Can you name the most dominant team in Santa Barbara?

The UCSB women’s basketball team would be a good first guess considering the squad has captured the Big West crown six years running. Another good guess would be UCSB’s nationally recognized Ultimate Frisbee team, Black Tide.

Both of those teams enjoy tremendous success, but hands down the most dominant team in town is the Santa Barbara Foresters. The Foresters are a semi-pro baseball team made up of collegiate stars from all around the country.

The Foresters have been the most dominant team in California for years. They have gleaned six state titles, 11 California Coastal Collegiate League titles, have had countless alumni drafted (including Astros rookie starting third baseman Morgan Ensberg) and a victory over Team USA (which they will attempt to do again this year).

“We have a reputation as the best semi-pro team in California, and of course we have to defend that title,” Head Coach Bill Pintard said. “This year’s squad has the potential to be one of the best in our history.”

A roster filled with players from college powerhouses like Stanford, USC, Miami, Texas and Cal State Fullerton is set to hit the field at UCSB’s own Caesar Uyesaka Stadium this coming Saturday, June 1.

“We are very excited to welcome back two local boys this year: [Santa Barbara City College’s] Delwyn Young should lead the offense, while [UCSB’s] Matt Vasquez will anchor our starting rotation,” Pintard said.

Young tore the diamond up last summer for the Foresters, becoming an All-American, thanks to a .394 batting average, 29 RBIs and 21 stolen bases. Vasquez, the Gauchos’ ace, played for the Foresters the summer after high school and could put up some gaudy numbers in a league that uses traditional wooden bats. Fellow Gauchos Jarod Edrosolan and Eric Posthumus will help bolster an impressive pitching squad.

The 2002 schedule includes 37 home games, including the annual Fourth of July game at Pershing Park, which draws thousands of fans every year. The Foresters, again, were the only semi-pro team in California invited to play Team USA at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Arizona.

If the Gaucho squad didn’t fill your baseball appetite this spring, come out and watch the Foresters, the best team in town.