[+ Download Printable Bracket // Updated August 4 // 10 p.m. ]
LINCOLN, CA – It was a wild, back-and-forth game between the Healdsburg Prune Packers and the San Luis Obispo Blues on Wednesday afternoon, that ultimately ended in favor of the fifth-seeded Blues. They smashed four homers en route to a 12-7 victory in their second game of the day.
Coming off of a 11-2 victory over the Conejo Oaks just hours before, the Blues bats picked up right where they left off. Catcher AJ Esperanza (Cuesta College) started the homer parade, launching a 3-1 pitch from Tyler Staisiowski (Santa Rosa Junior College) into the trees in right field to give the Blues the early 1-0 lead.
“It’s just about energy, and the guys you have in the dugout,” said designated hitter Vince Martinez (Stanford). “There wasn’t a single point in the game where we didn’t have energy, either our last game or this game. Just continue to want to compete. That was the theme of the day, everyone just kept saying ‘compete’ and that’s what we did.”
San Luis Obispo starter Evan Larson (Concordia University) cruised through the first two innings, working around two hits on 23 pitches. He was even more dominant in the third, striking out the first two batters and getting the third to ground out to first.
Carrying the momentum from Larson, the Blues got a rally going in the top of the fourth. With runners on first and second, Martinez lined a single into right-center field, scoring Mason Grotto (Fresno State) and moving Esperanza to third. With Thomas Trinca (George Mason) looking to break it open, Healdsburg’s Ryan Targac (Texas A&M) made a slick glove flip to second that Ian McMillian (Houston) fired to first for an inning ending double-play.
Defense led to offense for the Prune Packers, as they responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth. With runners on second and third, third baseman Braydon Runion (Texas Tech) grounded a base hit up the middle that scored both runners, tying this one up at two runs apiece.
The Prune Packers kept it going in the fifth, knocking out Larson and scoring three runs to take a 5-2 lead. Targac, Torin Montgomery (Missouri) and Runion all contributed RBI singles, but reliever Ryan Ward (UT San Antonio) struck out Jesse Lopez (Long Beach State) to end the threat.
Healdsburg’s Derek Bridges (Texas Tech) pitched well in relief of Stasiowski, working 1.2 innings, but walked two to start the sixth and was pulled for Finnegan Wall (UC Irvine). Martinez greeted him with a deep drive to right that bounced over the wall for an RBI double, and Trinca knocked in Esperanza with a grounder to shortstop, making it 5-4.
After Ward tossed a scoreless bottom of the sixth, the Blues offense got back to work. With the bases loaded and one out, TJ Clarkson hit a hard grounder to first that Montgomery bobbled, allowing Ryan Cermak (Illinois State) to tie the game at five.
Montgomery was able to get Clarkson at first, bringing up the red-hot Martinez with two on and two out. He jumped on a fastball and hit it over the fence in left field for a go-ahead, three-run homer, giving the Blues an 8-5 lead.
“I just tried to be on time to a heater,” Martinez said. “I got lucky, he threw it up into my wheelhouse and I caught it out in front.”
Ward continued to put up zeros, blanking the Prune Packers in the seventh and eighth innings. He finished 4.1 innings in relief, allowing three runs and striking out four to keep Healdsburg’s offense quiet.
The Blues added insurance late in the game. They got one run in the eighth on an RBI single by Clarkson, and three more in the ninth on a solo shot by Austin Kretzschmar (Stanford) and a two-run moonshot by Cermak, blowing this game open and making it 12-5 in favor of the Blues.
Healdsburg made it interesting in the ninth, scoring twice and threatening for more, but Zac McCleve (Utah) shut the door, getting Cole Elvis (Cal) to pop out to right field to end it.
With the win, San Luis Obispo will move on to the semifinals of the CCL State Championship, to be played tomorrow night at 7 pm PST. They will face the winner of tonight’s match-up between the second-seeded Arroyo Seco Saints and the third-seeded Lincoln Potters.
Player of the Game: Vince Martinez (SLO)
3-5, 2B, HR, 5 RBIs
Contributors:
LINCOLN, CA – Balls were flying in the opening game of the 2021 California Collegiate League (CCL) State Championship. With six home runs between both sides, it was slugfest between the No. 5 Conejo Oaks and No. 4 San Luis Obispo Blues. The Blues were ultimately victorious, 11-2.
SLO starter Matt Sox (Utah) pitched a complete game, striking out 11 and allowing just three hits and two walks in the win. Three players hit two home runs each; SLO’s center fielder Ryan Cermak (Illinois State) and first baseman TJ Clarkson (Utah), plus Conejo’s first baseman Brendan Bobo (Cal State Fullerton).
“Some people get big and want to hit home runs, and that can’t be your approach. You just have to work on getting on top of the ball and driving it hard,” Cermak said, who reached safely in all five plate appearances.
Sox was locked in immediately. He struck out the first two Conejo batters to open the game and retired the third for quick first inning of work.
In the bottom of the frame, Cermak led off with a single to center, but Conejo starter Cody Adcock (Mississippi) dialed in and picked up three outs in a row.
Sox kept dealing in the second inning; the righty retired all three batters. Sox’s first four strikeouts of the game were looking, displaying his excellent command of the strike zone.
“I was really good, and [Blues catcher Austin Schell] was working really hard for me,” Sox said about finding the strike zone. “It’s just about getting ahead and executing what he called.”
The Blues got on the board first, thanks to a solo home run by Clarkson to lead off the bottom frame. Despite walking the next batter, Adcock pitched his way out of more damage.
Blues left fielder Nick Costello made the first highlight defensive play of the championship slate in the top of the third, tracking a TJ Foreman (Austin Peay State) shot all the way to the wall and making a tough grab to prevent an extra base hit.
The Blues got another leadoff home run in the third, this time by Cermak for his second hit of the game. Shortstop Ruben Mercado (San Jose State) followed up with a triple to center field, and was brought home on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Mason Grotto (Fresno State) to make the score 3-0.
