SHEPHERDSTOWN — A dozen teams began the 2023 Valley Baseball League of Virginia season on June 1 and will stage another 42-game summer season this summer.

Commonly known as “The Valley League,” the college-age players scatter amongst the 12 teams and are housed by “host families” for the two-month regular season that plays through July. A quickly executed round of playoffs in early August ultimately determines the league champion.

Charlottesville has been the league champion the most times in recent years. The Tom Sox again have the most players from NCAA Division I schools and should be among the contending teams in the South Division.

A team was added in Culpeper this summer, giving the longtime amateur league its dozen teams.

The North Division has Front Royal, New Market, Winchester, Strasburg, Woodstock and Purcellville. The South Division has Charlottesville, Culpeper, Covington, Waynesboro, Harrisonburg and Staunton.

Each team’s home stadium or ball park has lights, so games often begin at 7 p.m.

Rosters for teams can fluctuate, especially early in the schedule when some players are still with college teams that are currently involved in the postseason, playing in the NCAA Division I playoffs or Division II or Division III postseason.

The league has a variety of ball parks, ranging from Bing Crosby Stadium in Front Royal to old-line baseball facilities at Firemen’s Field in Purcellville and venerable fields in New Market, Staunton and Waynesboro. The ever-changing league began its first season of play long ago in 1923.

Woodstock plays at Central High School, Winchester at Bridgeforth Field, Strasburg at Strasburg High School and Charlottesville at Charlottesville High School.

The league stages an all-star game in mid-July and then completes its playoffs in early August, so players can easily return to their colleges in time for the fall term.

All players have remaining college baseball eligibility.

In the first week of play here in 2023, Will Ricketts (Jefferson High School and Frostburg State University), Trevor Sharp (Shepherd University) and Cullen Horowicz (former Jefferson High School player) have appeared in games. Wyatt Miles (Shepherd University) and Sam Daggers (Shepherd University) are on a team’s current roster, but did not play in any early games.

The league is one of 13 leagues established nationwide for college players with remaining eligibility. The most prestigious such league is the Cape Cod (Massachusetts) circuit, which features nearly all NCAA Division I players.