From 1976 to 2007, the Alameeda Merchants were one of the best Senior Babe Ruth teams (16-18 year old) in the entire nation.

After they were disbanded in 2007, they came back in 2012 as a collegiate summer team. In that first summer, they were members of the Pacific West Baseball League (PWBL).

In 2013, the Merchants moved into the newly formed Golden State Collegiate Baseball League (GSCBL). They quickly won back to back championships in 2013 and 2014. They were voted by Perfect Game to be one of the Top 50 collegiate summer teams in the country.

After competing in the GSCBL again in 2015, the Merchants will now become an independent collegiate baseball team - following in the footsteps of other clubs like the Redding Colt 45's. Marysville Goldsox and the Humboldt Crabs.

"Well. atleast we are getting off on the right foot" said assistant coach Dan Mills. "Starting our schedule off with the Palm Spring Power - the 2015 Southern California Collegiate League Champions & one of the best summer teams in the country, will be a great way to start this new chapter in our team's history. Some people think we will be unsuccessful as an independent team. The thing that will be great about an independent schedule is there will be no restriction on who we can play. We can play against other independent teams OUTSIDE of the Bay Area, as well as teams from the West Coast League, California Collegiate League, Southern California Collegiate League, etc. - the list is endless. We should be able to schedule 45-50 games pretty easy. I think the schedule will be tougher than it has been in the past. We will get a chance to play against a greater number/variety of teams. This is a good thing - it challenges the kids & keeps them on their toes. We will probably end up playing 25-30 different teams this summer. We are looking forward to it. We feel our kids will be better prepared once they return to their programs in the fall of 2016".

The Merchants first games of 2016 will be a two game set June 3-4 against the 2015 Southern California Collegiate League champion Palm Spring Power - a team that has been historically ranked as one of the top teams in Califorrnia.

And that is just the beginning........