The Oaks responded in the top of the fourth, as Bobo sent a solo shot of his own to cut the deficit to two, but Cermak brought the lead back up in the fifth with his second home run of the day. Bobo saw Cermak raise and decided to call; he hit his second bomb of the day, making the score 4-2 in the top of the sixth.
SLO broke things open in the bottom half. Second baseman Austin Kretzschmar (Stanford) responded with an RBI single to score Clarkson and bring the lead back up to three. Cermak was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Mercado delivered with a single to left that scored two; a throwing error allowed Cermak to get home and make the lead 8-2.
To add insult to injury, Clarkson smacked his second home run in the bottom of the seventh, this time a two-run shot to get the Blues to double-digits.
A Grotto RBI single to left made it 11-2 in eighth, and Sox took care of business to secure his complete game win, ending the game with his 11th strikeout of the afternoon.
The Blues move on to face the No. 1 seed Healdsburg Prune Packers at 2:30 pm PST at McBean Stadium.
“We’re gonna go out, eat a little bit, maybe just chill in the bus and the AC, and recoup and just get after it,” Cermak said.
Players of the Game: SP Matt Sox (Utah) & CF Ryan Cermak (Illinois State)
Sox: W, 9.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 11 K
Cermak: 3-4, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 4 R, IBB
Contributors:
No matter which team comes away with the 2021 California Collegiate League (CCL) State Championship presented by Placer Valley Tourism, their path to the title will be unlike any the CCL has seen before. Literally.
With a postseason structure newly designed for the 2021 season, the CCL is aiming for an improved championship experience.
The new format departs from the previous best-of-three series in the North and three-team single elimination bracket in the South, now merging the two divisions into a unified five-team, double-elimination tournament to determine the California State Champion.
2021 CCL State Championship
Presented by Placer Valley Tourism
Wednesday, August 4, to Friday, August 6, 2021
McBean Stadium // 61 McBean Park Dr., Lincoln, CA 95648
[+ Download Printable Bracket // Updated August 4 // 10 p.m. ]
The team with the best overall record across both divisions will earn the top seed, while the next-best record in the opposite division will earn the two-seed. Three wild card teams with the best remaining records will fill up the rest of the playoff pool, and the entire tournament will take place from Aug. 4-6.
Orange County Riptide general manager Moe Geohagen designed the format, and the league planned to implement it in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the season. After tweaks to Geohagen’s initial proposal, the CCL is primed to debut the new championship.
“We want to culminate the end of the season with something that’s special for [the players],” CCL Executive Director Aaron Milam said. “We said, ‘let’s make something new, let’s make it here.’”
The location is new this year as well; the Lincoln Potters will host the championship at McBean Stadium northeast of San Francisco, bringing a major CCL event to the North for the first time.
How did Lincoln end up with the prestigious honor of hosting? According to Potters general manager Matt Lundgren, it was as simple as just being first to volunteer.
“One day, when the league brought the idea up, I just threw our name into the hat,” Lundgren said.
Of course, there was more to it than that. CCL Commissioner Rick Turner cites Lincoln as an organization dedicated to improving the product and brand of CCL baseball. Lundgren also believes the facilities and fan support in Lincoln will make for an ideal host.
With the 2021 CCL Showcase presented by ABDG already taking place at the MLB Academy in the South division, the championship committee felt it was important to get a major event at a North division host.
“It is paramount that the league starts to recognize the opportunity we have,” Turner said. “We’re really strong down South, but if there’s a growth opportunity, it would be up North.”
Both Turner and Lundgren will judge the success of the new format by the product on the field; they hope it will be a great experience for the players first and foremost. Everything else – facilities, fan support, revenue gain – will be taken into account as well, but Lundgren hopes this will become a staple of the league.
Another aspect in the works is the awards. As of now, Louisville Slugger items will be designed for the Most Valuable Player and Most Outstanding Pitcher, with possibilities for more as planning progresses.
Turner also said he’d like to eventually see the Showcase and Championship flip locations annually, moving the Showcase up North and bringing the Championship to the South every other year. He also said he is open to establishing more league-wide events in future seasons, but for now the CCL is strictly focusing on this year.
More than anything, Turner is excited for the final product, given all the effort put into it.
“They’re not just phoning it in, going through the motions because it doesn’t seem like it matters,” Turner said. “The competition is the biggest thing and the early indications are it’ll be a spirited season with a great culmination of the state playoffs.”
— Joe Pohoryles, CCL Reporter
View // Bally Sports Broadcast // Showcase Game Roster Announcement
COMPTON, CA — The middle of July is always an exciting time for the sport of baseball, with the MLB Draft and All-Star Game showcasing some of the best talent in the world. On Wednesday night, July 14, the California Collegiate League held its annual Showcase Game at the MLB Academy, and the players put on a show for an audience across the country on Bally Sports and in front of scouts and fans in Compton. The South Division ultimately came out on top with a 6-2 victory, overcoming a 2-0 deficit in the 3rd Inning.
Los Angeles Dodgers legend, longtime Los Angeles Angels manager, and skipper for Team USA, Mike Scioscia, was in attendance for the game. A co-founder of the CCL’s Conejo Oaks and the Amateur Baseball Development Group (ABDG), Scioscia expressed his excitement about how the showcase evidenced the league’s advancement.
“We’re getting more national recognition for the caliber of players that are playing in our league,” Scioscia said. “These are very highly skilled players.”
Catcher Riley Lamb (Solano Mudcats, USC) won Offensive MVP honors, going 3-4 with two doubles. Third baseman Drew Cowley (Arroyo Seco Saints, Cal Poly Pomona) won Defensive MVP, making a tough play in the fifth to save two runs. Pitcher Cody Adcock (Conejo Oaks, Ole Miss) rounded out the award winners earning Pitcher of the Game, striking out two of four batters in 1.0 innings pitched.
In typical Showcase Game fashion, pitching was on display early in this one. Both South pitcher Adcock and North right-hander Matt Sox (San Luis Obispo Blues, Utah) threw shutout innings, striking out four batters combined in a scoreless first.
