After a five year hiatus caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the prestigious Area Code Baseball Games are coming back to Long Beach.
Since 1987, the Area Code Games have been a premier talent showcase for the top amateur baseball players in America. The showcase brings in hundreds of scouts, coaches, and other baseball personnel to check out the next generation of baseball stars, and this August the games will return to Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.
The Area Code Games were a fixture in Long Beach since their arrival in 1995, but had to relocate in 2020 due to California’s health and safety regulations amidst the COVID-19 outbreak. After spending a year in Atlanta, the Area Code Games have been played at the University of San Diego for the past three years.
“Our goal was always to get back to Blair, because of the history of that place and the history of the event,” said Kirsten Leetch, Director of the Area Code Baseball Games. “We’re so appreciative of USD taking us in when they could, but it’s also very nice to be back at Blair, and it’s been such a tradition, right? Area Codes and Blair Field. That’s been kind of the icon.”
Leetch said the feedback she’s received has been overwhelmingly positive, and that everyone seems to be excited to have the games back home in Long Beach.
“I think most of the baseball world is happy to be back there,” Leetch said. “I don’t know, it’s kind of funny to me how much the scouts love it. Major League Baseball scouts love Blair Field.”
It’s a big win for the Long Beach State baseball program too, allowing the Dirtbags to showcase their ever-improving facilities to the best players in the country.
“We’re happy to have the Area Code Games back at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field,” said Dirtbags head coach Bryan Peters. “There’s a lot of conversation when we’re on the road from other coaches and scouts asking about bringing Area Codes back to Bohl Diamond at Blair Field, and we don’t blame them. There’s just something that feels right about this prestigious event being held at our historic venue. It feels like we’re bringing the Area Code Games back home.”
Over the decades, scores of past and present MLB stars have competed at Blair Field: Albert Pujols, Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, Nolan Arenado, Clayton Kershaw, Gerrit Cole, Austin Riley, Blake Snell, Corbin Carroll, Bobby Witt, Jr., Hunter Greene, Royce Lewis, and countless others. Even stars from other sports have played in the games, including Colin Kaepernick, Russell Wilson, and DeSean Jackson.
“Personally, I get a kick out of watching videos of MLB draftees when the footage was taken at our home field,” Peters continued. “We welcome the coaches, scouts, and families, along with the best prospects in the nation to come show off their skills at Bohl Diamond at Blair field and enjoy the history, the tradition, the grounds, the amenities, the atmosphere, and the weather. There’s just no place like it and the more people that get to experience it, the better.”
Long Beach has also had a number of high school players improve their draft stock and hone their skills in the Area Code Games, with names like J.P. Crawford, Chase De Jong, Spencer Steer (pictured above), Brendon Davis, and others receiving invitations to compete on the Southern California squad.
In fact, current Long Beach State Athletic Director Bobby Smitheran was once a participant in the Area Code Games, before going on to a playing career at the University of New Mexico. He understood the history of the event and its ties to Long Beach, and according to Leetch, he was instrumental in rekindling the partnership.
“Bobby has a strong baseball background, he knew about Area Code Games, and we appealed to his side, like, what can we do to get back there?” said Leetch. “The big thing the last couple of years was the price point, and Bobby was able to work out some of the pricing for us to make it a little bit more reasonable. And in the end, that’s where we wanted to go.”
The Area Code Baseball Games are run by Student Sports, LLC located in Torrance, which makes Long Beach a much more convenient location for Leetch and the rest of the staff. She also said that hotel rates in Long Beach will be much more affordable compared to San Diego, making it easier on players’ families to come watch their kid play.
Leetch hopes this is the beginning of another long-term partnership between the Area Code Games and Bohl Diamond at Blair Field, and the event has expanded a bit since the last time it was in Long Beach.
The Underclass Games will also be played at Blair Field for the first time, and will take place prior to the standard Area Code Games. This will give younger players from the 2026 and 2027 class the opportunity to showcase their skills to college coaches, and perhaps get on the radar of MLB scouts.
The Underclass Games will take place from August 5-8, 2024, followed by the full-scale Area Code Baseball Games August 8-13.
For more information on the Area Code Games, visit their website.
