Armada Names New GM

by: Josh Marks

Gus Sampras is the new General Manager of the Long Beach Armada.

The former executive with the sports marketing firm International Management Group (IMG) will replace former Los Angeles Dodger Marketing Vice-President Barry Stockhamer, who resigned last October.

Sampras, 38, is the older brother of retired tennis star Pete Sampras and, since 1988, has helped manage the business activities of his brother through Pistol Pete, Inc. The Cal State Long Beach grad has worked in sports marketing for 17 years including 12 at IMG. He was most recently Vice-President of IMG Tennis and he spent many years running tennis events, including the WTA tournament at the Home Depot Center.

The Armada’s season opener is at Reno on June 2 and the home opener at Blair Field is June 12 against Chico.

For tickets, call (562) 597-9787.

 

Armada Playoff Bound 

by: Josh Marks

Shouts of “Go Arrrrrmada!” will echo through Blair Field on Friday evening when Long Beach throws the opening pitch of their first ever playoff game.

The Armada clinched the third playoff spot in the Golden Baseball League championships, finishing the regular season with a four game sweep of the Japan Samurai Bears. Long Beach (49-41, 0.544 win percentage) earned second place in the California Division, finishing three games behind regular season champion San Diego.

Individual players coming into the postseason on a hot streak include outfielder Ryan Webb and right-handed pitcher Matt Parris. They were both named California Division player and pitcher of the week recently. Webb batted .448 the final week of the season and 22-year-old Parris threw a complete game five-hit shutout.

Long Beach will take on the Arizona Division champion Mesa Miners on Sept. 2 at 7 p.m. The afternoon game at 3 p.m. features San Diego versus Chico.

For playoff tickets call (562) 597-9787 or log on to www.goldenbaseball.com/LongBeach.

 

Armada to Battle for Wild Card

by: Josh Marks

While the Golden Baseball League holds its first championship game Sept. 2-4 at Blair Field, the host team might be missing from the field.

The Long Beach Armada’s playoff hopes took a blow on Wednesday night as they lost a close game to the Surprise Fightin’ Falcons 9-8.

The game was played under protest because the Armada pointed out that Surprise relief pitcher Ignacio Estrada, Jr. was ineligible to pitch because he was placed on the disabled list and would not be eligible to enter the lineup until the next day. The league did not issue a ruling immediately following the game.

The Armada (42-37) head right back home for a crucial series against California Division rival Chico. Both teams have the same record and are fighting for a wild card spot in the playoffs with only 11 games left in the regular season.

GBL playoff tickets can be purchased online at www.goldenbaseball.com or by calling 1-866-DIAL-GBL.

 

Armada Ends Home Stand with Loss

by: Josh Marks

The Long Beach Armada (37-29) lost a close game to the visiting Chico Outlaws 5-4 in the series finale at Blair Field on Wednesday, Aug. 3.

Samone Peters hit a two-run double in the seventh inning to bring them to within one run, but it wasn’t enough as the Armada finished their home stand at 6-3.

Long Beach scored an impressive 7-2 victory on Tuesday, Aug. 2 against Chico. The 7th inning was key for the Armada as they sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs. Starting pitcher Mike Marchesano (7-3) threw seven solid innings, giving up two unearned runs and striking out five.

Second place Long Beach will head south this weekend for an important four game series against California Division leader San Diego (40-25).

Call (562) 597-9787 or visit www.longbeacharmada.com for more information.