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Charlie Taylor of the OC Riptide rounds the bases in a game last season. (Photo courtesy OC Riptide).
The Orange County Riptide, founded in 2015, is preparing for another season at the Great Park Stadium in Irvine.
Team officials said the Riptide stands out because it is the only collegiate wood bat summer baseball team playing in Orange County. The team offers free admission and free parking at the Orange County Great Park in Irvine.
The team’s first game is Tuesday, June 7 at 6:35 p.m. vs. the Ventura Pirates.
Founder and current General Manager Moe Geoghegan moved the OC Riptide into the Great Park in 2019 and it has been the squad’s home since. The Riptide joined California Collegiate League in 2016,
As a wood bat collegiate summer ball team, the OC Riptide allows college baseball players to develop their abilities, make friendships, and showcase their talents in front of Major League Baseball scouts and live-stream viewers from across the country and Riptide players are not associated with any one college during the summer, according to team officials.
The team roster consists of a combination of primarily Division 1 players along with a mix of D2, D3, NAIA and community college student-athletes.
“The players get to play with other players from different schools and other conferences. Sometimes it’s unique when they play with players from their conference and they go back to their schools… and it makes it fun when they play in conference games the following year,” Geoghegan said.
OC Riptide tickets are free and when attending a game, OC baseball fans can expect to see promotional events along with several MLB scouts present complete with radar guns and notepads, officials added.
—Courtesy Ari Wohl, OC Riptide
