Founded in 1992, the Pacific International League (PIL) is one of North America’s premier summer collegiate baseball leagues. PIL players are mostly current players from D1, D2, D3 and junior college teams around the country, although some PIL teams also allow former professionals and college graduates to participate.
The PIL was originally formed by a group of baseball franchises from the previous Northwest Amateur Western International League. Organized as a nonprofit corporation, the PIL has taken great pains over the years to ensure that a community orientated philosophy is the guiding objective. Alongside the goal of establishing one of the best amateur leagues in North America, an equal effort is placed on returning to our communities, and their youth, some of the support that we have received over the years. Teams place a strong emphasis on the amateur athletes helping young players develop and in the process, realize their individual goals.
Each team plays 24 league games in addition to an extensive non-league schedule including regional tournaments and games against the Alaska Baseball League, California Collegiate Coast League and West Coast League.
The PIL is affiliated with and functions under the auspices of the National Baseball Congress (NBC). The NBC provides the framework within which the amateur leagues function across the country. A national tournament is held yearly in August to determine a nation NBC champion.
More about the NBC
The National Baseball Congress World Series is held annually at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita, KS. It was first held in 1935 with Satchel Paige’s Bismarck Churchills becoming the first champions. Originally intended as a tournament for semi-professional clubs or town teams sponsored by local businesses the typical makeup of a team changed in the 1970s as most semi-professional teams folded. The teams were replaced with mainly amateur college players looking to impress Major League scouts.
The tournament currently features 42 teams in a double-elimination bracket, resulting in 83 games over 16 days. There are 21 leagues and 17 tournaments that are affiliated with the NBC and whose champion receives a berth in the World Series. A tradition at the tournament is “Baseball Around-The-Clock” where 17 games are played over a span of just over two days, from Friday Evening to Sunday evening.