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Tough and talented: Healdsburg Prune Packers thriving nearly a decade into skipper Joey Gomes’ tenure
Under coach and GM Joey Gomes, the summer baseball club has become an ever-growing hub that’s showcasing and producing some of the best talent of tomorrow.
The success is nothing new for the Packers under Gomes. Since he took over in 2014 and revamped the club into a destination for top-tier college players, the Packers have an overall record of 291-98, have finished no worse than third in the CCL standings and won the debut CCL state championship last season.
And while the wining is nice and has created a fun environment for the fans at the old Recreation Park in Healdsburg, that’s just a byproduct of Gomes’ primary goal with the Packers — player development — which has arguably been the organization’s biggest calling card.
-The Press Democrat
Like Fine Wine, The CCL's Prune Packers Are Getting Better With Time
Set in the rolling hills of California Wine Country, the Healdsburg experience is a special one. Fans are treated to not only top-quality baseball bolstered by a stable of MLB prospects, including 2019 No. 3 overall pick Andrew Vaughn, but also the history and heritage epitomized by the Prune Packers’ Recreation Park.
The Prune Packers may be known as the team with the memorable moniker located in a picturesque town, but their uniqueness has not stopped them from becoming a force in college summer baseball.
The Prune Packers were recently ranked as high as No. 6 in the nation by the Collegiate Summer Baseball Register. With their relaxed attitude off the field and unrelenting ambition in the game, the Prune Packers have excelled under Gomes’ tutelage and put Healdsburg on the baseball map.
-CCL
Healdsburg Prune Packers Baseball Team Wins Back-to-Back California State Championships
General Manager and Head Coach, Joey Gomes says, "It warms my heart to see the growth and development of the Healdsburg Prune Packers. Embraced by the community and players that come to our little Wine Country town. These young student-athletes come together for two months for the opportunity to have a summer to remember forever. Winning is the byproduct of coming together and working hard."
-BVM Sports
Prune Packers baseball and Rec Park squeeze fun, good baseball and old friends into the storied stands
It’s been dubbed, in these pages and by those who ought to know, as “the sweetest little ballpark in Northern California.” When the Prune Packers formed in 1921, they quickly became one of the best semi-pro teams in the state, according to an article in the Healdsburg Museum and Historical Society’s publication Russian River Recorder.
-The Press Democrat
Prune Packers, Blues Face-off in Rematch of 2021 Championship, Healdsburg Wins 8-3
Prune Packers Head Coach and General Manager Joey Gomes spoke highly of sticking to a daily routine as a team. “I’d like to credit just our daily routines,” Gomes explained. “Really, it’s just sticking to a really strict routine.”
Gomes also recognizes the importance of grabbing that first victory, and the importance of not becoming complacent afterward. “The first thing that we all talked about when we got back there was the job’s not done,” Gomes stated. “But absolutely getting the first win is certainly nice.
-CCL
Prune Packers Coming to the Plate for Healdsburg Little League Juniors
The Prune Packers summer collegiate baseball team is excited to hear that Healdsburg Little League has been chosen to host both the Little League Junior’s Sectional and Little League Junior’s State Post Season Tournaments at historic Recreation Park. Both Recreation Park and the Healdsburg Prune Packers are celebrating their 100th Anniversary so it is a fitting year for Little League to be chosen for two prestigious tournaments. Time to “Play Ball”!
Prune Packers off to fast, 4-1 start on summer baseball circuit
The Healdsburg Prune Packers gave local fans a taste of things to come in the first week of California Collegiate League baseball action, claiming four wins in five outings. The Pack opened the 2021 campaign with an electrifying, 13-9 victory over the visiting Solano Mudcats, followed by wins over the Lincoln Potters (5-1), Nor Cal U (10-0) and Game Prep Trojans (2-0). Their lone loss came in a 2-0 setback to the Walnut Creek Crawdads on June 10.
“The pitching has been stellar,” veteran GM/manager Joey Gomes said. “They’re a confident group — they attack, are aggressive and don’t give an inch.”
-The Healdsburg Tribune