A summer collegiate baseball team keeps a decades-old tradition alive in Boulder

For many Americans, summer and baseball go hand in hand.

It’s also the season when college players join summer collegiate leagues to improve their game, and maybe get noticed by a professional scout.

Tony Rouco is the team’s manager, executive director, and coach. The rosters are made out of college kids, college players, or in-going college players that recently graduated from high school.

The team’s history goes back further than most people realize. “Collegiates have played here since 1964,” Rouco says. “Since that time, there’s over 100 players that played for the Collegiates that have reached the major leagues, including one Hall of Famer in Tony Gwynn.”

Rouco spends a lot of time fundraising, as well as recruiting and training. To keep costs down, the team relies on families in the community to host players. The majority of the roster this year is local Colorado kids, which helps because host families are always difficult to find.

 The Boulder Collegians got to the nationals in 2024 and 2021.

Rouco says they could have gone other years, but couldn’t, not due to a lack of talent. “We’re a nonprofit, so we, um, we basically barely get by during the summers. Rouco is a one-man show: coach, manager, and fundraiser. For him, it’s a labor of love. “Baseball’s treated me good. I got an education because of baseball, so it’s good to give back.”

This story aired on the Morning Magazine, KGNU’s weekday morning show featuring in-depth discussions on local news issues. Click here to listen to other episodes of the Morning Magazine.