These Long Beach Coast pitchers play hard and throw harder

If baseball is chess, pitchers are king. The pitching mound, both a place of power and vulnerability, is the beating heart of a baseball game, and how a pitcher executes their moves — a slider, a curveball, a fastball — decides the battle.

Long Beach Coast has anointed 13 players with this responsibility. It’s the most fleshed out part of the roster that Manager Troy Percival and Assistant Coaches Jerome Williams and Troy Glaus have been assembling over the span of five months.

Most of the pitching staff didn’t have to travel far to get here, with the majority boasting a California background. Others are coming from Texas, Louisiana and Nevada to round out the Coast’s bullpen.

Long Beach Coast relief pitcher JJ Almeda poses at the Blair Field dugout, on the same field he practiced on as a kid in Long Beach Dirtbags camps. (Samuel Chako | Signal Tribune)

JJ Almeda

For right handed pitcher JJ Almeda, it was a 20-minute drive down the 710 from Lynwood to Long Beach to tryout in December. His journey has spanned much further over the last decade. The 26-year-old spent last year pitching for the Major Baseball League (MLB) affiliate team Trenton Thunder in New Jersey.

Two years earlier, he was throwing fastballs at Colorado Mesa University. Still, he remembers learning to play in an East Long Beach Pony league and participating in Long Beach State summer skills camps on Bohl Diamond at Blair Field.

“It’s definitely a full circle moment, kind of coming back to where my baseball career started,” Almeda told the Signal Tribune on March 23.

Like many ball players, Almeda started playing when he was young — just 5 years old. Unlike many players though, he took up pitching at 18 years old, and made his debut on the mound at 21. Under the guidance of his coach Hector Zamora at Cerritos College, he made the transition from outfielder to pitcher his freshman year, a move he called life-changing.

One month before he was primed to make his pitching debut in 2019, Almeda tore his UCL and needed Tommy John surgery. A global pandemic shortly followed, and three years passed before he was able to throw his first in-game pitch. With the support of his family, coaching staff and strength training team, Almeda said he was able to fight through what he refers to as the “dark days.”

“It was almost 2 years of rehabbing and then just kind of waiting, waiting my turn to get on the mound and being able to showcase the work that I’ve been putting in day in and day out,” Almeda said. “Those dark days just kind of turned into light after it all.”

What kept him grounded during that time?

“My grandfather,” Almeda quickly answered, though fighting back tears. “He passed away my first year at Mesa from liver cancer, but he was always pushing me to be the best person possible. He always wanted me to graduate college with a degree, he wanted me to be the first male of my family to earn a degree and be able to pitch in college … he always had my back, no matter what, and even when he was going through his chemo and everything he always supported me.”

Almeda’s grandfather passed away before he got to see his grandson make his pitching debut, but his spirit is what motivated Almeda to keep fighting. Not only through his injury, but through the culture shock and homesickness he felt in Colorado, heightened by him being the only Latino player on the team.

From left to right, Long Beach Coast pitcher Brett Wozniak, Pitching coach Jerome Williams, pitchers Nathan Hemmerling and JJ Almeda pose next to the Long Beach Coast backdrop on March 26,2026 as they attend the LBC executive luncheon where they introduced themselves and spoke with the different Long Beach marketers and sponsors. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)

He didn’t have to wait long to know he made the right decision. Almeda’s second year as a pitcher earned him a spot on the all-region second team in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and on the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference all-tournament team.

He learned from Colorado Mesa alumnus and three-time World Series champ Sergio Romo to use his off-speed strength to throw batters off his scent, that not every pitch has to be 99 miles per hour to be dominant. Almeda honed his low-90s pitches, his sliders and curveballs and built his arsenal of approaches over his two years in Colorado.

Almeda spent last year pitching with the Thunder, where he threw 20.1 innings without allowing a run, breaking the league’s single-season record. He also tied for second in saves with 3. He was ready for a new chapter, perhaps coaching or scouting, when Oakland Ballers coach Aaron Miles offered Almeda a spot on their team a few months ago. He opted for a Long Beach homecoming instead.

