HORSEHEADS, N.Y. (WETM) – Local summer college league baseball is coming to Horseheads this year.

Tuesday, the Mansfield Destroyers were officially introduced and rebranded as the Horseheads Hitmen franchise. The team will compete in the New York Collegiate Baseball League (NYCBL) starting this summer after being in Mansfield since the club’s inception in 2019.

Team owner Larry Gill and members of the team staff made the formal introduction at the Horseheads Moose Lodge Tuesday afternoon. Games for the Hitmen will be played at the classic Horseheads Babe Ruth Field located on East Mill Street. The field also has something that the Destroyers did not posses in stadium lights.

Already, the Hitmen announced that several local players will be playing for the squad. Names will be released in the coming months leading up to the start of the season on June 5th. The NYCBL, which also includes the Hornell Steamers, conducts play from early June through the end of July each summer.

Gill also announced that several venue upgrades will be made before the start of the season which includes bullpen upgrades, seating advancements, and more. Admission for each home game will be just $5 dollar per vehicle.

Founded in 1978, the NYCBL is a league dedicated to providing college level players a summer spot to play the game. Several players and NYCBL alums have gone on to play Major League Baseball (MLB) over the years. That list includes current major leaguer Tim Locastro, an Ithaca College graduate who recently was a member of the New York Yankees. Plus, Horseheads’ own Kirt Manwaring, who earned a National League Gold Glove with the San Francisco Giants in 1993.