Want to get in the know about independent baseball this summer but don’t know where to start?

FloBaseball has got you covered, broadcasting some of the best indy ball leagues in North America all season long.

Some especially unique ballclubs around the indy ball scene need their own introductions, however. That’s where FloBaseball’s team profile series comes into play to help explain and break down some of the quirks and features that make a certain club tick. 

In this edition, here’s a breakdown of the New York Boulders of the Frontier League:

What year were the New York Boulders founded?

The New York Boulders were founded in 2011 and have been based in Pomona, New York, for all of their existence. They have played in the Frontier League since 2020, with the team’s addition to the league occurring when the Can-Am League, where the Boulders played from their founding until 2019, saw five of its six teams absorbed by the Frontier when the Can-Am ceased operations following that season. They currently play in the East Division of the league. 

Who owns the New York Boulders?

The team is owned by NYB, LLC, listed on its website as a “sports and entertainment company” and has had a largely stable front office since first arriving in independent baseball. A Boulders founding member from their beginnings in 2011, Shawn Reilly, is the team’s president and has additionally been its only-ever general manager, helping start the ballclub located in his home state after being the executive vice president of a Florida-based developer of master-planned communities. 

What is the history of the New York Boulders team name and mascot?

Originally known as the Rockland Boulders, the “Rockland” part stood for Rockland County — located in the New York City metropolitan area and on the west side of the Hudson River — and the “Boulders” nickname is in reference to the number of literal rock boulders in and around the area. Following the team’s move from the Can-Am to the Frontier after the 2019 season, Rockland gave way to the more general “New York” name, with the team noting in its announcement news release that the location change reflects its fan base across the NYC metro market and gives Frontier League cities a better sense of where it’s located.

Have the New York Boulders ever won a Frontier League championship?

The Boulders’ lone league title in their history came as a member of the Can-Am in 2014, when Jamie Keefe — now in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball with the High Point Rockers — managed the team to a championship win against another future Frontier squad, the New Jersey Jackals. New York qualified for the Frontier playoffs for the first time this past season, losing to the Ottawa Titans in the East Division Wild Card Game, and is currently third place in the East and holding a 23-17 record (as of this writing Friday afternoon) this season.

Where do the New York Boulders play?

Home for the Boulders is Clover Stadium in Pomona, which opened in 2011 along with the team’s inaugural season. With a capacity of 6,362, the ballpark is the fourth-largest in the Frontier and has the Ramapo Mountains visible from its seating. The stadium is also the home venue for multiple college baseball teams in the area (including NCAA Division I program Manhattan, which began playing all of its home games there this past season) and hosted the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Baseball Championship the past two years. The venue has also hosted college and high school ice hockey games on a converted rink in the offseason.

New York Boulders Notable Alumni

Fourteen former Boulders have been picked up by major-league organizations since the club’s founding, with right-handed pitcher Justin Topa finding the most success from indy-to-pro ball as the 2017-18 Boulder debuted with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2020 before being traded to the Seattle Mariners in early 2023, throwing 30⅔ innings in relief for Seattle this season as of this writing. On the flip side, numerous former pro players have eventually found their way to the Boulders, too; the team’s best home-run hitter this year, Pat Kivlehan, played for four different MLB teams from 2016-21, while multi-time All-Star Howard Johnson had a brief pro comeback with the Boulders, playing with his son for two games in 2011 at age 50.

New York Boulders Schedule

Check out the New York Boulders schedule here.

How To Watch The New York Boulders

Atlantic, Frontier, Pioneer, and the Coastal Summer Plain League, as well as the Florida Collegiate Summer League, are all streaming on FloBaseball and the FloSports app. Replays, highlights, and more news can be found on the site.