OLD ORCHARD BEACH — This past summer, professional baseball returned to Old Orchard Beach for the first time since 1988. The OOB Surge debuted in early June as one of four members of the independent North Country Baseball League.

Unfortunately for fans of the Surge, as of right now, the team does not have a home as the NCBL was shut down by owner Bruce Zicari on Monday.

Blame for the league’s disbandment cannot be squarely placed on Zicari’s shoulders as the businessman was the only reason the four teams – the Surge, Watertown Bucks, Newburgh Newts and Road City Explorers – had a chance to play this past season.

The NCBL teams – along with two Canadian teams – were supposed to play in the East Coast Baseball League, but that league was shut down before an inning was played. Colin Cummins, the founder of the ECBL, had made promises that he could not live up to and it seemed like the Surge and the rest of the league was dead on arrival.

Zicari, who owns a successful restaurant chain, stepped up and funded the entire league for the 2015 season. According to WWNY-TV out of Watertown, New York, Zicari tried to find permanent homes for both Newburgh and Road City, but had no luck.

“I’ve spent the last three or four months actively trying to find homes for our two traveling teams, the Newburgh Newts and the Road City Explorers, and unfortunately, I have just not been able to find a home for either one of them. Trying to do the season like we did last year, with two traveling teams, is really financially impossible,” Zicari told WWNY-TV.

For three of the NCBL teams, Monday’s announcement meant the end of the road, but that isn’t the case for the Surge.

According to Surge General Manager Alex Markakis, a new ownership group has reached an agreement with Zicari and they are aggressively looking for a new league for the OOB team.

“They thought the Surge was the best product and opportunity out of the North Country Baseball League,” said Markakis.

Markakis believes the support of the town was key to this new ownership group investing in the Surge.

“The town has been very optimistic and, just like last year, when we were caught in the middle of everything with Colin Cummins, the town has been working with myself to make it possible for a team to be here,” said Markakis. “I appreciate that and I know the (new) owners appreciate that and are happy to work with a town that wants to have a team there.”

The new owners of the Surge are currently in talks with several independent baseball leagues to add the OOB team.

“It’s up in the air right now. There is a possibility of the Northern League and some other leagues as well,” said Markakis.

The Northern League was the first independent baseball league in America and has some rich history, including being where former Red Sox great Kevin Millar got his start.

“I’m doing my best to work with (the new owners) to place the Surge, which they now have the naming rights to, in another league and kind of go from there,” said Markakis.

Markakis, who played baseball at St. Joseph’s College in Standish, believes the Surge have a chance to be successful in Old Orchard Beach.

“We’ve already built a tremendous foundation with being the Surge, so now that there is a (strong) product here, it’s just a matter of keep growing the name itself,” said Markakis, who said the team can be successful no matter what league it goes to. “I really feel like to the fans and to the fan base, it doesn’t matter what league we are in – it just matters that there is professional baseball here.”

Markakis is focused on keeping professional baseball in OOB – and he is certainly looking at the glass half full.

“I think I owe it to the town and I owe it to myself, you can never be a pessimist in anything you are trying to accomplish. I have been optimistic since day one,” said Markakis. “I wouldn’t be doing right if I did that to the town and saw the more negative side of things seeing as I’m trying to lead this pack and trying to be successful … I think I owe it to myself and I owe it to the people that were involved as well.”

— Sports Editor Pat McDonald can be reached at [email protected] or at 282-1535 ext. 322. Follow the Journal Tribune Sports Department on Twitter @ JournalTsports.