The Lafayette Aviators are a Prospect League summer college baseball team based in Lafayette, Indiana. The team consists of college players looking to improve their skills for further college play or potentially professional baseball. The current ownership group purchased the team in 2018 and is profitable. Lafayette is also home to Purdue University, so it is a college town that loves sports. The Aviators’ season corresponds to the summer break for Purdue, giving a window of leverage for the entertainment dollar.

The Prospect League is the only league of its caliber in the footprint bound by the Mississippi River to the west and Johnstown, PA to the east. Four expansion teams joined the Prospect League in the 2021 season – a 25% growth of league membership since the last season of play in 2019. The Prospect League features a number of excellent facilities, many of which were home to former professional teams.

The Lafayette Aviators recently completed their first season in the new state of the art $20 million Loeb Stadium compiling a league-best 41-18 record and finishing the season as the 2021 Eastern Conference Champion. The Aviators averaged 1,400+ fans per game in 35 home games (30 regular season, 5 playoff games) drawing more than 40,000 patrons to Loeb Stadium.

Since the team was founded in 2016, 19 former Aviators have signed contracts to play professional baseball, including SS Trey Sweeney, the #1 pick of the New York Yankees in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft.