The Legends are in need of Host Families for this summer!
Do you have children who love baseball? Do you local support non-profits? If so, maybe you have room for a Menlo Park Legend to call home this summer!
The Legends Host Family program involves providing a college baseball player with lodging for 2 months during the summer! Playing summer baseball is very important for a college baseball player’s development as they must continue gain experience and improve while in the off-season. We currently have multiple players from all over the country who wish to come to the Bay Area and play for the 2012 Menlo Park Legends!
Being a Host Family for a player at this level can be a very unique and rewarding experience. You will forever have the knowledge that you:
- Assisted a young baseball player pursue his dream of playing Major League Baseball
- Provided a summer home for a Collegiate Athlete.
- Helped the Menlo Park Legends organization with its most pressing, and much appreciated need……… A HOST FAMILY!
Our schedule runs from June until early August. Tentatively our schedule has 44 games not including playoffs. We will be playing about 20 home games at Canada College and are traveling out of town on many weekends. We currently have 12 overnights planned for this coming summer. Your host player will also be working the Legends Youth Summer Baseball camp. The reason I am telling you this is because your hosted player will be very busy. However when he is not busy and at the house he will act as part of the family. He will abide by all household rules, have his own chores and will overall be a fantastic addition to the family!
All players who we place with families are given intense background checks. This includes talking to his college coach, his family and obviously the player himself. Before deciding if he is a perfect fit for your family you can chat with the player on the phone, talk to him on Skype or even meet him in person! You can also speak with past host families to learn about their experience.
We have placed players with host families in the past and the best matches are for families who have young children. College baseball players are fantastic role models and your children can get free baseball instruction whenever they want! Not to mention you will receive free admission to all Legends home games and can send your children to Legends Baseball Camps FOR FREE! Yes that’s right, FREE SUMMER BASEBALL CAMP!!!
This is truly an incredible experience, so if you have an extra bed in your house and are interested please contact us as soon as possible!
Contact David by email at david@menloparklegends.com or callat 650-387-4427
Michael Olmstead gets the win for the Legends on Thursday
June 30, 2011 – MP Legends 9, Humboldt Steelheads 2
June 29, 2011 – MP Legends 0, Humboldt Crabs 5
June 29, 2011 – MP Legends 0, Humboldt Crabs 1
June 26, 2011 – MP Legends 3, Seattle Studs 1
June 26, 2011 – MP Legends 7, Seattle Studs 6
June 25, 2011 – Auburn Mudcats 9, MP Legends 7
June 24, 2011 – MP Legends 6, Pro Player Baseball 1
Monday, June 27th – Over the weekend, the Menlo Park Legends semipro baseball team improved its record to 14-5 after winning three of four games at the McAuliffe Sports Complex in Sacramento. In their first game, the Legends won a solid victory over Pro Player Baseball, 6-1.
However, the team’s momentum was threatened after losing its second game against the Auburn Hills Mudcats in the final innings of the contest. The Legends opened the game out very strong, but could not preserve a lead for the entire game. Sacred Heart grad Michael Olmstead was on the hill for Menlo Park and had a strong outing through six innings, striking out six and allowing one run and two hits.
The Legends began their attack in the second inning, scoring five runs. First baseman Brian Haggett drilled a solo home run to start off the rally. Michael Hoo scored on a past ball, and an error by the Mudcats catcher allowed outfielder Dan Brown to score. Tiger Pederson continued the rally by knocking in Johnny Donati after he stole second. In the sixth inning, the team tacked on two more runs by an error and a RBI double by Hoo, giving them a 7-1 lead going into the seventh inning.
But the Mudcats came back and scored two runs in the seventh, four in the eighth, and two more in the ninth, giving them a 9-7 win.
The next day, the Legends played the runner up of last year’s National Baseball Congress World Series, the Seattle Studs, in a doubleheader. Second baseman Pierson Jeremiah batted in the three hold, a new spot for him, and went 4-for-7 in the two games with a double and two RBI’s. In the first game, outfielder Cody Larson capped a four run fourth inning with a two run double, putting the Legends up 7-0.
The Studs made it interesting by scoring a run in the sixth and five in the seventh, but the Legends held on for a win.
Rich McCaffrey started game two and went a solid five innings, allowing three hits and striking out four batters.
Luke McCreesh came in and threw a perfect inning, and Corey Zirbes came in for the save threw another flawless inning. The Legends pitching staff combined for 14 strikeouts in the doubleheader.
“It was very satisfying for me to beat the Studs this year,” manager David Klein said. “This weekend marked the start of a very competitive stretch of games, and this was a great sign for us to take two games from the Studs, a really prestigious competitor. We always seem to bring our A game versus quality competitors. I’m really optimistic as we go against the nationally recognized teams from Southern California in the near future.”
