For many Americans, summer and baseball go hand in hand. It's also the season when college players join summer collegiate leagues to sharpen their skills and, perhaps, catch the attention of a professional scout.
At Scott Carpenter Park in Boulder, the Boulder Collegians have been doing just that since 1964.
The nonprofit team competes in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate League, giving college, and recent high school graduates headed to college, a chance to develop during the summer while playing against top competition from Colorado and Kansas.
"The rosters are made out of college players or incoming college players that recently graduated from high school," said Tony Rouco, the team's coach, manager and executive director.
The Collegians have a long history of developing talent.
"There's a lot of nostalgia involved in this field," Rouco said.
"The Collegians have played here since 1964. Since that time, there's over 100 players that played for the Collegians that have reached the major leagues, including one Hall of Famer in Tony Gwynn. But guys like Joe Maddon, who was a longtime manager in professional baseball, Terry Francona, who's actually the manager of the Cincinnati Reds now, Bob Horner, Joe Carter ... they all played for the Collegians at one point."
Maddon still remembers his time in Boulder.
"He wrote a book, and he mentions the Boulder Collegians in it," Rouco said. "He had a great time in Boulder. I mean, he proposed to his wife at Baseline Liquors here in Boulder."
The Boulder Collegians team is a nonprofit. Rouco wears multiple hats: coaching, recruiting, fundraising and managing the organization. The team also depends on host families to house players during the season.
"We have some host families that they stay with, and they'll stay in the Boulder area," Rouco said. "And then we have the majority of our roster this year is local Colorado kids, which helps, because host families are always difficult to find."
This year's roster includes players from Regis University, Metropolitan State University of Denver, the University of Northern Colorado.
"We have a couple kids from the Air Force Academy, which is pretty big because they only get three weeks off during the summer, and some of them have chose to come play for us, which is amazing," said Rouco.
There are no playoffs in this league, instead the top two teams in the Rocky Mountain Collegiate League earn a berth in the National Baseball Congress World Series in Wichita, Kansas.
“So people play for that because that tournament is really good. It's the best of the best in the country," said Rouco.
The Boulder Collegians reached the national tournament in 2024 and 2021. Rouco said the team could have qualified in other years as well, but financial constraints prevented the trips.
"Finances kept us from going out. We're a nonprofit, so we basically barely get by during the summers."
Despite the challenges, Rouco says the work is a labor of love.
"Yeah, it's giving back. Baseball's treated me good. I got an education because of baseball, so it's good to give back."
Rouco, who played baseball in high school and college before becoming a coach, believes the game remains woven into American culture.
"I think baseball is just Americana," he said. "I watched The Sandlot the other night, which is a terrific movie, and it's good to get back to those kind of roots."
Some people have described the Boulder Collegians as "the best baseball team you've never heard of." Rouco hopes more people in Boulder will discover them.
"This is great baseball. We don't charge an admission fee, and you get to watch some college players. Some of them are really good. I think we have one guy on our roster this year who has potential to be a professional baseball player."
The Collegians' season runs through July 26. After that, players return home before heading back to their colleges for fall baseball, carrying what they learned in Boulder into the next stage of their careers.
"Hopefully what they've learnt here with the Collegians translates in what they're doing at school, and they get significant playing time come springtime," said Rouco.
Copyright 2026 Rocky Mountain Community Radio. This story was shared via Rocky Mountain Community Radio, a network of public media stations in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico, including Aspen Public Radio.
