Butler has a history with high-level baseball. For the first time in a while, that tradition will return.

The Prospect Collegiate League will have a new franchise in Butler beginning next summer, the Butler BlueSox. The league, which will have franchises in at least five states stretching from Missouri and Illinois east to Butler and Slippery Rock, is a wooden-bat summer league that attracts top college players.

The team will play at the newly renovated Pullman Park, a site that once hosted a minor league team in the New York Yankees organization.

"We will be offering college athletes an opportunity to showcase and sharpen their skills in a competitive format -- very similar to minor league professional ball," said Leo Trich, the team's majority owner and general manager.

"I am very excited to be part of a project that will bring this brand of exciting baseball to Butler and I am confident that this area's rich tradition in baseball will add to the opportunities for success we are looking for."

Trich, a former state representative, was instrumental in putting together the non-profit group that built what is now called Consol Energy Park in Washington and in the start-up of the Washington Wild Things professional Frontier League team.

Trich was targeting Butler for another possible Frontier League franchise or college summer league team if an esteemed-enough league would expand into the area. The timing finally became right when complete renovations to Pullman Park were approved and the prominent Central Illinois Collegiate League -- recognized as one of the country's top college summer leagues behind the prestigious Cape Cod league -- decided to take on a more national profile.

"Pullman Park is renovated to the point where we have a brand spanking new facility," Trich said. "Now the [state-of-the-art] stadium is in place to match the ideal location. I've been a big supporter of Butler. I knew the rich tradition of baseball here, going back to the Yankees farm team. It's a lot like my hometown of Washington, Pa.

"I got involved in the Wild Things because we recognized Washington as a hotbed of baseball, and I feel that Butler in many ways mirrors what we saw in Washington. I think it's a great match for summer collegiate baseball. These leagues are becoming a hit around the country in areas just like Butler."

The Central Illinois Collegiate League was renamed the Prospect League for this coming season. That's a reflection both of the geographic expansion of the league and the fact that it has traditionally showcased talent that has gone on to professional minor and major league levels. More than 175 alumni of the 45-year-old league have played for Major League Baaseball franchises.

The team will play a 54-game schedule over about nine weeks beginning after the college season ends in June and stretching to August. Half of those games will be at home and the team also will leave for regular roadtrips and play series against certain opponents, not unlike any professional team.

While the roster assuredly will be at least partially stocked with top area natives and college players, the team plans to get players from around the country. Host families will be sought to help house some of them.

"Butler should prove to be a perfect market for a collegiate baseball league team," said Chris Hanners, founder of the Frontier League, in a press release. "They have an outstanding new facility and Butler has enjoyed a rich baseball history.

"I am glad that the Butler community will be part of our new league and I know Leo will do all that he can to make it a successful project for everyone involved."