League History: 1982-2010
The North Suburban Colt League was founded in the 1960’s and consisted of teams from the Glenview, Northbrook, and Wilmette areas. Its modern history dates back to 1982 when the league expanded into Lake County.
Lake County teams dominated play during the early years, propelled by a particularly strong Waukegan program that, prior to the merger, had made three consecutive appearances in the Colt World Series. Northbrook won the league title in 1983 and was the only original league member to win a crown in the 1980’s.
The early Waukegan teams featured several players who went on to play professionally, including Brian Traxler who won the 1984 Player-of-the-Week award three separate times and later had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers and a long career in the minor leagues and Japan.
Expansion to the northwest suburbs occurred in the mid-1980’s and with it came a new dominant team, the Palatine Pioneers. The Pioneers ended the Waukegan dynasty in 1986, downing Waukegan 2-1 in an exciting championship game. Palatine won the title again the following year and made it three in a row in 1988 by beating a very talented Lake Forest team. During its three-year run, the Pioneers compiled a record of 38-9.
The balance of power shifted several times in the 1990’s. New Trier beat Prospect (celebrating its first year of league membership) 7-6 in the 1991 extra inning championship game and came back to down Barrington to win the 1993 title game. After Prospect grabbed the title in 1994, New Trier found itself back in the winner’s circle in 1995, beating the powerful Niles Braves 5-2.
The Niles Braves flexed their muscles from 1996 through 1998, winning three consecutive titles. The Braves edged New Trier in the 1997 and 1998 title games by identical 5-4 scores. In both games, Niles assumed an early lead and held off late inning rallies by New Trier.
The Kenosha Indians became the first Wisconsin entry to win a league title when they trounced New Trier 7-1 in 1999. The Indians repeated their feat in 2000, but utilized an eighteen hit attack in downing New Trier in a wild 14-10 championship contest. Kenosha sent fourteen men to the plate in a nine run fifth inning that clinched their victory.
Niles returned to the winners’ circle in 2001, bringing a glossy 16-2 record into the playoffs. The Braves eliminated Crystal Lake and then downed perennial runner-up New Trier by identical 6-3 scores to capture the title. The Braves repeated in 2002 but haven’t returned to the winner’s circle since despite fielding some strong teams.
New Trier won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 and was on track to win the 2007 title until being bumped by eventual champion Highland Park in the semi-finals. Crystal Lake captured the 2008 championship in unusual fashion. With weather disrupting the playoff schedule, Crystal Lake had to win three games in two different locations on the same day. After multiple second place finishes, Lake Forest finally won a championship in 2009. Their title win over Zion-Benton featured one of the most dramatic moments in North Suburban Colt League history, a game-winning pinch-hit grand slam by Brandon Mocchia
Highland Park won its second title in 2010 behind manager Chris Toy who once played for the Niles Braves.
Lake County teams dominated play during the early years, propelled by a particularly strong Waukegan program that, prior to the merger, had made three consecutive appearances in the Colt World Series. Northbrook won the league title in 1983 and was the only original league member to win a crown in the 1980’s.
The early Waukegan teams featured several players who went on to play professionally, including Brian Traxler who won the 1984 Player-of-the-Week award three separate times and later had a brief stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers and a long career in the minor leagues and Japan.
Expansion to the northwest suburbs occurred in the mid-1980’s and with it came a new dominant team, the Palatine Pioneers. The Pioneers ended the Waukegan dynasty in 1986, downing Waukegan 2-1 in an exciting championship game. Palatine won the title again the following year and made it three in a row in 1988 by beating a very talented Lake Forest team. During its three-year run, the Pioneers compiled a record of 38-9.
The balance of power shifted several times in the 1990’s. New Trier beat Prospect (celebrating its first year of league membership) 7-6 in the 1991 extra inning championship game and came back to down Barrington to win the 1993 title game. After Prospect grabbed the title in 1994, New Trier found itself back in the winner’s circle in 1995, beating the powerful Niles Braves 5-2.
The Niles Braves flexed their muscles from 1996 through 1998, winning three consecutive titles. The Braves edged New Trier in the 1997 and 1998 title games by identical 5-4 scores. In both games, Niles assumed an early lead and held off late inning rallies by New Trier.
The Kenosha Indians became the first Wisconsin entry to win a league title when they trounced New Trier 7-1 in 1999. The Indians repeated their feat in 2000, but utilized an eighteen hit attack in downing New Trier in a wild 14-10 championship contest. Kenosha sent fourteen men to the plate in a nine run fifth inning that clinched their victory.
Niles returned to the winners’ circle in 2001, bringing a glossy 16-2 record into the playoffs. The Braves eliminated Crystal Lake and then downed perennial runner-up New Trier by identical 6-3 scores to capture the title. The Braves repeated in 2002 but haven’t returned to the winner’s circle since despite fielding some strong teams.
New Trier won back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006 and was on track to win the 2007 title until being bumped by eventual champion Highland Park in the semi-finals. Crystal Lake captured the 2008 championship in unusual fashion. With weather disrupting the playoff schedule, Crystal Lake had to win three games in two different locations on the same day. After multiple second place finishes, Lake Forest finally won a championship in 2009. Their title win over Zion-Benton featured one of the most dramatic moments in North Suburban Colt League history, a game-winning pinch-hit grand slam by Brandon Mocchia
Highland Park won its second title in 2010 behind manager Chris Toy who once played for the Niles Braves.