NEWPORT, R.I. — The back-to-back defending NECBL champions are ready to launch their 24th season, beginning Tuesday, June 3, on the road in Massachusetts. The Newport Gulls will open their 2025 campaign against the Valley Blue Sox at 6:35 p.m.

The following night, on Wednesday, June 4, the Gulls return home to Cardines Field for their home opener against the Vermont Mountaineers, also at 6:35 p.m. The game is proudly sponsored by University Orthopedics.

Fans attending the home opener can also look forward to a special giveaway—Aquidneck Pizza will be handing out 1,000 free magnet schedules at the gates.

President and General Manager Chuck Paiva expressed his excitement ahead of the season:
“We are so excited to begin our 24th season in Newport. Coming off back-to-back championships, we’ve worked hard to build another championship-caliber team. Everyone in the organization—from the interns to the coaching staff—is ready to get after it again. So enjoy the ride, and let’s go Gulls!!”

The Gulls will welcome back six players from last year’s championship roster: pitchers Drew DeLucia, Nicholas DiRito, and Kade Shatwell, along with infielders Matt Ossenfort and Randy Seymour and catcher Mac McCommons.

In 2024, Newport finished with a 27–16 record en route to capturing its eighth NECBL title. With veteran head coach Mike Coombs at the helm, the Gulls are aiming for a historic three-peat.

Join the Gulls at Cardines Field on June 4 to celebrate the return of summer baseball in Newport!

The Newport Gulls, members of the 13-team New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded as the Rhode Island Gulls in 1998 in Cranston, R.I., before moving to Newport in 2001. In addition to recruiting, fielding, and developing a team of the nation’s top collegiate baseball athletes and attracting 50,000 fans annually to Cardines Field, the predominantly volunteer organization strives to benefit the community via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations – totaling over $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are eight-time champions of the NECBL – the winningest franchise in league history – and were ranked as the overall No. 1 summer collegiate baseball team in the country by Perfect Game USA in 2012.

For more information about the Newport Gulls, visit facebook.com/newportgulls, follow the Gulls on Twitter @NewportGulls or visit www.newportgulls.com.