After the Santa Maria Valley Packers announced they were packing their bags for the greener pastures of Allan Hancock College in 2011, it looked like the end of summer semipro baseball at historic Elks Field.
But Randy Musumeci, a former rock drummer and owner of the Pitchout batting cages, simply couldn’t let that happen. So, with a little help from his friends, the Santa Maria Reds were born.
“The boys of summer are back,” Musumeci said. “We just want Elks Field to continue having baseball.”
The inspiration for the new wood bat team stems from Musumeci’s involvement with the Santa Maria Baseball Club, where he’s served as a board member since 2001. Rob Dulay, now the Reds’ team president, formed the club in 2000 as a 13-and-under team. It grew to include about 150 players, ranging in age from 10 to 18, many of whom would go out of state to play summer ball.
With the demise of the Santa Maria Indians, Dulay and Musumeci wanted a place for high school upperclassmen and college redshirt freshmen to play locally in the offseason. After some discussion, Musumeci agreed to quit coaching in the Orcutt Babe Ruth league, where he’d been for eight years, to become the Reds’ general manager.
The team may be starting from scratch, but Reds’ management has years of experience in youth baseball. Robert Gauna, a longtime coach in the Santa Maria Babe Ruth league, will take the reins as the team’s skipper.
“He’s a gentleman for baseball,” Musumeci said of Gauna. “He knows the game, and on the field or off the field, he’s the same guy. He doesn’t put on an act.”
Dave Garcia, president of the Santa Maria Westside Little League, is stepping in as the Reds’ operations manager. Longtime youth coach Rick Segovia is the team’s assistant general manager, while Scott Summers will take on the role as the team’s player agent.
Named for the Indians’ “Big Red Machine,” the Reds aren’t looking to replace the defunct club, Musumeci said; however, they are hoping to carry the torch left by their founder, Clarence “Scoop” Nunes, who passed away in 2003.
Following the Indians’ formula, the Reds are keeping it local, recruiting players from 16 to 21 who, for whatever reason, haven’t had the chance to develop their skills at a higher level.
“We are 99 percent from the 805 area code,” Musumeci said. “There’s a lot of talent in the area. You just got to look for it. And even when you find it, you don’t even know what you’ve got.”
The team held open tryouts back in February, and 35 players showed up to strut their stuff; a total of 60 have come through the Reds’ spring camps so far.
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The full roster of 30 players won’t be officially released until May, but Musumeci did reveal a few names who’ve already signed on the dotted line: former Pioneer Valley standouts Reece Edwards, Phil Garcia, Rob Dulay Jr., and Jordan Markstone; current Panthers shortstop Chad De la Guerra; St. Joseph senior Mike Savey; and Patrick Somers, a Cabrillo product now at Cal State University-Monterey Bay.
Eventually, Musumeci envisions a farm system incorporating high school baseball programs from Ventura to Morro Bay. Pro scouts will be invited to the Reds’ games this season, he said, and the use of wood bats will help get young players used to what they can expect at the college or pro level.
“It’s very competitive that way, because then it comes down to pitching,” Musumeci said. “It’s a beautiful thing. If a kid hits his spots, they’re just long outs. They’re not gappers. Someone’s not running on them all day with aluminum. Some guy can just poke it out there and get a bloop [single]. You’ve got to work it here.”
To save on expenses, the Reds will take the field as an independent club. Besides playing the California Wahoos, another local independent, the Reds will take on the East L.A. Dodgers, Easton Elite, the Texas Rangers’ Ventura-based scout team, and possibly the Fresno Cardinals.
With the exception of a June tournament in Visalia, the Reds will stick close to home, playing all 22 games at Elks Field on weekends. Though the full schedule won’t come out until May, opening day weekend is set for June 10 through 12 against the California Wahoos at Elks Field. The season runs into August, capped off with a home wood-bat tournament.
As a nonprofit, the Reds will be putting all the money they make back into the team. They held their first official fundraiser at the Radisson in February and have a Texas Hold ’Em tournament scheduled for May. Fundraising barbecues will also be held every Saturday in May at the Pitchout, the Reds’ home base of operations.
The players will only have a couple of weeks to practice together after schools are released for the summer. For the inaugural season, Musumeci said he hopes the Reds can finish .500; off the field, he’d like to make the games an affordable and fun experience for families.
“Our goal is to make it a joy to bring your kid to the ballpark,” he said. “We want to let people know that Elks Field’s got ball and it will be back next year. The Reds are here to stay.”
Staff Writer Jeremy Thomas bleeds red, just like everyone else. Contact him at jthomas@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Apr 7-14, 2011.