Firebirds History

The Orleans Firebirds are a collegiate summer baseball team based in Orleans, Mass. The Firebirds are one of 10 members of the Cape Cod Baseball League, the nation's top college summer league.

Formerly known as the Sparklers and Cardinals, the Firebirds are 11-time CCBL champions. The Birds most recently captured the league title in 2005, when they defeated the Bourne Braves in two games.

Baseball has been played at Eldredge Park since 1913, and Orleans officially entered the CCBL in 1928. The team captured its first titles following World War II, when it won seven championships from 1947 to 1957.

The CCBL became a NCAA-recognized league in 1963, bringing collegiate athletes from across the country to each team. Orleans adopted the Cardinal as its new mascot and reached the league championship series four times in the next decade.

Orleans won its first modern-era championship in 1986, led by manager John Castleberry. The Birds captured their next two titles in 1993 with Rolando Casanova at the helm, and in 2003 under manager Carmen Carcone.

Current field manager Kelly Nicholson joined the team in 2005 and led the Birds to a championship in his first season en route to Manager of the Year honors.