Rain is complicating the opening week of the high school baseball season, but clear skies and fiercely-contested ballgames are on the horizon. It’s a new era for baseball in Long Beach with the upcoming debut of a new professional team, the Long Beach Coast–and with that in mind, we took a look back at the city’s history with our annual photo shoot.
This year instead of our traditional shoot at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field, we had the best high school players in the city meet us at Whaley Park’s Yocky Field. This park is where the Dirtbags legend was born, with the college baseball players practicing on the all-dirt infield and earning the now-iconic nickname of “the Dirtbags.” It’s also where hundreds of youth players have taken the next step in their journeys, including many of today’s best high school players.
This year’s athletes for the shoot were: Eddie Becker (Wilson), Jaylen Butler (St. Anthony), Daunte Bell II (Millikan), Adam Rosalez (Cabrillo), Nate Gallegos (Lakewood), Andrew Ruiz (Compton), Julian Lopez (Jordan), and Tate Hammond (Long Beach Poly). Shoutout to our guy John Napalan of All-In Press for the amazing pictures–click here for the whole gallery.
Click here for our Millikan preview
Click here for our Wilson preview
Click here for our Long Beach Poly preview
Click here for our Lakewood preview
Click here for our St. Anthony preview
Click here for our Jordan preview
Click here for our Cabrillo preview
Click here for our Compton preview