“It was awesome,” Adcock said. “I just soaked it up, and I’m enjoying it. I’m trying to have a good time, and it was fun tonight.”
Third baseman Tate Samuelson (Blues, Cal Poly SLO) led off the 2nd Inning with a single to left, and second baseman Trevor Haskins (Lincoln Potters, Stanford) worked a walk to get two runners on. Despite the early pressure, South Division pitcher Andrew Pogue (Orange County Riptide, Illinois) settled in and retired the next three batters to get out of the jam.
Chase Chatman (MLB Academy Barons, Florida Gulf Coast) and Heston Tole (Blues, Arkansas) pitched shutout innings for their respective squads in the 3rd Inning, with each pitcher logging a strikeout and keeping the game at zeros.
The North Division would get on the board first in this one, putting up a two-spot on pitcher Tommy Steier (Saints, Creighton). After Samuelson reached on an error, Trevor Haskins (Potters, Stanford) lined a single to center. Samuelson raced to third, and was waved home after the ball was mishandled in center field. He would later score on an RBI grounder by Jason Brandow (Potters, Cal State Fullerton) to give the North a 2-0 lead.
The South responded immediately, as Saints catcher Peyton Lewis (Texas State) got on base off a catcher’s interference. His teammate, Cowley, broke up the combined no-hitter in the next at bat, driving Lewis home in the process to cut the lead in half.
The North threatened to extend their lead thanks to catcher Austin Schell (Blues, Cal State Fullerton) knocking a double and outfielder Mason Holt (Potters, Louisiana Monroe) getting a walk with one out, but South pitchers Tony Robie (Riptide, Texas State) and Clay Rickerman (Oaks, Cal Lutheran) tag-teamed to earn the last two outs.
Singles from the Darrien McDowell (Barons, Pensacola State College) and Josh Cowden (Saints, Brigham Young), and a walk from Davis Diaz (Riptide, Vanderbilt). loaded the bases for the South. Jordan Williams (Barons, San Jacinto CC) reached on a fielder’s choice to tie the game entering the sixth.
Tied at two in the 6th Inning, Tristan Garnett (Saints, Cal State Dominguez Hills) entered to try and hold the lead, and did just that. Garnett struck out the first two batters he faced, and got an easy grounder to first base to end the inning.
The floodgates opened for the South at the bottom of the frame. Lewis got on base again via a walk, and he got around to third off a Grant Smith (Oaks, Incarnate Word) single.
The Saints catcher scored his second run of the day on a wild pitch to give the South their first lead of the night.
Tanner O’Tremba (Foresters, Arizona) and Kyle Booker (Riptide, Tennessee) combined to drive in three more runs in the following at-bats to give the South a 6-2 lead.
Looking for a shutdown inning, the South turned to pitcher Cole Reeves (Foresters, Dallas Baptist). He quickly retired the first two batters, but gave up a double to Riley Lamb his third hit of the game. That was all the North would get, as Reeves struck out his final batter to end the threat.
“I kind of just try not to think too much up there,” Lamb said. “Doesn’t matter really what pitcher’s up there for me. I just want to play my game.”
Miller Pleimann (Blues, Arkansas) came in for the North and tossed a one-two-three inning to end the 7th. Both teams would go down quietly in the eighth.
Gabriel Starks (Foresters, Arkansas) came in for the ninth inning and slammed the door on the North Division, striking out two and giving the South the 6-2 victory.
The second half of the summer season is now underway, with the 2021 CCL State Championship presented by Placer Valley Tourism slated for August 4-6 in Lincoln, Calif.
Contributors
– CCL Reporters Joe Pohoryles and Lucas Banks
– CCL Photographers Angie Martinez, Emily Sullivan, and Alina Nelson
– CCL Videographers Brandon Lin and Rhett Spenrath
COMPTON, CA – The California Collegiate League will host the 2021 CCL Showcase Game presented by ABDG on Wednesday, July 14 at 7 pm at the MLB Academy in Compton, Calif. The annual event is a celebration of the collegiate summer league’s most outstanding players. Sixty of the CCL’s top players—30 from the North Division and 30 from the South Division—will showcase their talents to a national audience on Bally Sports TV (formerly Fox Sports).
California Collegiate League Executive Director, Aaron Milam, is looking forward to the mid-summer event.
“I applaud our Board of Directors, general managers, coaches, and staff for making the CCL such a player-centric league,” said Milam. “The CCL Showcase Game is a great example of this, and everything we do both in and out of season is about putting our players in the best positions for success.”
New CCL commissioner and former MLB coach and front office executive for the Angels, Rick Turner, has first-hand experience working with MLB All-Star games and is excited to feature the league’s best. Turner said the league’s first priority is focusing on the competition on the field.
“Our CCL rosters are filled with players from the most competitive college conferences in the country,” said Turner. “We can’t wait for July 14—it’s going to be a fun night for everyone involved.”
2021 CCL Showcase Game
Presented by ABDG
Wednesday, July 14 // 7 pm PST
Watch on Bally Sports TV // Tickets may be purchased at the gate
MLB Academy Stadium // 901 E. Artesia Blvd, Compton, CA 90221
Player Combine // MLB Scouts & College Coaches // 4 pm PST
Players are nominated by team managers and selected by the CCL Showcase Selection Committee. Managers are chosen by compiling the two best winning percentages in league play as of July 9.
Angels radio broadcaster, Trent Rush, veteran baseball announcer, Wes Clements, and reporter Anna Connelly, will bring you all of the coverage live on Bally Sports. The replay of the game will be broadcast regionally in July and August. Check local listings for viewing instructions.
Showcase Game position players will begin the day at 4 pm PST by participating in a pre-game workout for MLB scouts and college coaches.
Tickets for the 2021 CCL Showcase Game may be purchased at the front gate.
Follow the action on social media using the hashtag #CCLBaseball.