The Legends travel to Humboldt today to face the Steelheads at Arcata Ballpark at 7 p.m.
June 18, 2011 – MP Legends 7, SF Seagulls 4
Sidewinder Mike Couch gets his first save of the season!
June 18, 2011 – MP Legends 7, SF Seagulls 2
THATS DAN BROWN! Inside the park HR!
June 15, 2011 – MP Legends 8, SF Seagulls 7
Tiger Pederson’s sacrifice fly scored Michael Hoo (shown left) in the seventh inning, giving the Menlo Park Legends an 8-7 win over the visiting San Francisco Seagulls on Wednesday at Canada College in Redwood City.
“I’ve been out here two games, leading off and playing center field,” Pederson said. “I’m just trying to be a productive factor in the offense.”
The Seagulls tried to mount a rally in the eighth, Menlo Park catcher Hoo threw out a man stealing second to end the threat, then Corey Zirbes pitched the ninth inning and earned the save.
Starting pitcher Michael Olmstead had trouble finding the strike zone for the Legends. He walked in two runs in the second inning as the Seagulls took a 3-0 lead.
The Legends struck back with a three runs in the bottom of the third. First baseman Brian Haggett drilled a line drive to right field that knocked in two runs. Slugger Cody Larson drove in second baseman Pierson Jeremiah with a single.
The Seagulls fought back in the fourth. Catcher Nikolas Fangonilo hit a grand slam way over the left-field fence for a 7-3 lead. Tommy Pluschkell’s single knocked in a run in the bottom of the fourth, but the Legends’ dugout remained quiet until the sixth inning.
After Curtis Camilli came in to pitch in the sixth and struck out the side, the Legends were back in the game.
“Everything was working very well,” he said. “I mixed it up pretty well. All five of my strikeouts were on different pitches.”
With the bases loaded, third baseman Grant Nelson scored off an error. Larson drove in Pederson with a sacrifice fly.
In the seventh inning, Pluschkell hit another RBI single, scoring St. Francis-Mountain View alum Chris Hoo.
The Legends look to improve their 8-4 record Saturday in a doubleheader against the Seagulls at Fairmont Field starting at noon.
June 14, 2011 – MP Legends 8, SJ Baysox 0 (click for Almanac Article)
Yesterday, the Menlo Park Legends semipro baseball team defeated the San Jose Baysox 8-0, improving their record to 7-4.
Richard McCaffery started the game for the Legends. Through five innings, McCaffery allowed one base runner off of a walk and struck out five batters.
“I just came out there trying to throw strikes and get ahead in the counts,” he said. “They were having trouble with my fastball, so I decided to go right after them with that. Chris did a great job behind the plate—he was my catcher in high school, so the chemistry was great.”
In the third inning, Legends outfielder Cody Larson opened the game up with a two-run triple to deep center field, scoring centerfielder Tiger Peterson and second baseman Pierson Jeremiah. The Legends offense continued to shake the Baysox in the fourth inning, with infielder Tommy Pluschkell hitting a two-run single.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, a wild pitch scored Michael Hoo, and Peterson hit a RBI single, giving the Legends a 8-0 lead.
In his first Legends appearance, catcher Chris Hoo caught a shutout, scored two runs, and went 2-3 on the night.
“It was a great feeling,” he said. “I didn’t know what to expect, and the team played great. McCreesh threw well, Rich threw well. It was fun.”
The Legends play the San Francisco Seagulls today at Cañada College at 5 p.m.
June 13, 2011 - Over the weekend, the Legends ventured to Atwater to face the Aviators in a three game series. In the first game, after returning from Lee University competing in the NAIA World Series, Curtis Camilli (show left) pitched for the Legends. Despite his strong performance, the Legends could not seem to get any clutch hits and lost the game 4-1.
As they did earlier in the season, errors plagued the Legends in game two of the series. Going into the seventh inning after Don Medlinger’s solid six innings, the Legends were up 2-1. And that’s when then errors began. Off of two major errors, the Aviators scored six runs in the seventh, giving them the lead 7-2. From that point on, the Aviators held on to their lead and won game two, 7-2.
But the Legends bounced back with a whopping 17-1 victory in game three. The team also got 17 hits in the game. Once again, Corey Zirbes had an incredible outing on the mound. He pitched seven innings strong, allowed four hits, zero runs, and struck out five batters. Third baseman Grant Nelson led the attack going 4-5 in the game. First baseman Brian Haggett went 2-3, and outfielder Joe Goldenberg continued the surge by hitting a three-run home run. Nearly every player contributed to the Legends’ seventeen hits of the game.
