The Independent School League (ISL) season has reached its midway point, with many teams set to conclude league play in the next three weeks. The major change to the 2024 season is the addition of the postseason ISL Tournament, which will include a championship tournament for the top eight teams. The lower eight teams will be seeded in a consolation bracket.
The shortened league schedule (11 games vs. 15) means that each ISL team no longer faces all 15 league opponents during the regular season. The consensus among ISL coaches is that this is still an improvement from years past when the league often had co- or tri-champions at the end of the regular season -- and no postseason tournament to determine the last team standing.
Several ISL coaches noted the continued parity in the league, with the eighth seed currently coming in at 3-3 and six other teams within a game of that mark. Coaches noted that the new format helps to keep all ISL teams engaged for the entire season as they vie for playoff position. In previous seasons, many teams were eliminated from the ISL championship picture after as few as two league losses. For example, Belmont Hill went 14-1 in the league on its way to a championship last season.
We will provide midseason reports for all New England prep programs. In our ISL Midseason Report, we take a look at the standings, teams on the rise, teams that need big second-halves, a pro prospect watch, projected playoff aces, impressive ISL representation at the Power Five level of college baseball, and predictions for the second half.
