The Pittsfield American Defenders, whose name has a double meaning as defenders of America, and for a new glove made by Nokona, called the American Defender.In their inaugural season, The Defenders were led by former ABCA chairman and collegiate baseball legends Dr. Carroll Land and coach Bob Warn assisted by coach Ron Swen. Due to the timing of the new partnership and the desire to hold as many spots as possible for players from military schools and service academies the roster was extremely late in taking shape. The military academies had a hard time believing a premier New England Collegiate Baseball League team was interested in dedicating their efforts to provide an opportunity for their players. Add to that, a stadium under construction and at one point submerged under two feet of water, and Pittsfield was faced with many challenges.