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Contributor // Emily Morton, CCL Reporter
LOS ANGELES, CA – The California Collegiate League (CCL) announced the 2021 league schedule today. After suspending the 2020 season in response to the global pandemic, the CCL makes a much-anticipated return to league competition in 2021 beginning in the Northern Division on Tuesday, June 8. The Walnut Creek Crawdads host the Lincoln Potters at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, Calif. The Southern Division squares-off on Thursday, June 17. The San Luis Obispo Blues visit the MLB Academy Barons at Major League’s Baseball Youth Academy in Compton, Calif.
[ + View the 2021 CCL Master Schedule ]
Executive Director Aaron Milam is excited for the league’s teams to return to the field. “Last year was unprecedented and I am proud of how our clubs responded to the challenges presented by the pandemic. We did everything in our power as a league to carry out our season. The health and safety of our players, coaches, staff, and volunteers is our first priority and collectively we made the only decision possible, which was to suspend the 2020 league season. I’m looking forward to seeing both familiar and new faces out on the fields this summer and am excited to see the high level of CCL baseball played again in 2021.”
Moving forward, new CCL Commissioner and former MLB executive with the Angels, Rick Turner, is looking forward to the upcoming summer campaign. “We cannot wait to host top college players from around the country,” said Turner. “Since last August our clubs have been diligently preparing to return to the field. The 2021 season is poised to the be the league’s best.”
The CCL features 10 organizations from Orange County to Napa Valley including the Santa Barbara Foresters and Healdsburg Prune Packers, two nationally-ranked programs.
CCL Northern Division: Healdsburg Prune Packers, Lincoln Potters, Solano Mudcats, Walnut Creek Crawdads
CCL Southern Division: MLB Academy Barons, Arroyo Seco Saints, Conejo Oaks, Orange County Riptide, San Luis Obispo Blues, Santa Barbara Foresters
For first time in years, all 10 clubs from both divisions will play a uniform amount of league games (30). Most teams will play 40-50 games overall; teams’ non-league schedules will be released at a later date.
Bally Sports will televise the mid-season 2021 CCL Showcase Game on Wednesday July 14, and end-of-the-year finale, the 2021 CCL State Championship Tournament, is slated for August 4-6.
The CCL welcomes two new league members: the Lincoln Potters, based in Lincoln, Calif., and the Solano Mudcats, based in the city of Vacaville. The Walnut Creek Crawdads return to the CCL after last making an appearance in 2016.
About
Founded in 1993, the California Collegiate League is one of America’s premier college summer baseball destinations. Ten teams canvas the golden state of California. Each year, top college baseball players compete for the MLB Academy Barons, Arroyo Seco Saints, Conejo Oaks, Healdsburg Prune Packers, Lincoln Potters, Orange County Riptide, San Luis Obispo Blues, Santa Barbara Foresters, Solano Mudcats, and Walnut Creek Crawdads. Follow the CCL on Twitter.
Athletes who play for the Orange County Riptide must fulfill all the typical criteria expected of a college baseball player, ranging from throwing velocity to batting technique. But the Riptide also requires another characteristic of players — the desire to play at the professional level.
“Our big thing is we only recruit players that still have the dream,” said Moe Geoghegan, General Manager of the Riptide. “If a kid’s like, ‘I don’t really care about a future in baseball, I’m just playing through my college years,’ he’s probably not gonna fit in our organization.”
The Riptide’s desire for its players to aim higher speaks to the emphasis it puts not only on its winning record, but also on individual development and improvement for athletes’ future careers.
Promoting that mentality has led to success for the Riptide, allowing it to make waves in the CCL playoffs and compete with any summer baseball team on the West Coast. While most sports teams take years to build a winning culture and win a championship, and many never accomplish those feats at all, the CCL’s Orange County Riptide achieved both objectives in just three seasons.
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Geoghegan’s coaching career got off to an atypical start when he was a baseball player at Glendale Community College. Following their first season of college ball in 1996, Geoghegan and his teammates decided to put together a roster of GCC athletes and players they knew from high school. They titled themselves the Scorpions.
In 2000, Geoghegan moved the Scorpions to a new home in Orange County, after which they became an official member of the Western Baseball Association and won a league championship in their first season. The Scorpions flourished, besting some of best teams on the West Coast and winning the Western Regional Tournament in 2001.
After back to back NBC World Series trips and having 18 players who were drafted, five of whom made it to the major leagues, Geoghegan decided to step away from coaching and baseball to focus on personal life and priorities.
He considered bringing his former summer club back every few years during his extended hiatus away from the dugout, but was hesitant to pull the trigger.
In 2015, Geoghegan knew it was time to return to baseball. Though he had most recently served as a coach, he chose instead to become general manager of his new team, the Orange County Riptide.
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Geoghegan went into his first years as GM with a plan in place, but the Riptide’s first two seasons were as tenuous as the team’s namesake.
The franchise spent its inaugural season as a member of the Southern California Collegiate Baseball League, sporting a lineup of mainly Division II and NAIA players.
The Riptide went on a win streak as the summer progressed, which earned them a spot in the playoffs and later the Championship series. Despite their newly found success, the Riptide had a tough loss in three games to Palm Springs in the Championship.
“We had champagne on ice and everything and just couldn’t wrap it up,” Geoghegan said. “It was a great series, it was a tight series, it was a great experience.”
While the loss was difficult to accept, Geoghegan realized that he needed to move his team in a new direction and into another league. The Riptide made the jump to the CCL in 2016 with the vocal support of Foresters head coach Bill Pintard and former CCL Commissioner Pat Burns.
After making the switch, Geoghegan recruited several Division I players for his 2016 roster, but still found that the team did not progress as he had hoped after off-field issues bled into on-field performance.
“‘16 was a learning experience,” Geoghegan said. “We took our lumps.”
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After two up-and-down seasons in the books, Geoghegan decided it was time for a change within the Riptide organization following its 2016 campaign.
His first shake-up came in October when Tommy Bell, a player on the 2016 team, recommended Tyger Pederson as a candidate for the Riptide’s head coach opening.
Pederson, a former minor leaguer and University of the Pacific alum, immediately introduced a new coaching philosophy to the club and was chosen to lead the team. Geoghegan was initially unsure about the Riptide’s new way of doing things, but quickly realized what a difference it made in the club’s performance.
