The 1996 NECBL season was the third season of the New England Collegiate Baseball League

New England Collegiate Baseball League

The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a 12-team collegiate summer baseball league founded in 1993 and sanctioned by the NCAA and Major League Baseball. Each NECBL team plays an eight-week, 42-game schedule during June and July, with a playoff in early August...

. The league added a franchise in West Warwick, Rhode Island

West Warwick, Rhode Island

West Warwick is a town in Kent County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 29,191 at the 2010 census.West Warwick was incorporated in 1913, making it the youngest town in the state. Prior to 1913, the town, situated on the western bank of the Pawtuxet River, was the population and...

, the Rhode Island Reds

Riverpoint Royals

The Riverpoint Royals was a team in the New England Collegiate Baseball League from 1996 to 2004. The team was known as the Rhode Island Reds from 1996 to 1999 before going on hiatus for the 2000 season and returning the following year....

. The league's Bristol, Connecticut

Bristol, Connecticut

Bristol is a suburban city located in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States southwest of Hartford. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 61,353. Bristol is primarily known as the home of ESPN, whose central studios are in the city. Bristol is also home to...

 franchise, the Bristol Nighthawks, dropped out of the league after two seasons.

In the semifinal playoff rounds, Danbury defeated Rhode Island 2-0 and Central Mass defeated Middletown 2-1. In the championship round, Central Mass defeated Danbury 2-1 to win their second consecutive NECBL championship.

Regular season standings

Team	Wins	Losses	Win Pct.	GB
Central Mass Collegians Central Mass Collegians The Central Mass Collegians were a summer collegiate baseball team located in Leominster, Massachusetts playing in the New England Collegiate Baseball League, a wood bat collegiate summer baseball league operating in the northeastern United States region of New England...	27	13	.675	0
Danbury Westerners Danbury Westerners The Danbury Westerners are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Danbury, Connecticut. The team, a member of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, plays their home games at Rogers Park. The team played its inaugural season in 1995....	25	13	.658	1
Rhode Island Reds Riverpoint Royals The Riverpoint Royals was a team in the New England Collegiate Baseball League from 1996 to 2004. The team was known as the Rhode Island Reds from 1996 to 1999 before going on hiatus for the 2000 season and returning the following year....	21	17	.553	5
Middletown Giants	21	18	.538	5.5
Eastern Tides	13	26	.333	13.5
Waterbury Barons	10	30	.250	17

League Awards

Award	Player	NECBL team	Collegiate team
Most Valuable Player	Dana Forsberg	Central Mass	University of Vermont University of Vermont The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
Batting Champion	Jason Crepeau	Danbury	University of Southern Maine University of Southern Maine The University of Southern Maine is a multi-campus public urban comprehensive university and part of the University of Maine System. USM's three primary campuses are located in Portland, Gorham, and Lewiston...
Outstanding Pro Prospect-Player	Bill Rich	Middletown	UConn
Outstanding Pro Prospect-Pitcher	Jason Jenson	Central Mass	University of Southern Maine University of Southern Maine The University of Southern Maine is a multi-campus public urban comprehensive university and part of the University of Maine System. USM's three primary campuses are located in Portland, Gorham, and Lewiston...
Outstanding Pitcher	Jason Jenson	Central Mass	University of Southern Maine University of Southern Maine The University of Southern Maine is a multi-campus public urban comprehensive university and part of the University of Maine System. USM's three primary campuses are located in Portland, Gorham, and Lewiston...
Outstanding Relief Pitcher	Tom Malvest	Danbury	Stonehill College Stonehill College Stonehill College is a private Roman Catholic college located in Easton, Massachusetts, United States, founded in 1948. Situated in North Easton, Massachusetts, a suburban community of 23,329 people, Stonehill is located south of Boston on a campus, the original estate of Frederick Lothrop Ames...
10th Player Award	Brian Edge	Eastern	University of Hartford University of Hartford The University of Hartford is a private, independent, nonsectarian, coeducational university located in West Hartford, Connecticut. The degree programs at the University of Hartford hold the highest levels of accreditation available in the US, including the Engineering Accreditation Commission of...
Defensive Player of the Year	Steven Lewis	Danbury	St. John's University