2024 Sacramento Redbirds History Comes Full Circle with 2024 18+ Summer League Championship
Sacramento MSBL, Summer League 18+ National Division
Redbirds 14, Team USA 7 (Game three in best-of-three championship series)
Sacramento, CA – The Redbirds story goes back to the year 2000 when Ryan Harris and Brian Nix put the team together and entered the Sacramento NABA 18AAA Division. After two seasons the Birds earned their first championship in 2002. After seven years in the 18AAA Division the team made the decision to move into the 28+ Division where they immediately took charge with a championship, ultimately winning three championships in that division over a five-year period.
In 2012 many of the teams in NABA made the decision to move to the newly formed Cordova Men’s Baseball League (CMBL) The Redbirds dominated the 32+ Division with four straight championships between 2014 and 2017. In 2018 the CMBL disbanded and joined with the Sacramento MSBL. The Redbirds took to the 18 American West Division with a championship in their first year in the league.
After a 5-year championship run, the team moved up to the top level in 2019. After two years in an extremely tough 18 National Division, the now older Redbirds decided to move back down to the 18 American Division. Now managed by Sam Calagna, the Redbirds picked up some younger players and took home another back-to-back championship.
In 2023, the Birds joined forces with Coach Steve Sanford and a solid group of guys from the Red Sox. With some new life, the Birds entered back into the top 18 National Division. In 2024 the Redbirds came full circle with an 18 National Division championship, back at the top of the helm like they were shortly after forming back in 2002.
Many of the veteran Redbirds have moved on to greener pastures (golfing), but a few of them still remain. Benjamin Barker (IF/OF/P), Darin Reintjes (P), and Sam Calagna (C) have a combined 40 years with the club. Other 2024 Redbirds include Andre Bates (3B/1B), Shawn Franklin (OF), Miguel Rubio Jr. (IF/OF), Lou Fisher (P/RF), Chris Murphy (CF), Andrew Rubalcava (1B/C), Derek Luque (C/3B), Brian Murphy (LF/P), Jorge Perez (P/SS), Willie Salas (SS/2B/P), Kriston Lambert (OF), Alex Boortz (SS), Gavin Sarantakos (2B/P), and Eric Aller (IF).
The Redbirds made a strong run at the top level in 2023 with a loss to the Hops in the playoffs. The 2024 season started off a little slow with a handful of close losses in the first half of the season. The team turned things on in the second half of the season and was able to squeak into the playoffs.
The batting lineup in the regular season was led by Miguel Rubio Jr. with a .455 batting average over 35 plate appearances, and Andrew Rubalcava with a .403 batting average over 75 plate appearances. Chris (Coco) Murphy, Andre Bates, Willie Salas, Lou Fisher, Derek Luque, and Shawn Franklin all ended the season with a batting average over .300. Pitching was led by Darin Reintjes who threw 79 innings in the regular season with a 6-3 record and 3.53 ERA.
The playoff series led off against a strong Los Perros. Darin Reintjes threw for eight innings and Jorge Perez closed the door in the ninth. Los Perros were able to pull off eight runs in the game, but the Redbirds’ bats were hot and ran off with a 20-8 victory. Andrew Rubalcava had an impressive 5-hit day with five runs, and Willie Salas scored five runs with a triple, a double, and three walks.
However, the story of the day was Jorge Perez, who completed a rarely seen cycle with two base hits, a double, a triple, and a home run, to put together a combined eight RBIs and five runs scored.
The Redbirds were hot going into the next round where the Birds were set to face an extremely tough matchup against the Angels. The game was tight with a 1-0 score through seven innings. The Redbirds bats came alive in the eighth inning with four more runs thanks to a bases-loaded double by Andrew Rubalcava. The Redbirds held off the Angels with a complete game shutout by Darin Reintjes, giving the Birds a 5-0 win.
With Team USA taking care of business against the Hops, the Redbirds were set to take on a long-time rival in the championship series. Darin Reintjes again pitched a complete game to get past Team USA with a 3-1 win in Game one. Miguel Rubio Jr., Jorge Perez, and Andre Bates combined for seven hits to give the Birds the edge.
Reintjes returned the following week for Game two but wasn’t able to get the job done. Team USA came out hot on both offense and defense and handed the Redbirds a 7-0 loss. In a must-win Game three, the Redbirds fired right back with lead-off doubles from Chris Murphy and Willie Salas and a string of six runs in the first inning.
Adding on four more runs in the second inning, the squad took on a commanding 10-0 lead after just two innings. Miguel Rubio Jr. led the bats with three runs scored and three RBIs, followed by Lou Fisher with two runs and three RBIs, Sam Calagna with two RBIs, and Ben Barker and Jorge Perez each adding an RBI. Jorge Perez cruised through nine innings on the mound and the Redbirds came out victorious with a 14-7 victory to seal the Redbirds 12th championship as a club!