San Rafael Pacifics Face New Foe: The Santa Cruz Seaweed

SANTA CRUZ, CA — This season the San Rafael Pacifics faced a new opponent in the independent Pecos League of Professional Baseball Clubs: The Santa Cruz Seaweed.

The Santa Cruz Seaweed is the fourth team in the greater San Francisco Bay Area to play in the Houston-based league's Pacific Division. The new team will play its rival across the bay — the Monterey Amberjacks — as well as the Pacifics, Martinez Sturgeon, Wasco Reserves and Bakersfield Train Robbers.

The team is currently ranked third in the league's Pacific Division standings, one spot above the Pacifics.

The decision to come to Santa Cruz was an easy one, said Pecos League Commissioner Andrew Dunn, who chose Surf City over roughly 20 interested cities. The weather is cool, the location of the city complements the other Bay Area teams and cuts down on players' travel costs, and Harvey West Park had availability to host games, he said.

The league initially planned to launch the Santa Cruz Seaweed team in 2020, but coronavirus pandemic restrictions pushed back opening day. Despite getting off to a late start, the team's first home game last month sold out, Dunn said.

"I think [Santa Cruz] is a great place" for baseball, he said. "We obviously proved that."

The Santa Cruz Seaweed comprises 20 players, many of whom live in the area, Dunn said.

Like seaweed, the team's colors are shades of green: Kelly, lime and forest.

Learn more about the Santa Cruz Seaweed here.