“The team got really fired up after losing the first two games, and we wanted to come out swinging the bats hard,” catcher and manager David Klein said. “That’s exactly what we did.”
The Legends look to improve their 6-4 record today against the California Glory at Cañada College at 5 p.m. – Max Darrow
June 12, 2011 – MP Legends 17 – Atwater Aviators 1
June 11, 2011 – MP Legends 2 – Atwater Aviators 7
June 10, 2011 – MP Legends 1 – Atwater Aviators 4
June 8, 2011 – MP Legends 8 – Walnut Creek Crawdads 6
The Menlo Park Legends defeated the Walnut Creek Crawdads 8-6 at Menlo College, improving their record to 5-2.
By the middle of the fourth inning, the Crawdads were up four runs. Starting pitcher Michael Olmstead was throwing the ball well, but the Legends defense was not on the ball. The majority of the Crawdads’ runs were off of the Legends six errors.
But the Legends immediately struck back. To start the rally, manager and catcher David Klein hit a two run single, and would go on to score off of second baseman Pierson Jeremiah’s two run double. Third baseman Grant Nelson hit a sacrifice fly to deep right field, scoring Jeremiah. Off of four hits, the Legends took a 5-4 lead.
Despite the offensive surge, the defense was still in a funk, until the top of the sixth inning when Greg Pillicci came in to pitch.
Pillicci earned the win by pitching three innings, striking out three batters and only allowing one base runner off of a walk.
“I just wanted to throw strikes and command the zone,” he said. “I threw my curveball for strikes, backed it up with my fastball.”
Pillicci’s strong outing was backed by shortstop Jon Donati’s hits in the late innings of the game. In the sixth, he hit a double, and in the bottom of the seventh, he hit the single that knocked in designated hitter Skylar Brewer, the go-ahead run.
“I wanted to put the ball in play,” Donati said. “Make the defense work and put the pressure on them.”
Even with a late home run by the Crawdads, pitcher Rich McCaffrey closed out the game for the Legends.
The Legends travel down to Atwater tomorrow for a well-anticipated series against the Aviators. The first game is on June 10 at 7 p.m, at the Atwater Memorial Ballpark.
—Max Darrow
June 7, 2011 – MP Legends 5 – NB Pearl 3
Legends knock off Neptune Beach!
The Menlo Park Legends defeated the Neptune Beach Pearl 5-3 at Menlo College, improving their record to 4-2.
Corey Zirbes started for the Legends and had another stellar performance, earning his second win of the season. Through seven innings, he struck out nine and allowed three hits.
“I haven’t thrown in a year,” Zirbes said. “I was getting tired at the end and was leaving the ball up, but I only gave up three hits.”
The Legends came up big in the second inning, scoring four runs on five hits. Third baseman Joe Goldenberg started the rally with a triple to right-center field and scored on a double by Skylar Brewer (Menlo-Atherton). Dan Brown’s two-out single drove in two more runs.
In the sixth inning, Brewer gave the Legends a 5-0 lead with a solo home run over the left-field fence, his third of the season. He hit five last year.
“I’m seeing the ball great right now, my swing is just falling into place,” he said. “I’m just happy I could start off this hot.”
The Pearl managed three runs combined in the eighth and ninth innings, but pitcher Luke McCreesh came in and earned the save.
The Legends play the Walnut Creek Crawdads tomorrow at Menlo College at 4:30 p.m.
— Max Darrow
June 6, 2011 - Over the wet and cloudy weekend, the Menlo Park Legends traveled down to Santa Maria to take on the Packers in a three game series. The Legends dropped the first two games to the Packers earning the team’s first two losses of the year, but still managed to bring home a win, improving their record to 3-2.
Only fourteen Legends players were able to make the trip to Santa Maria. Of those fourteen, only a third of the pitching staff made it.
“We went down there with four pitchers,” manager and catcher David Klein said. “We are still waiting on two-thirds of our staff.”
Richard McCaffery started his third game of the season over the weekend as the Legends played their fifth game. Because the team was short staffed, Donny Medlinger drove down from Cal Poly during finals to help out and pitch.
Through the three games over the weekend, the Legends brought in position players to pitch. Third baseman Grant Nelson managed to earn the save in the final game of the series, where the Legends won 8-6.
Despite losing two games, Legends first baseman and designated hitter Skylar Brewer had a monstrous weekend, hitting two two-run homeruns. Brewer also came in to pitch during one of the games as well.
Second baseman Abi Arias rolled his ankle over the weekend and will be out for the next few games.