“Early on, I was skeptical about some of the way he was running the offense and stuff,” Geoghegan said, “but I was completely dead wrong.”
With a new head coach in place, Geoghegan set off to build his 2017 team. He took a more direct approach to recruiting than he had in previous seasons and began scouting early, building on his existing relationships with coaches at D1 Universities and other programs across the country.
One of Geoghegan’s first targets was the University of Arkansas. Although he initially targeted the Razorbacks’ starting shortstop, who signed but ended up missing the summer due to academics, Geoghegan also included Dominic Fletcher as part of the package. Fletcher was from Orange County and a was highly recruited Freshman Outfielder who later became the CCL’s 2017 Most Valuable Player and the 75th-overall draft selection of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Another key addition to the team was Delta Junior College freshman Beau Philip, who had the strong backing of Pederson. Phillips was later drafted in the second round by the Atlanta Braves in 2019.
The Riptide also had a strong rotation and bullpen.
With so much talent on one team, the Riptide practically found it harder to lose than to win.
“Some of the statistics were just crazy,” Geoghegan said. “We lost 11 games. We lost seven of those 11 losses by one run. We never lost the game by more than three runs all summer. I mean, we were in every single game, which is crazy.”
As the summer went on, the Riptide never lost momentum despite an accumulation of injuries and an opt-out from one of the team’s most important players. The team forged on with a “next guy up” mentality and a coach who “made every right move,” Geoghegan said.
The Riptide sailed into the playoffs with a 32-11 record, the best in the CCL South. The team went on to beat the Healdsburg Prune Packers in the Championship game to take home the 2017 Championship title.
Geoghegan was also awarded the CCL’s 2017 General Manager of the Year Award.
“2017 was the dream season,” Geoghegan said. “That’s your one team that comes along once in a lifetime.”
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After having a “perfect summer in 2017” and winning a championship so quickly, Geoghegan admits he had his doubts about the team’s mission going forward.
“And then 2018 rolls in, you know, and how do you duplicate it?” he reflected.
The Riptide got off to a slow start in 2018, but won its final two regular season games on walkoff home runs and earned a spot in the playoffs. The team even managed to find its way back to the 2018 CCL Championship after struggling to develop a consistent strategy and lineup all season, but lost 6-2 to the Conejo Oaks.
However, Geoghegan was satisfied with simply making a second consecutive Championship appearance and set his sights on new goals for the franchise. One of those objectives was finding a new field, and in 2019, the team found a new home base at the Great Park in Irvine.
“That’s, I think, going to be the move that changes our organization forever,” Geoghegan said. “It has just opened up so many opportunities.”
He hopes to take full advantage of the new space once pandemic restrictions are eased and teams can allow fans into their facilities again. While the 2020 season was canceled for health and safety reasons, Geoghegan considers it a “blessing in disguise” since the organization will now have time to fully prepare for what it wants to do at the Great Park.
Geoghegan also brought on Director of Baseball Operations Dave Lamm, Assistant General Manager Tim Brown and a full Executive Board to help grow the team and set the stage for future success. The Riptide’s internship program has expanded as well, helping with communications, operations and other parts of managing the club.
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Geoghegan is looking forward to getting Riptide players back on the field after a nearly two year-long hiatus from CCL competition in Southern California. Geoghegan is particularly excited about the roster he constructed for this season, including players from Georgia, Arkansas, Texas, Colorado, Alabama and Illinois — the highest number of out-of-state athletes he’s ever had.
“‘17 was a really good team, but this probably is the most exciting team,” Geoghegan said. “We’ll see what happens when they come together, but I’m pretty excited about the directions we’re going in.”
Regardless of how the pandemic and other factors impact baseball in 2021, Geoghegan hopes to continue working toward the Riptide’s three central goals.
“Number one, we want to develop our players on and off the field,” Geoghegan said. “Number two, we want to send them back healthy, safe, and hopefully better than they were when they came. And number three, we’d like to see them go on to play some sort of professional baseball.”
Geoghegan also wants the organization as a whole to continue improving, creating partnerships at universities around the country and making the Riptide a national name.
“I feel like people in this league know the Riptide are pretty good on the field, we’re just trying to equal that off the field with operations,” Geoghegan said. “We’re always trying to expand with schools to try to get more pipelines and stability. But we want to be one of the teams that carries the flag for the league.”
Over a year into his tenure as head coach of the Walnut Creek Crawdads, Brant Cummings awaits his first game in the dugout of the team’s home field at St. Mary’s College.
The wait for the Crawdads organization to return to play has been even longer — after not fielding a team in 2019 as part of a rebuild, college summer baseball has been missing from Walnut Creek for some time.
With nearly three years between seasons, Cummings and the Crawdads have had more than enough time to consider who they want their players to be not just on the field, but also as people. They plan to continue that focus as they head into their 2021 campaign, focusing on helping players become better people and preparing them for life after baseball.
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Cummings’ baseball journey began like many others, with a set of baseball cards gifted to him by his mother. Baseball cards turned into televised baseball games, which turned into professional ball games across the Bay Area.
Cummings tried his hand at playing baseball as well, taking part in the game at the youth league, high school and community college levels. At Albany High School, he played under the tutelage of John Delts, whom he credits with the development of his coaching philosophy when he moved from the diamond to the dugout.
His coaching career began not long after he decided to stop playing, and he landed his first gig coaching age 16-18 and 13-15 teams in North Oakland. Gaining that experience led to stints with Bishop O’Dowd High School, Laney College, Sierra College and Diablo Valley College.
Cummings describes his years as an assistant coach at Laney under head coach Rob Wilson as one of the best baseball experiences he’s had throughout his career.
“I learned a lot from that guy on how to organize your day, how to communicate with the kids,” Cummings said. “One of the things he focused heavily on was the lecture aspect of the teaching process, how to explain these guys, this is why we do it, this is how we do it.”
