2026 MSBL National Hall of Fame Inductee: Blake Burgard, League President, Santa Barbara Men’s Senior Baseball League
By Steve LaMontia-Carlentini, MSBL Director of Communications
Blake Burgard has carved out quite a legacy as League President of the Santa Barbara MSBL. Well, legacy may not be exactly accurate right now, since Blake is only 51 years old. The word ‘legacy’ is usually reserved for someone possibly a couple of decades older. But he is certainly doing something right.
His MSBL career began in 2003 as a member of the Griffith Park Pirates in our then-LA league and moved to Santa Barbara in 2004.
“The first thing I did when I rolled into town was call the league president,” recalled Blake. “That led to a wonderful relationship and many new friends.”
Blake cared about what he was doing and was always grateful for the opportunity to keep playing ball, so they made him president of the league in 2012. He has also been a regular MSBL World Series attendee since 2004.
Because of his attention to detail in Santa Barbara, and his World Series passion, MSBL Founder and President Steve Sigler has honored Blake by inducting him into the 2026 class of the MSBL National Hall of Fame.
“I am definitely honored to receive this award,” said Blake. “It takes a lot to run a league and deal with all of the teams and their issues. It’s a recognition that my work to bring this game of baseball to my community has been noticed on a national level by the guy who created MSBL. It is very special. It means a lot that he has noticed the work it takes to squeeze 14 or 16 teams from this small community.”
The Santa Barbara Men’s Adult Baseball League is a 16-team wood bat adult baseball league that started in 1992. They are a tax-exempt 503(c)(4) non-profit organization created to promote community and brotherhood through gentlemanly competition in the beautiful American game of baseball. They now offer competition for 18+, 30+, and 45+ divisions. Blake is a catcher for the Whalers in the 30+ division and the Seals in the 45+ division.
“We have a great marine history of fishing and wineries. People vacation from LA because we’re close yet beautiful. It’s only about an hour and a half away. We’re a wonderful getaway. We also have our own airport in Santa Barbara. We have many people who have visited and then arranged to have the furniture sent.”
Blake is retired from law enforcement and, by his own admission, a professional dad.
“Yeah, I shuffle my son around to school, Cub Scouts, the whole deal. I’m retired from the Police Department and love my life of family and baseball.”
Blake is a big tournament presence and has been playing at the MSBL World Series since 2004.
“I have gone to Arizona every year since 2004 and love every second of it. I also recently went to a Field of Dreams tournament in Iowa. The new pro field they just constructed is amazing. It’s the nicest field I have ever played on.”
Blake’s tournament team is the Santa Barbara Black Sheep. Managing a tournament team can certainly have its pitfalls.
“Finding the balance of playing time and winning is a continuing issue. Some teams bring 30 guys, and some bring 14. It’s hard to find enough playing time for everyone. We try to keep realistic numbers so that everyone can have a good time, yet stay competitive.”
Blake played ball through high school and then thought that was it, at least for ten years, until he found MSBL.
“It’s a blessing to continue to play the game we love. In football you hang up your high school cleats, and that’s it. In our great game, you can play as long as you want and play against guys who feel the same way. It’s not work; it’s an honor.”
We asked Blake what his biggest highlight has been from his MSBL league or tournament play thus far.
“My biggest moment was the first game I played in MSBL in 2003 after not having played in ten years. I was super nervous. It was at Glendale Community College, and I hit a home run, which felt so validating because I was a backup in high school. I also threw a guy out at second while catching. I found myself batting third from that day on!
The second special moment, back in 2018, is that one of my good friends had passed away, and we changed our team name to Double Downs because that was his nickname. We went out and won the championship that year in his honor.
Another highlight was when a friend in Singapore asked us to find a few guys and come play in Hong Kong. It was such a great experience that we put our own team together and went back later on. Baseball is a huge market back there. We played against a team from Russia. We didn’t all need to speak the same language. We all spoke the language of baseball.” 
Are there any individuals you would like to thank for helping your baseball career?
“Yes, Dan Catalini, who was my first baseball friend when I moved to Santa Barbara. He was also the first league president. Also, Eric Davis. Back in 2003, he talked me into going to the league tryout. Forever thankful, Eric!”
Any final thoughts about this special Hall of Fame honor?
“MSBL is more than just baseball, but like a fraternity. All the sacrifices we make to play are all worth it.
I can’t just plug in any person or player. As president, it’s about relationships. Players, field owners, all sorts of problems. Maintaining relationships is the key component to being successful.
I don’t burn my bridges. Players come from all around to play here. There are maybe 125,000 people in our area. If we could find more fields, I have no doubt we could really expand the league.”