The Victoria Generals released its 2012 Texas Collegiate League schedule on Tuesday. The 2012 season will mark the Generals fourth season in the TCL. The Generals also announced that they will be the host for the 2012 TCL All-Star Game which will be played on Monday, July 9 at Riverside Stadium.
The TCL has announced the addition of an expansion franchise for the sixth consecutive season with the addition of a new team in The Woodlands, Texas which will go by the team name Woodlands Strykers. With the addition of the Strykers, the TCL now has seven teams in the league for the 2012 season. Each team in the TCL will play a 60 game schedule this summer.
After taking a one-year hiatus, the McKinney Marshals are back in the TCL with a new ownership group. The Marshals were TCL champions in 2006 and 2008. The Coppell Copperheads, the defending TCL champions, have gone dormant for the 2012 season, but hope to relocate in 2013 and rejoin the TCL.
The Generals will host a total of 30 regular-season home games during the summer against the other TCL members. The Acadiana Cane Cutters, Alexandria Aces, Brazos Valley Bombers, East Texas Pump Jacks, McKinney Marshals, and Woodlands Strykers will all make trips to Victoria to take on the Generals this summer.
The Generals open the season on the road in the Woodlands on Friday, June 1 at 7:05pm. It will be the first home game in franchise history for the Strykers.
On Sunday, June 3, the Generals will have their home opener at Riverside Stadium against Acadiana.
The TCL will use the same split-season format as it did last year to determine playoff matchups. The first 30 games of the season will represent the first-half, and the final 30 games will represent the second-half. The Generals failed to qualify for the postseason last year for the first time in franchise history.
The Generals wrap up the first-half on Wednesday, July 4 at home in an Independence Day game against Alexandria.
Just as it was last season in the TCL, the first-place and second-place teams of the first-half will clinch playoff berths and receive the #1 and #2 seeds, respectively, in the TCL postseason.
The first-place and second-place teams in the second-half will receive the other two playoff spots in the four-team postseason. If there is a repeat winner, or second place finisher, in the first- and second-half, the team with the next best overall season record will receive the postseason bid.
The TCL All-Star Game will be held in Victoria on Monday, July 9 as the Generals host the event at Riverside Stadium. The Generals also hosted the exhibition game back in 2010.
The date of the All-Star Game was chosen after consulting with several Major League Baseball scouts. With the last day to sign drafted players now a month earlier than in years past, scouts want to get a look at the TCL’s top talent before the signing deadline.
The TCL regular-season concludes on Saturday, August 11 as the Generals finish at home against the Woodlands. The 2012 TCL Postseason is scheduled for August 12-15.
The postseason will again feature two rounds, but this year the divisional round will be a one-game, winner-take-all matchup. Winners of the divisional round will meet in the three-game TCL Championship Series. The Victoria Generals won the TCL Championship back in 2010.
The Generals will play all 30 of their regular-season home games at 7:05pm at historic Riverside Stadium in Victoria. The full schedule can be viewed by clicking on the schedule tab at the top of the page.
Season tickets for the Victoria Generals 2012 season are on sale now. Fans can buy tickets and merchandise at the team store located at 3708 N. Navarro Suite A, online by clicking on the tabs at the top of the page, or by calling 361-485-9522.
**The TCL began play in 2004 and quickly became one of the top summer collegiate leagues in the nation. In 2011, two TCL franchises were ranked by Perfect Game in the top-25 out of more than 250 summer collegiate teams across the country. More than 300 TCL players have been drafted by major league teams and no fewer than a dozen have played in the big leagues. Notable league alumni include Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Hunter Pence and Boston Red Sox pitcher Clay Buchholz.
