By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Six NCAA Division I players are among the 23 who have signed so far to play for the Burlington Bees in the Prospect League this season. The list includes seven players from the state of Iowa, and three players — outfielder Cedric Dunnwald and pitchers Preston Kaufman and Zach Leuschen — who played with the Bees last season. Prospect League teams can carry as many as 40 players on their roster for the 58-game season. The Bees open their season on May 28 at Clinton. Owen Oreskovich is back for his third season as the Bees’ manager.  A look at the Bees’ roster, including c ..read more

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP David Brauer looked at his first season as the Prospect League’s commissioner as “Year 0.” “Maybe it’s cliche,” Brauer said. “But your runway is short in the lead-up to the season. You’re trying to evaluate, trying to look at what you can implement quickly, and still have everything moving forward.” That’s why this year in the college summer league will be the first step in what Brauer plans to be the continued progression of the league. The league now has 18 teams in seven states with the addition of the Dubois County Bombers of Huntingburg, Ind., and the Full Count Rhythm ..read more

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP The Burlington Bees won’t have to travel too far in the first two weeks of the 2024 Prospect League season. Eight of the Bees’ first 13 games will be at Community Field, according to the schedule released by the league on Thursday. The Bees open the season on the road against the Clinton LumberKings on May 28, then open the home portion of their schedule the following night with a 6:30 p.m. game against the Alton River Dragons. The Bees play a three-game series against the O’Fallon Hoots — at home on May 30 and then on the road May 31 and June 1 — then play five of their nex ..read more

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Tanner Holland, who played for the Burlington Bees last season, announced on social media on Thursday that he was committing to play baseball at Rice. Holland batted .255 with a .729 OPS in 38 games with the Bees. He had three home runs and 19 runs batted in, and had 11 stolen bases in 12 attempts. Rice is coached by Jose Cruz Jr., who played 12 seasons in Major League Baseball. Holland, who plays at Central Arizona College, joins Kooper Schulte and Caleb Wulf as NCAA Division I signees/commitments off last season’s team. Schulte and Wulf signed with Iowa during the fall sig ..read more

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Caleb Wulf built on a big season with Southeastern Community College’s baseball team with a strong summer with the Burlington Bees. Now the infielder has committed to one of the top NCAA Division I programs. Wulf announced on social media on Saturday that he had committed to Iowa beginning in the 2024-25 season. Wulf hit .367 with an .800 OPS for the Bees last summer and was named to the Western Conference all-star team. That followed his freshman season at SCC, when he hit .384 with a .964 OPS. Wulf is the second Bee to commit to Iowa, joining infielder Kooper Schulte. PROS ..read more

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Kooper Schulte, who played for the Burlington Bees this summer, announced on social media Sunday that he was committing to play baseball at Iowa. Schulte, a New London, Iowa native, will join the Hawkeyes for the 2024-25 academic year. He will be a sophomore this season at Central Arizona College. Schulte, an infielder, hit .242 in 33 games at Central Arizona last season. But he hit .373 with a .962 OPS this summer with the Bees in the Prospect League. Schulte played in 19 games, with eight doubles and 10 runs batted in. But his season ended on June 29 when he broke his hand ..read more

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP I had a college baseball coach tell me that he always recommended to his best players that they play a season in a summer league. The chance to play, he said, was invaluable, even in leagues where the competition wasn’t so good. More at-bats and more innings makes for a better player. But there was a bigger reason to play, he told me. It’s a chance to get a simulation of what it will be like if a player becomes a professional. It’s long bus rides, it’s building a bond in a clubhouse with a team of players you’ve never met before. It’s playing in quirky ballparks, being embra ..read more

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Keanu Spenser finished autographing a bat, one of his last acts in the Burlington Bees’ season. He smiled. “Amazing way to end the season,” Spenser said. “Couldn’t ask for a better one.” The Bees said goodbye to the Prospect League season with one of their better wins of the summer, a 10-4 win over the Quincy Gems on Saturday at Community Field. Spenser had three hits, including his first triple of the season, scored three times and drove in two runs. Cedric Dunnwald had four hits, including his first triple of the season, and drove in three runs. The Bees closed the season ..read more

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP The wish for the Burlington Bees, of course, would be playing in the Prospect League playoffs. That hope ended earlier this week. Friday’s 4-3 win over the Clinton LumberKings at Community Field, though, gives the Bees a chance to finish at .500 in the second half. “Obviously we would want to be above .500, be in the playoffs,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “That would be just good for the guys, good for us, good for the fans who come out to our home games. Hopefully we can get one more for them.” The Bees (24-32 overall, 14-15 second half), who snapped a five-game losi ..read more

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP Those who have stayed for the final three games of the season almost pulled off another big comeback for the Burlington Bees. Thursday’s 12-7 loss to the Clinton LumberKings in a Prospect League game at Community Field came with a lineup for the Bees that had some new names, and some old names in different positions. And down 10-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Bees rallied to have the potential go-ahead run at the plate in the eighth inning. That, Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said, says something about the character of the remaining roster. “I’m just proud of the ..read more