The Legends are set to play Neptune Beach on Tuesday and the Walnut Creek Crawdads on Wednesday.
June 5, 2011 – MP Legends 8, SM Packers 6
June 4, 2011 – MP Legends 2, SM Packers 3
June 3, 2011 – MP Legends 5, SM Packers 10 (click for article)
June 2, 2011 – MP Legends 4, Fontanetti’s 3 Entering it’s third season, the Menlo Park Legends baseball team started the season strong with a 4-3 win against the Fontanetti’s Athletics of San Jose in their home opener at Menlo College.
With a one run lead going into the bottom of the third inning, outfielder Cody Larson (shown right) tore the game open with a two-run homerun over the left field fence, giving the legends a three-run lead.
“I was just looking for a good pitch to hit. I got that pitch and put a good swing on it,” Larson said.
Larson went 1-2 in the game, drawing a walk and driving in another run, giving him a total of three RBI’s for the afternoon.
Despite trailing three runs the Athletics did not go down easily. But with men on first and third, Legends pitcher Corey Zirbes came through and kept the lead. He walked the first batter, loading the bases, but went on to retire the following three batters.
“To be honest, I’m left handed—I don’t really think too much. I just go out there and throw, and I happened to get out of it [the inning], which was nice,” he said.
Zirbes finished the game and earned the Legends first win of the season.
The Legends travel to Santa Maria this weekend for a four game road trip against the Santa Maria Packers. -Max Darrow (Legends Sportswriter)
May 29, 2011 – MPLegends 3, SF Seagulls 1 - The Menlo Park Legends win the their first game of the season 3-1 over the San Francisco Seagulls! Richard McCaffrey (shown left) pitched 5 innings giving up no earned runs and receiving the win.
Corey Zirbes pitched 2 scoreless innings in middle relief while Greg Pillicci shut the door in the last 2 innings to earn the Legends first save of season. Cody Larson led the charge offensively going 2-4 with a single, double and a stolen base.
The Legends are back in action this Wednesday at Menlo College (4:30) as they take on Fontanetti’s from San Jose in their home opener! See you at the ballpark! (click here for box score)
May 29, 2011- Home opener is this Wednesday at Menlo College at 4:30 versus Fontanetti’s!!!!
May 29, 2011- Legends win first game of the season 3-1 over the San Francisco Seagulls. Richard McCaffrey got the win after pitching 5 innings of scoreless baseball.
April 25, 2011 – Early bird discount for Legends Youth summer baseball camp ends THIS SATURDAY! Dont miss your opportunity!
April 20, 2011 - Opening day is only 6 weeks away!
February 1, 2011 - Legends look to add depth to roster as junior college recruiting begins this week!
January 29, 2011 – Legends release tentative 2011 Summer Game schedule! 2011 Youth Summer camp information released as well!
THANKS FOR A GREAT 2010 SEASON!
The 2010 Menlo Park Legends would like to thank all fans, followers and supporters for being part of the Legends baseball journey this summer. In only our sophomore seasons the Legends achieved one of the top records in California with an overall record of 37-10 and a league record of 19-5!Carried by solid pitching and consistant production at the plate, the 2010 Legends finished the regular season in 1st place in the Pacific West Baseball League! In addition, the 2010 summer marked the Legends first tournament championship as they won the 4th of July Tournament at Diablo Valley College. Our playoff run took us all the way into the last out of the championship game and although we came up short, the conclusion was memorable to say the least.
The strides from last year to this year will hopefully be matched next season. We expect to place in some top tournaments throughout California, and the Pacific West Baseball League is in the process of some exciting expansions. Stay tuned in the off-season and BE LEGENDARY!
Playoff recap: Read article here
In the double-elimination tournament in Atwater, the Legends dropped their opening game against the Atwater Aviators 3-2. Curtis Camilli (West Valley/Lee Univ) pitched seven strong innings allowing only two earned runs. The Legends got a leadoff homer in the sixth by Skylar Brewer (Menlo Atherton HS) and rallied in the ninth but left the bases loaded.
The Legends bounced back to pound the Fresno Cardinals 10-2. Corey Zirbes (5 1-3 innings) and Jeffrey Clegg (Skyline/SF State) limited to Cardinals to eight hits and no walks. The big blow from the Legends was a fourth-inning grand slam over the left-field wall by Ben Clowe (Stanford).
The Legends earned a spot in the championship game with a 6-4 win against the California Seals, also on Saturday. Danny Chavez (Serra/San Mateo) got the start, Kyle Tachibana (Los Altos) pitched in relief and Howard Zosel picked up the final six outs.