Cummings got his first taste of summer ball when Wilson tasked him with finding summer placements for players on the team. When he was unable to find spots for a number of athletes, Cummings formed his own summer team of Laney players and found games for them throughout the summer season.
Though the Laney team played only seven games during its first summer stint, Cummings gradually found more games for them to play every year — graduating to 22, 40 and as many as 50 games.
Cummings and the players jokingly called the practice “barnstorming the Bay Area” because they would play “anyone and everyone” willing to face them in Northern California.
“It was a real joy to coach those kids and go out and go places, especially when we had the opportunity to play in places where there were crowds, where most of our kids, they weren’t accustomed to that,” Cummings said.
After his years running summer ball at Laney, Cummings moved on to a new summer opportunity with the Folsom Pioneers. Cummings sought the advice of baseball minds around the Bay, including University of San Francisco assistant coach Troy Nakamura, to improve his summer recruiting skills. He was able to gradually shift his roster to include more Division I players, having as much as 75% of the roster from DI programs.
Cummings, who had more than made a name for himself in the San Francisco baseball community at that stage of his career, next took a position coaching the Neptune Beach Pearl. The Pearl’s rosters boasted future major league talent such as Kyle Barraclough and Ryan Cordell, both of whom he coached.
Just four seasons later, Cummings’ Pearl beat the Los Angeles Brewers to take home the 2015 CCL Championship.
“That weekend was some of the most unbelievable stuff, you couldn’t write this for a script,” Cummings said. “You could get Scorsese, you couldn’t get any of these wonderful writers to create some of the nonsense that occurred that weekend, that led to the championship, but that was a great experience, I think, for the kids, and they were able to dogpile it and regain and walk out of town with the trophy.”
After two more seasons, the Pearl chose to disband in 2017. Cummings subsequently took the 2018 season off and spent time away from the ballpark.
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Cummings got a chance to return to coaching in 2019 when the Crawdads organization approached him about its desire to field a team again the following year. Walnut Creek hoped Cummings would accept the team’s head coaching position, but still had details to hammer out before it could announce an official return.
The primary issue stalling the Crawdads’ homecoming was lack of available field space in the baseball-saturated Bay Area. However, the Crawdads got a stroke of luck when St. Mary’s College head coach Greg Moore approached Cummings about getting a college ball team into SMC’s field for the summer, later allowing the University and team to come to a mutually beneficial agreement.
As soon as the two came to a consensus in August 2019, Cummings got right to work assembling a 2020 roster.
Nevertheless, the team’s plans came to a screeching halt when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sports industry. Although the Crawdads’ 2021 season was canceled for health and safety purposes, Cummings was still glad to be back among baseball peers.
“Leading up to the pandemic and all of those things, I thought it went well, I was able to tap into some of my resources again and put together what I hoped would be a competitive roster,” Cummings said. “And unfortunately we weren’t able to play, but it felt good to be around the guys that I competed against on the field and worked with in the meetings and asked and so on, really enjoy the people that I haven’t had an opportunity to work with in this league.”
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Cummings’ patience and attitude toward the Crawdads’ unfortunate situation is just one example of the levelheadedness and dedication he’s developed a reputation for in the baseball industry.
“Some people refer to it as old school,” Cummings said. “I’m not quite necessarily sure what that means versus new school, but I set guidelines and I hold the kids accountable and I tell them as much as I can how much I care and love them, but also make sure that they stick to whatever the plans are for themselves and for the team, because they’re going to be faced with guidelines and accountability for the rest of their lives.”
As a team-oriented leader, Cummings ensures that players remain accountable not only to themselves and their own improvement goals, but also the plans and aims of the team — “We’ll make this useful for everyone, but let’s make sure we stick to our plan,” Cummings said.
Cummings has also become known among college coaches for his willingness to help accomplish the goals of each coach for their players.
“So, we’re here to facilitate whatever their needs, whether it’s learning a new pitch, learning a new position,” Cummings said. “Put in specific situations, we try to do that as best we can for the needs of the coaches.”
“And that creates trust, and that’s very, very important because at the end of the day, if they trust you, they’ll do business with you. If they don’t, they won’t.”
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Another quality Cummings and the entire Walnut Creek organization have made their name for is their commitment to the personal development of athletes away from the diamond.
One way the Crawdads have done so is to partner with More Than A Game, a nonprofit aimed at bringing baseball to communities across North and South America.
More Than A Game was created by Marshall Murray, one of the Crawdads’ founders, in 2010 after he spent years traveling to many different locations as part of Athletes in Action.
“They traveled to various locations around the world and were involved in communities in South America, and a couple other locations that he thought he would definitely like to create a team where they do something very similar, like go out, play baseball and do all those things to enhance their abilities as players, but along with that, the opportunity to see and visit other locations in the world, and to help people that are probably in a different situation than than they are,” Cummings said.
Sawyer Gieseke, a former Crawdads player, is one of many people involved with the nonprofit.
“What we do is we bring baseball to underprivileged communities all over the world, create scholarship opportunities for different countries that also provide more programs,” Gieseke said. “[Crawdads players] come out and they volunteer in the program.”
Players help lead clinics for young athletes looking to learn more about the sport, in addition to working on field construction projects and participating in other community events.
Athletes involved with the foundation value the opportunity to bring baseball to numerous people, spreading the joy of the game to those who have not previously had a chance to play the sport with adequate equipment, facilities and resources.
Whether through More Than A Game or the Crawdads team itself, Cummings hopes Crawdads athletes will take away more from their time in Walnut Creek than just new baseball skills.
“I love being on the field, and love helping young people become not just better players, but better human beings, and that’s one of the driving forces for me is to help in my small way, tomorrow’s leaders,” Cummings said. “These are tomorrow’s police officers, physicians, insurance, sales, fathers, uncles, they are the people we see in the community.”
“They learn valuable life lessons. That’s the number one for me, and if they get better as baseball players… that’s great, but I want them to be [as] terrific human beings as possible.”
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To learn more about More Than A Game and find out how you can contribute, please visit morethanagame.org
The Solano Mudcats are new to the California Collegiate League, but that has not stopped the organization from making an impact both on the diamond and in the community.
