The562’s baseball coverage in 2025 is sponsored by the Millikan, Long Beach Poly, and Lakewood baseball boosters
The Long Beach City College baseball team is already off and running, with a 5-6 overall as the Vikings try to surpass an epic 2024 that saw them go 30-15 and make a State Super Regional run in the postseason. LBCC has had some up and down results, but has huge upside and carries the No. 10 ranking in the South Region of the State.
“It definitely feels like a roller coaster right now,” said longtime Vikings baseball coach Casey Crook. “But there have obviously been some really good pitching performances, and if we can get them to string more innings together while they’re out there…pitching is already probably the strength of our team, but it could become a really strong piece of the puzzle that carries us.”
The ace on the team is one of those classic junior college stories that highlight the need for JC sports, and a “second chance” for local athlete. Wilson alum Myles Dismute, a 6-3 200 pound right handed pitcher, was hurt throughout much of his high school career, and was ready to hang up the cleats.
“We were on the bus my senior year after we had just lost our last game, and I was going back and forth on whether I should even play,” said Dismute. “I texted my brother because he had a job lined up for me. He was like, ‘Just try out. Just got try out at Long Beach and see what happens.’”
Dismute showed his stuff and made the team, but grayshirted while recovering from injury, just rehabbing and getting stronger. That was a grind in and of itself, and after a year of working with no games, Dismute again considered stepping away from the game.
“You get to a point where you’re like, ‘What am I doing?’” he said. “I was like let me be realistic with myself.”
A conversation with the Vikings’ strength training coach helped convince him to stick it out. Sure enough, last year as a freshman he had a sensational year, starting 14 games with a 3.62 ERA, striking out nearly six per game. He spent the summer with Vikings pitching coach Josh Frye in Wisconsin playing for the La Crosse Loggers, suiting up with Division 1 athletes in the Northwoods League. He excelled there and came back motivated to have a big sophomore campaign.
“Frye is a great guy, he changed my life,” said Dismute. “As soon as he came to the program it changed everything for me. I was topping out at 80-81, and as I listened to everything he told me to do everything started getting better.”
Other key pitchers will be Millikan product Logan Carr, who has developed into a great power pitcher as a starter. Max Ghiglieri is a De La Salle product that’s shown great promise as a lefty. Niko Riera is another pitcher with promise as a bounceback from UC Irvine. Crook also likes Johann Gibbs, Thomas Adair, Sean Lovett, and Cesar Corrales as pitching options.
Crook normally rolls his eyes at JC coaches saying “we’re going to be young,” because junior college rosters are always young. That being said, the Vikings will be young, with a lot of spots to fill from last year’s 30-win squad.
Crook likes his infield in Jackson Pohl, Eshua Desai, and Danny Rodriguez. Cross Stephens has joined the fray as a rare Texas recruit for the Vikings.
“They’ve all had some good offensive games, but we got a lot of guys who need to step up offensively, and that’s what we’re working on right now.”
The Vikings begin conference play this week against ELAC and will host Cerritos on March 13, as part of another big conference series.
