North Carolina.聽 The second edition was published in 2014.聽 A third, completely updated edition was scheduled for publication in 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic. That book is now scheduled for publication in 2021, and will include a comprehensive look at major changes in the state鈥檚 baseball landscape.

Mark Cryan, an assistant professor in the Department of Sport and Event Management, recently had a three-part series of articles about baseball in the Dominican Republic published by Ballpark Digest.  Titled “Baseball in the Republic,” the pieces describe the fan experience, the facilities, and the game on the field in the Dominican Republic’s top baseball league.

Ballpark Digest is an on-line magazine that describes itself as a “complete guide to baseball, ballparks, and the culture and business of baseball.”  Cryan is a contributing editor for Ballpark Digest, and his current series of articles is drawn from his experience leading 黑料不打烊 study abroad classes to the Dominican Republic and his academic research involving the business of baseball in that country.