Located between San Francisco and Sacramento, Solano County is home to a bustling hotbed of baseball talent. The Mudcats are helping establish a rising trend in collegiate level play as well. Thanks to co-founder Shawn Scibek and president Ben Crombie, the Mudcats have found the perfect blend between player development and promoting the game to younger generations, all while encapsulating the “small-town” feel of Solano County.
“We bring high-quality summer baseball in a family friendly environment, and we pride ourselves in developing successful young men on and off the field of play,” Crombie said.
Since joining the CCL in 2019, the Mudcats have started to solidify their presence as a premier summer ball organization in Northern California, and according to Scibek and Crombie, the team is only getting started.
To really understand and appreciate the Mudcats, a dive into their storied history is a must. In 1990, Scibek, along with George Sebena, and Jed Czajkowski, launched the organization as a semi-professional wood-bat team. For 22 years, the Mudcats enjoyed plenty of success on the road throughout the West Coast, establishing themselves as one of the top semi-professional clubs in the state.
Fast forward to 2012, the Mudcats decided it was time for a change of scenery. They rebranded the club as a collegiate summer organization and began recruiting the best talent in the region. In these early years after the transition, the majority of the Mudcats’ roster consisted of players from Vacaville, Fairfield, Vallejo, Davis, Napa, and other communities surrounding Solano County. Most players were on college rosters at the time, but different than most teams on their schedule who recruited from a larger pool of players around the nation and more recognizable schools. Still, the Mudcats found success, with a record of 140-108 from 2013-2018.
The mid-2010s Mudcat teams seemed to benefit from a close-knit culture developed by Scibek, Crombie and the rest of the organization. With several established collegiate teams on their schedule, this culture helped spur confidence to go along with a chip on their shoulders. The Mudcats became known for their hard-nosed play on the field with a relaxed, with a fun-loving atmosphere off the field.
Solano spent two seasons in the Sacramento Rural League from 2013-2014 before electing to become an independent collegiate team. After three seasons as an independent organization, the Mudcats joined the Bay Area Collegiate League for the 2018 season. While their tenure in the BACL was short-lived, they were triumphant in their return to league play and took home the league championship that summer.
In 2019, the Mudcats joined an expansion of the CCL, and expanded recruiting to some of the top baseball programs in the state and around the country. Players have ranged from local NCAA Division I schools like Cal, U.C. Davis, Sacramento State and San Jose State, while out-of-state additions have hailed from programs such as the University of Minnesota and Holy Cross University in Massachusetts.
As the Mudcats enter the 2021 season, the organization is embracing their new identity in the CCL and are hoping to break onto the scene as one of the state’s top summer collegiate programs. They hope to do so while also still serving their community.
The Mudcats double as a 501(c) non-profit organization, something that Crombie emphasizes is an integral part of the organization.
“We’re in it to provide a quality organization for young men to play for, and this allows us to partner with and give back to our local community.”
The Mudcats community service events range from partnering with local first responders and attending local banquets and events, to providing opportunities for college students to earn required internship credits for their respective education programs. The Mudcats offer internship programs for athletic training, game-day operations and sports marketing. Solano also offers ample community service hours from high school students and has partnered with local high schools in the county. They also regularly partner with local small businesses for advertising and promotion purposes.
Their most notable liaison in the community comes from the effort the organization puts into youth baseball around the county. Solano holds two youth camps, one in the summer and one in the winter, both providing opportunities for children of all ages and backgrounds to work on their skills.
Guest speakers from all levels of baseball offer further insight to the local youth. Previous guest speakers include Solano County products such as former Major Leaguer and current manager of the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers Kristopher Negron, and 2020 World Series champion Tony Gonsolin of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Both Scibek and Crombie are hopeful the camps will continue to build fan interest in the Mudcats, but more importantly, continue to promote the game of baseball in Solano County for the younger generations.
“It’s all about passing on the fun of this great game of baseball,” Scibek said. “I enjoy seeing the kids who have attended the camp continue to play and progress in the community. For some, it’s their first time ever playing baseball. It’s great to see the smile on his or her face when they succeed in a drill or game.”
Crombie, who is in his second stint as the Mudcats’ head coach, has been with the organization since he played for the team in 2004. He makes a great pair with Scibek, as the two combine for a characteristic blend of production, performance and play. As both the president and head coach, Crombie is plenty used to a full plate. He pairs well with the easy-going Scibek, who also serves as an assistant coach.
“Our league is competitive and we want competition for the guys,” Scibek said. “But (in the summer) they get to come out and…get to relax a little bit where they can just kind of be their own person.
“I just think it’s a nice place in the summer where they can come in and just play.”
After nearly two decades of friendship, it’s clear the bond between the two helps the organization thrive. And while they might differ in personalities and coaching style, they share the same vision for their organization. Some long-term goals, such as potentially building a new playing stadium in the county, are a few years out, Crombie and Scibek are currently focusing on building a stronger fanbase and alumni connection.
“My hope in terms of experience that they have, is that they enjoy themselves, play good competitive baseball, and then come back to the alumni events in the future,” Crombie said. “Some of the relationships that they make in the two months they keep forever.”
The cancelation of the 2020 CCL season due to COVID-19 brought along its own unique set of challenges, Crombie and Scibek are optimistic they can continue building upon the growing fanbase in Solano County. The Mudcats already have a charity golf tournament, an annual alumni game and plenty of community service projects in the works.
As Crombie, Scibek and the rest of the Solano Mudcats board continue to push through plans of a potential new stadium in the upcoming years, the Mudcats will continue to upkeep their stellar reputation on the diamond and in the county. Baseball in Solano County is continually uprising, and the Mudcats are bringing a new brand of baseball to the region.
Mike Scioscia needs no introduction — the three-time World Series Champion and former Los Angeles Angels Manager has made his mark on the sports world, to say the least.
Though he is best known for his professional playing and coaching career, Scioscia’s commitment to spreading baseball in Southern California and around the country is another critical part of his baseball identity.
