Your right MAM there are more local type wood bat collegiate leagues than ever. We have three I am aware of in Ohio.
https://www.leaguelineup.com/welcome.asp?url=tscl
https://sites.google.com/site/...ey-collegiate-league
https://www.facebook.com/sovcl/
From my experience many of these leagues take rising freshmen.
Are they the great lakes league, valley, cape, or others, no. But the teams are usually have Local D1,D2,D3, Naia, and juco players. These leagues may have a host family or two but most of them are designed for local talent home for the summer.