With just a month remaining before the Pioneer Baseball League playoffs, it’s the league’s newest team that sits comfortably atop the standings. The Long Beach Coast has continued to roll in its inaugural season, opening August with its 50th victory to become the first team in the league to reach the milestone in 2026.
The team’s 50th win came in dominant fashion in Utah, as the Coast built an eight-run lead through the first three innings against the Ogden Raptors. That proved to be more than enough run support for starting pitcher Nathan Hemmerling, as Long Beach cruised to a 10-3 victory to open the month of August.
Center fielder Emilio Corona led the offensive attack, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Left fielder Eddy Pelc also collected three hits and drove in a run, while catcher Johnny Pappas and third baseman Benjamin Rosengard each added two hits and an RBI in the victory.
The Coast finished its trip to Utah with the Raptors as an even 3-3 after falling in the final game of the series. Despite the three losses, the Coast has still yet to lose three games in a row and are now 22-11 on the road.
The series opened with a tough 17-9 loss last Tuesday before the Coast responded with a dominant 28-11 victory in Wednesday’s second game. The offensive explosion was led by Cuba Bess, who went 4-for-6 with four runs scored and a staggering eight RBIs. Cooper Vest, Jacob Jablonski, and Rosengard also drove in five runs apiece in the victory.
The Coast dropped the third game of the series on Thursday, falling 20-3 to the Raptors, before bouncing back with consecutive wins on Friday and Saturday. Jablonski led the way in Friday’s 18-4 victory with three hits and four RBIs, while Bardowell, Bess, and Corona each drove in three runs before the Coast capped the series with its milestone 50th win on Saturday.
The series concluded with a 6-5 loss on Sunday, as the Coast finished its road trip through Utah with a 50-16 (.758) overall record. Long Beach remains atop the Pioneer Baseball League standings, holding a 2.5-game lead over the Billings Mustangs and a six-game advantage over the Modesto Roadsters. The rest of the league trails by at least 12 games.
The Coast clinched a playoff berth in early July, with the postseason set to begin in September. Long Beach will continue its road trip in Montana with a six-game series against the Glacier Range Riders from Tuesday through Sunday before returning home to host the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds from Aug. 11-13.