Scioscia’s nonprofit Amateur Baseball Development Group (ABDG) aims to increase opportunities to play the game in Southern California by giving young players everywhere a chance to try out the sport. ABDG is the principal sponsor of the California Collegiate League’s Conejo Oaks, and its support enabled the Oaks to take home a CCL Championship trophy in 2018 and remain competitive for years.
ABDG and the Conejo organization have helped thousands of players jumpstart their baseball careers. Sustaining success is always a goal, but the two are also committed to development — allowing athletes to improve themselves as both players and people.
“This is important to us, and we’re driven to try to get players, coaches, and programs all the tools they need to play this great game,” Scioscia said.
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Scioscia’s athletic journey began when he was an elementary school student, playing for Babe Ruth League baseball teams in the summer and participating in other sports throughout the year. He later earned a scholarship to Clemson University, but instead accepted an offer to turn professional and join the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.
While he showed promise as a young player, his ascent to the majors still required plenty of training, resources and mentorship, whether they came from his parents in the Philadelphia suburbs or late Dodgers great Tommy Lasorda.
Nearly six decades later, Scioscia fully understands the importance of developing players and providing athletes with resources to succeed.
“I think I was very fortunate to be around influential people when I was younger, and as far as where we are right now and where I am, it’s time to give back,” Scioscia said.
Throughout Scioscia’s time in Southern California, he noticed that baseball players often had limited access to baseball fields. This was especially true in the summer.
Programs were continually underfunded, sometimes struggling to afford essential equipment. The lack of funding also left many fields in poor conditions, so players frequently had little to work with.
After Scioscia observed these problems alongside ABDG co-founders Randy Riley and Kevin Muno, the trio formed ABDG in 2004. They planned to give out ABDG donations and grants that could be used to purchase better equipment, improve field conditions, hire assistant coaches or perform other crucial functions.
Ultimately, they hoped to better finance baseball across SoCal and give more players a chance to participate in the sport.
“We took for granted that we were going to have an opportunity to experience this game,” Scioscia said. “A lot of players don’t have that opportunity now, so this gets them an opportunity to step up and go to a higher level.”
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Another vital part of ABDG’s founding was the creation of the Conejo Oaks franchise, which Scioscia, Riley and Muno formed in 2004 to provide more support to college-age baseball players.
In the next 16 seasons, the organization brought Championship-caliber baseball to Thousand Oaks and featured athletes such as Isaiah Campbell, the Mariners’ second-round pick in 2019, and Brandon Lewis, the Dodgers’ 2019 fourth-round selection.
By becoming a member of the Oaks, college players experience a fine-tuned regimen and workout schedule during the summer. The Oaks’ core mission is development. Players return to their respective colleges and universities with an increased skill set thanks to quality repetitions.
“We try to win every game when we’re on the field, but… myself, our coaching staff, our support staff, never loses sight of the fact that we are here for them,” said Oaks head coach Dave Soliz. “That is something we hang our hat on and we are very proud of that philosophy.”
Playing in the CCL also gives players exposure to first-rate opponents from programs around the country.
“Do we enjoy playing in the league? Absolutely, it is top-notch competition,” Soliz said. “I can see the direction of the CCL and I’m very proud to be part of that.”
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Outside of the Oaks organization, ABDG’s contributions are aimed at youth- and high school-level organizations in need of extra support.
ABDG gives grants to teams for anything they need to improve, ranging from boxes of baseballs to new assistant coaches.
In addition to the Oaks, ABDG has sponsored several other teams, including 14U through 17U clubs, and a Connie Mack league and team. If players don’t make the cut for baseball teams at their own high schools, they can join ABDG’s Senior Minor League.
ABDG has also sought to address the lack of publicly available playing fields during the offseason, another common problem faced by youth baseball players. In 2005, the organization helped build the Conejo Creek Park Baseball Facility in Conejo Valley.
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ABDG’s impact on teams and individuals across Southern California is undeniable — “We would not be able to run the Oaks without the daily and long-term support of ABDG,” Soliz said.
Soliz is especially grateful for the support staff ABDG has helped provide him, including assistant coaches Joe Garcia, Mark Fitzgerald and Cody Ramer, athletic trainer Yoshi Shiratori and Director of Operations Rebecca Wilson.
“I could not do it without them,” Soliz said.
The assistance of Scioscia, Riley and the entire ABDG organization has allowed the Oaks to remain competitive, whether through supplying necessary equipment or baseball-related guidance. One of Soliz’s main goals for the team is to continue providing a stellar on-field product to help ABDG in return.
“We’re trying to continue to make the Oaks the best they can be to help support ABDG,” Soliz said. “We’re trying to do our part to make our end of it the best as possible so that way ABDG can be proud of what we’re trying to do as well.” (Edit)
When it comes to Oaks players and other individuals ABDG has guided, Scioscia is especially proud of the program’s commitment to building athletes’ character.
“We’ve seen some players come in and maybe you see the talent in them that they don’t quite see, they don’t have quite the confidence to carry that forward,” Scioscia said. “But by working them out and building their self-esteem as a ballplayer and letting them understand that they can be really good at this particular skill with a skillset that they have, we’ve seen them come out of their shell, be a better person, carry the confidence that you’ve wanted the youngster to carry.”
While ABDG has already made a significant impact in its first 17 years, Scioscia hopes the program can continue bringing baseball to athletes across the southern part of the state.
“I think the need is always there and the need always increases so we’ve got to increase our scope of what we can do,” Scioscia said. “…We want to make sure that in the Southern California area that anyone that wants to have a chance to play baseball gets a chance to play in a program that is equipped with the tools they need to run a baseball program.”
More than anything, Scioscia hopes people will follow ABDG’s example and learn how they can make a difference in their own communities.
“I think it’s important for wherever you live for you to try to impact the lives of people in your community,” Sciosia said. “You don’t have to do it in the whole world — you can do it one person at a time.”
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To learn more about the Conejo Oaks and ABDG, visit www.oaksbaseball.org and www.abdg.org.