For 42 years, the Jayhawk League has been one of the premier summer collegiate baseball leagues in the country but that is in jeopardy for 2019. The league announced Wednesday morning four teams have left to join the Sunflower League, which will be entering its third year.

Derby, Great Bend, Haysville and El Dorado will be departing, leaving only the Larks, Liberal, Dodge City and Oklahoma City.

A post on the Jayhawk League Facebook page cited an inability to raise the funds necessary to compete in the Jayhawk League as the reason for the departures.

“There was very little communication from these teams before this happened, and we wish we could have tried to work it out,” the post stated. “The remaining teams — Liberal, Hays, Dodge City and Oklahoma — are still committed to the Jayhawk League, and plans to keep the league viable began last week and are ongoing.”

The Larks wrapped up their 10th Jayhawk League title this summer and have finished in either first or second place in 11 of the last 13 seasons.