The Legends (37-10) scored runs in each of the first two innings, with Jack Mosbacher (Menlo School-Atherton / Stanford) making it 2-0 with an RBI single in the top of the second. The Aviators answered with a two-run homer only to see the Legends tally three more runs, the big hit a Leo Ortiz (Woodside) two-RBI single.
Host Atwater tied the game at 5-all with three runs in the fifth and opened up an 8-5 lead with runs in the
The Legends made it interesting as Johnny Donati (Canada College) doubled to start the ninth, Klein walked and Skylar Brewer (M-A) singled to load the bases. Steve Cook (UCSB) doubled to deep left-center with one out for two RBIs, but Brewer was thrown out after he had slid across the plate — just the beginning of the game-ending controversy.
August 3rd – CONTROVERSIAL CALL ENDS CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
The 2010 PWBL Championship game was called in the top of the ninth with 2 outs. Losing 8-5, the visiting Legends loaded the bases in the top of the ninth. With one out, Steve Cook doubled in John Donati and David Klein however Skyler Brewer was called out after sliding across the plate. After the controversial call at home plate the Legends were losing 8-7 to the hosting Atwater Aviators and had a runner on second base with 2 outs and Cody Larson at the plate. The final decision regarding the conclusion of the 2010 PWBL Championship game has gone to the board of the PWBL and is currently pending…
2010 Overall Record: 37-10
2010 League Record: 19-5
Playoff Schedule: (July 30th – August 1st) Atwater Memorial Stadium in Atwater
Friday – Game 1: 4:00pm #3 Fresno Cardinals Vs. #2 California Seals
Friday – Game 2: 7:30pm #1 Menlo Park Legends Vs. #4 Atwater Aviators Saturday – Game 3: 10am Loser of game 1 & 2 (Losers Bracket)
Saturday – Game 4: 2:30pm Winner of Games 1 & 2 (Winners Bracket)
Saturday – Game 5 : 7:00pm Winner of Game 3 and Loser of Game 4
Sunday – Game 6: 11:00am Winner of Game 5 & 4 (Championship) Sunday – Game 7: 1/2 after 1st game Rematch of game 6 if necessary
Final Season Standings:
Menlo Park Legends (19-5) ***Play-Offs***
California Seals (16-8) ***Play-Offs***
Fresno Cardinals (15-9) ***Play-Offs***
Atwater Aviators (14-10) ***Play-Offs***
S.F. Seagulls (11-13)
California Glory (11-13)
Sunday, July 25th – The Legends split with Atwater Aviators in a 2 game series. The Legends took the loss in game 1 with an 4-3 loss in extra innings. They followed up with an offensive explosion with a 9-2 victory to end the league regular season in 1st place with a 19-5 record.
Saturday, July 24th – We apologize as we have been having some website difficulties. The site should be fully updated by the end of the weekend. Stay tuned and stay Legendary!
Friday, July 23rd – Legends are PWBL Regular Season champions!! With a 6-4 victory on Friday the Legends clinched the #1 seed in the PWBL playoffs which begin next Friday evening in Atwater.
Legends clinch first place in league Pacific West Baseball League play! They will be the number one seed in the PWBL Playoffs beginning next Friday in Atwater
Saturday, August 7th – Lost Appeal Ends Legends’ Year
Tuesday, August 3rd - Legends Lose Controversial Championship
Friday, July 16th – Legends featured at San Francisco Giants game!
Thursday, July 15th – The Menlo Park Legends are 25-7 overall and 16-4 in league. Next game is 6:30pm this Friday evening at Baylands in Palo Alto versus the SF Seals! Dont miss it! Click here for directions:
The Menlo Park Legends got outstanding pitching again in downing the San Francisco Seagulls 5 to 1. Four Legends pitchers scattered twelve base-runners over nine innings, (7 hits and 5 walks) and only allowing the Seagulls a single tally. Kyle Tachibana, Darren Iseri, Corey Zirbes and Harold Zosel also combined to fan 8 hitters. The Legends offense was keyed throughout the game by the top three in the order. Johnny Donati opened the Legends first with a walk, Steve Cook walked and Sean Yoshikawa continued his hot hitting with an rbi single. Ryan Sakowski singled, Donati and Cook singled and Yoshikawa double to produce two more runs in the second. Donati and Cook singled and Yoshikawa walked in the fourth but the Legends could not produce a run. Yoshikawa singled in the 6th and scored on a Christian Weeber rbi double. The Legends plated their final run in the 8th on a single by Cook and double by Kellen McColl. The Legends battle the San Francisco Seals at Baylands on Friday July 16th at 7 pm.
Wednesday, July 7th - Legends improve to 10-3 in PWBL with 7-4 win over the San Francisco Seagulls!
