It’s never easy for a new professional baseball team to win immediately. Instead of building upon prior seasons, everything is built from scratch – from the coaching staff to the players. Results can be unpredictable when a new roster comes together and has little time to build chemistry, but the Long Beach Coast front office managed to bridge that gap.
Fifteen Coast players played together as members of the Idaho Falls Chukars last year. The Chukars reached the Championship Series in 2025 and held a 2-0 series lead, but lost to the Oakland Ballers in five games. The first five hitters in the Chukars’ Game 5 lineup played pivotal roles for the Coast in 2026. If you had to gut one team’s roster, the squad that led the Pioneer Baseball League (PBL) in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage might be a good start.
The cherry on top, however, was signing the manager who coached all of those players: Troy Percival. Percival’s arrival had extra significance, considering he was an elite closer for the geographically closest MLB team, the then-Anaheim Angels, and recorded the final out in the team’s 2002 World Series-clinching victory.
A year after that PBL Championship Series loss, Percival brought his corps back to the same stage. Unfortunately, his squad came up short again, this time in a two-game sweep against the Billings Mustangs.
Percival brought big-league names on his coaching staff. His hitting coach was Troy Glaus, the Angels’ 2002 World Series MVP and 11-year Major Leaguer Jerome Williams was the pitching coach. Many of the team’s players credited the coaching staff with their development throughout the season.
Despite the final result, the Coast should be proud of their inaugural season, especially after reaching some high marks.
After an ordinary 3-3 start, the Coast vaulted into contender status by winning 22 of their next 25 games. During that span, Long Beach averaged 10.08 runs per game while allowing 5.6 and their three losses came by one run.
That stretch helped the team clinch the first-half pennant and secure home-field advantage in the first round of the playoffs. They did, however, finish a half game back behind the Mustangs for the top overall record, which awarded home-field advantage in the Championship Series to Billings.
That set the stage for the biggest win of the season, which occurred during the first round of the Pioneer League Playoffs at Blair Field, the Coast’s first-ever playoff game and it came down to a game 3 win-or-go-home match against the Modesto Roadsters. The Coast rose to the occasion and beat the Roadsters 6-3 to send the Coast to the championship.
The second half of the season saw individual players get their shine.
Outfielder Eddy Pelc transformed into a prototypical leadoff hitter, breaking the PBL record for walks in a season. His 120 walks shattered the old record of 86, which stood for 55 years.
Outfielder Emilio Corona displayed a rare combination of power and speed by hitting 27 home runs and stealing 50 bases. In addition to leading the league in stolen bases, he became the first player in PBL history to record a 25/50 season.
Closer Zach Voelker shut down opposing offenses with 71 strikeouts over 51 innings and a league-record 22 saves.
The star power was good enough to propel this team to the Championship Series.
Now they just have to build off of it.
However, the race for next year’s title has added another competitor – Orange County Baseball Club.
Starting next year, the PBL will expand to include a team based in Irvine, which has yet to be officially named. This addition places a second team in Southern California, setting up a natural rivalry between the two clubs.
A Farewell to Arms
Per PBL eligibility rules, players on an active roster shall have completed no more than two prior years of professional baseball experience. As one of the older teams in the league, the Coast will be affected by these rules to some degree. Each club is allowed to designate one position player and one pitcher as “franchise players” as an exception.
Notable names who have accrued the maximum service time include Jacob Jablonski (SS/OF), Benjamin Rosengard (3B), Steven Ordorica (RHP) and Gary Grosjean (RHP).
Percival, who has a large voice in personnel decisions, has a keen eye for talent. Even with the potential loss of impact players, the seasoned PBL manager has a proven track of bringing in talent to his squad. In back-to-back seasons, Percival has managed and lost the final game of the PBL calendar, but it’s a matter of when, not if, his club will be the last one standing.
