The562’s coverage of Long Beach Poly Athletics for the 2025-26 school year is sponsored by Former Jackrabbits Wendell “WoWo” Moe, Jr. & Tyson Ruffins.
A program in search of stability has turned to one of its own to lead the way, as Long Beach Poly has named Davis Towne as its new head baseball coach.
Towne called it a “full circle moment” going through the interview process, and said he’s excited to be back at his alma mater.
“I just all of a sudden recognized, “This is where I’m from’ and I’m coming back to where I started,” said Towne, who was a left-handed starting pitcher for Poly, playing varsity from 2005-07. “It will be really fun to build something at a program I went through myself. This has really just felt like a homecoming. It really has.”
A graduate in Poly’s Class of 2007, Towne returns to the Jackrabbits after spending nine years coaching at Lakewood High, including the past five years as the Lancers’ pitching coach. He earned a reputation as a talented up-and-coming coach, while helping to launch the budding career of former Lancer right-hander Anthony Eyanson, who was just named to the MLB All-Star Futures Game.
Towne’s time at Lakewood was spent working under legendary head coach Spud O’Neil, who ranks second all-time in wins in California. When asked what he would take most from O’Neil as he begins his own head coaching career, Towne had a straightforward response.
“The standards,” Towne said. “The guy’s a winner. So the standards he has for his players on how to present themselves, how to carry themselves; those standards are consistent with any winning organization, and there’s a reason why the man has over 950 wins. I would keep those winning standards, and that’s just a testament to his consistency and his longevity. His consistent driving of his belief on how you approach baseball.”
Though this will be his first varsity head coaching position, Towne took on a number of administrative responsibilities during his tenure with Lakewood. He also served as the frosh/soph and JV head coach, and managed the Lancers’ American Legion team last summer, leading them to a regional runner-up finish.
Towne will become the fourth head coach for Poly Baseball in the last five years, as things have been fluid at the top of the program. Following Brent Lavoie’s seven-year tenure as coach (which ended in 2023 and included a stint with Curtis Thompson as interim head coach during that season), Poly hired Martin Rodriguez in 2024, then brought in Solomon Williams who served as head coach for the past two seasons.
“We are thrilled to have Coach Towne as our new varsity head baseball coach,” said Poly assistant principal Michael Crowder-Jones. “He understands exactly what it means to be a Jackrabbit and the Poly baseball community as an alumnus, and he has a vision for the future of the program based on those values.”
There will be continuity with the new regime, however, as Towne indicated that assistant coach Fausto Gaxiola, Jr. would return to the program in 2026-27 in the same capacity. Towne has also added his former Poly teammate, Nick Irving, to his varsity coaching staff.
Away from the diamond, Towne is a special education teacher at Lakewood High–a position he’s held for the past decade. His plan is to continue serving in that role as he takes over the Poly program, which will be without a field for the next few years while the campus undergoes a complete renovation.
Poly will continue to practice and host games at Cabrillo High, but Towne said he’s looking forward to re-opening Gwynn Family Field on the Poly campus. As a graduate of both Poly and San Diego State, Towne feels like a fitting choice to oversee that transition into the future of Poly Baseball.
“I know what Poly’s going through in terms of having these facilities at Cabrillo, but part of my buy-in to this program is that the payoff is going to be huge,” Towne said. “Practicing at Cabrillo in the meantime is just a short little roadblock. The payoff is going to be so worth it.”
As head coach, Towne says his coaching style will promote “free and easy baseball with discipline and integrity.” He’s also looking to unite generations of Jackrabbits, rallying them around the program and the brand new campus that’s on its way.
“My long-term goal, especially when that facility opens up, is bringing that connection to the big-name alumni that have come through Poly,” Towne said. “And the Gwynn family is at the upper echelon of those names. I think that’s kind of been missing in years past, and I want to bring that back–not just for Poly Baseball, but the school itself.”
