Just a few days after copper thieves hit the Long Beach Little League fields at Stearns Champions Park, there’s good news to report. The City of Long Beach’s parks and recreation department leapt into action on Monday and got nine of the 10 light poles that had been vandalized fixed that day. “Thank you to […]
Late January is a sacred time to the Long Beach youth baseball community. Leagues all over the city have begun practice and are looking forward to Opening Day ceremonies and the start of games in just a few weeks. Sadly, Long Beach’s most historic league has been struck by copper thieves on the eve of […]
Long Beach’s new professional baseball team officially has a name and an alter ego. During Long Beach’s State of the City address on Tuesday night, the city’s incoming Pioneer Baseball League team revealed its name: the Long Beach Coast. The LBC also unveiled a second identity, the Long Beach Regulators, giving the new club an […]
Photo via Jared Blais/MLB Photos. For as long as she can remember, Kalin Badgley has always been fascinated by baseball. Her recollection stretches all the way back to being a six-year-old girl playing co-ed tee-ball—one of just a few girls in her very first organized league. An old, low-res picture captures it best: Athletics shirt […]
Long Beach Poly legend Darrell Patterson passed away last month at the age of 62. Coached by Hall of Famers Ron Palmer at Poly and Ron Massey while in middle school at Stephens, Patterson arrived at Poly as a heralded incoming player. He went on to help lead the Jackrabbits to a 1981 CIF Southern […]
Photo courtesy of UC Riverside Athletics. It’ll be an uphill battle to get the city to buy into the new professional baseball team coming to Long Beach. Local fans have already watched three pro teams arrive in the city since between 1995-2009—none of which lasted more than five years. But with the team’s logo, branding, […]
Photo via the Long Beach Baseball Club. The Long Beach Baseball Club took another major step forward today, announcing on social media that former Anaheim Angels pitcher and World Series champion Troy Percival has been hired as the team’s manager. The Southern California native spent 14 years in MLB, most notably in Anaheim, where he […]
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. Before he became an icon in San Diego, and long before anyone called him “Mr. Padre”, Tony Gwynn was a Long Beach Poly Jackrabbit. And as anyone who’s passed through the halls […]
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with information on Malakai’s memorial service. The Lakewood community is mourning the loss of Malakai Kemp, who passed away this week after a courageous battle with leukemia. He was 17 years old. “With a heart beyond broken, I share the news that my precious son, Malakai Aaron Kemp, […]
The562’s coverage of Dirtbags Baseball for the 2026 season is sponsored by P2S, Inc. Visit p2sinc.com to learn more. Long Beach State Baseball revealed its 2026 schedule on Tuesday, with a surprising number of home games on the slate for the upcoming season. Of the 54 games on the schedule, 35 of them are scheduled to be […]