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January 24, 2022                                                                                    Director of Baseball Operations

                                                                                                                401-845-6832/ operations@newportgulls.com

Gulls Announce 2022 Schedule 

44 Game Schedule, New Three Division Alignment etc

Published On: January 24, 2022

Published By: Darren Katziff

NEWPORT, R.I. – The Newport Gulls will kick off a 44-game schedule this June, hosting 22 home games throughout the months of June and July in search of their league-leading seventh Fay Vincent Sr. Cup.

The Gulls will play their home games on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday beginning at 6:35 P.M. at Cardines Field, while road games will take the Gulls to 13 other ballparks around New England. Away games take place on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, with a few exceptions, including a special Saturday home game this year on July 23 against the Vermont Mountaineers. Additionally, there is a full day of baseball planned for Wednesday, July 6 as the Gulls take on the Upper Valley Nighthawks in a doubleheader starting at 4:05 P.M. The regular season runs from June 7 through July 29, followed by a two-week postseason. 

The Gulls will start their 2022 campaign on Tuesday, June 7 at 6:30 P.M. vs. the Vermont Mountaineers at Recreational Field in Montpelier, Vermont. The team’s home opener is set for the following night, June 8, when the Mystic Schooners travel to Newport.

The most significant update in this year's schedule will be the shift to a three-division alignment this summer. The Gulls now find themselves in the Coastal Division along with Martha’s Vineyard, Mystic, North Shore and Ocean State; the North Division features Keene, Sanford, Upper Valley, Vermont and Winnipesaukee; finally, the West Division will group Bristol, Danbury, North Adams and Valley together.

Newport won’t have to wait long to face their in-state rivals, the Ocean State Waves, traveling to Old Mountain Field in South Kingstown, RI on Saturday, June 11. That is the first of six contests with the Waves. Last season, Newport won the season series against the Waves, as well as every other team in the Coastal Division aside from the North Shore Navigators. Although North Shore rejoined the NECBL for the 2021 season, an “in-division only” schedule was adopted last summer resulting in the two franchises not playing each other. This season will be the first time North Shore and Newport face off since a 9-6 victory on July 21, 2011 in Lynn, Massachusetts. 

The team will see the reigning champion Danbury Westerners twice throughout the season, seeking redemption after Danbury eliminated Newport in Round One of the 2021 season. Their first matchup is in Danbury on Saturday, July 2 and home on Friday, July 15. 

In order for the Gulls to capture their seventh championship, they will have to concur the new playoff format. Six teams total will make the playoffs. The top three seeds will consist of the three division winners, ranked by winning percentage, while the remaining three seeds are made up of the top winning percentages remaining throughout the league. The top two overall seeds will earn a first round-bye and the remaining four seeds will square off in a single elimination game, followed by the semi-finals and NECBL Championship being best out of three series. 

This year's All Star Game will be hosted by the Matha’s Vineyard Sharks, on Sunday, July 24. This is the first time the Sharks have hosted the event that will have thousands of fans and over 100 Major League Baseball scouts in attendance. Newport hosted the premier event in 2021.

The final game of the regular season will be held on Friday, July 29, with the postseason beginning on Monday, August 1.

The Gulls last took home the championship in 2014, and have won a record six championships. This is the most by any franchise, with Keene trailing close behind with five. It is sure to be an exciting season as the Gulls look to display their talented roster throughout the course of the summer with many featured players at the nation’s top college baseball programs.

The complete 2022 season schedule and updated ticket information are available on the team’s website. View full schedule via: http://newportgulls.pointstreaksites.com/view/newportgulls/schedule-515/season-schedule

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The Newport Gulls, members of the 14-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 youth of Newport County via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations – totaling nearly $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are six-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.