Long Beach Regulator pitchers JJ Almeda (left) and Brett Wozniak (right) show off the Pioneer Baseball League baseballs with Long Beach Regulator/Coast merchandise, which the team unveiled in March. The Regulator’s first game of the season on May 19 against the Yuba-Sutter Free Birds in Marysville. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)

Since returning to SoCal, Almeda has taken on a new role as coach of the junior varsity baseball team at his alma mater Warren High School in Downey. With inner city pride, an immigrant background and fond memories of learning to play in Long Beach fields, Almeda was damn near destined to play for the Long Beach Coast/Regulators.

The June 2 home opener will mark the first time many of his family and friends are able to see him pitch.

“It’s definitely a privilege and honor to be able to come here,” he said. “Just being able to represent my community and all the Hispanic kids, and kind of let kids know that they also have a chance to do the same thing I’m doing.”

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Zach Voelker

For right-hander Zach Voelker, his homecoming is of the collegiate persuasion. It’s been four years since Voelker’s last outing at Blair Field, back when his jersey read “Dirtbags.”

Although he transferred after one year in Long Beach to the University of Iowa, Voelker is looking forward to reuniting with his old college venue.

“I love Long Beach,” Voelker said. “It was great to be a Dirtbag so I’m super excited to come back and play in Long Beach again and play at Blair.”

Voelker remembers what a Long Beach fanbase is capable of and anticipates a lively crowd during Coast home games. Familiar territory will be a nice turn of events for the right handed pitcher, who has played for independent league teams for the Evansville Otters, Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers and Great Falls Voyagers in 2025 alone.

Zach Voelker played one year with the Long Beach State Dirtbags in 2022, and will make his return to the Bohl Diamond mound this season with the Long Beach Coast. (Photo by John Fajardo)

“It’s been a lot when you’re bouncing around like that in-season, just having to travel and move to a new spot and meet a whole new group of guys, but I think it’s helped me a lot,” Voelker said. “I’ve got to work with a bunch of different coaches and see different mindsets on things, and I’ve taken a little bit from each spot to help shape my game and turn me into the player I am today.”

Lucky for Voelker, Long Beach Coast’s front office and coaching staff has accolades that speak for themselves. Managing the Coast is Percival, a former four-time All-Star in the big leagues with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Williams spent 11 seasons in the Majors, as well as one season coaching Voelker last year with the High Wheelers.

“That was a big reason for coming to Long Beach,” Voelker said of his connection with Williams. “So excited to work with him for a full season here and get to learn as much as possible.”

Long Beach Coast Assistant Coach and former MLB starting pitcher Jerome Williams talks with players for the Coast and mingles with executives of local Long Beach businesses on March 26, 2026. (Samuel Chacko | Signal Tribune)

Voelker’s focus this year will be striking hitters out. In 2025, Voelker recorded 42 strikeouts in 32.1 innings, or 11.7 strikeouts per nine innings, which was a considerable increase from his 9.24 rate in 2024.

“Whenever I get to two strikes, I’m always trying to put them away and get a strikeout, so that’s definitely a point of emphasis,” Voelker said. “This year, I want to continue to strike guys out and limit the walks a little bit.”

One part that helps Voelker send batters back to the dugout is his pitch speed. He’ll need all of his skills functioning in harmony for the Coast’s inaugural season, as he said he expects the team to compete right away despite being an expansion franchise.

“We’re going to give it everything we got everyday, and hopefully bring a championship back home to Long Beach in the first season there,” Voelker said.

Kristofer Bow

It’s no small feat to be drafted by one of the MLB’s premier organizations. Relief pitcher Kristofer Bow experienced that high when the New York Yankees selected him in the 14th round of the 2022 MLB Draft.

Baseball can be fickle, though. Bow pitched 76.1 innings for the Tampa Tarpons, the Yankees’ Single-A affiliate, and had multiple stints on the injured list before the organization ultimately let him go.

Bow said the time spent in a Major League organization was a learning experience.

Pitcher Kristofer Bow brings MLB Single-A experience and a penchant for strikeouts to Long Beach Coast’s pitching arsenal. (Courtesy of Southern Nevada Athletics)

“I went through some adversity, for sure,” Bow said. “There were times where I was humbled, and there were times where I saw success, and it taught me a lot.”

Those lessons have culminated in new approaches to taking care of his body, especially after coming off rehabilitation from injury.

“I’ve definitely done some work on diving into certain training methods and kind of getting into more of the diet side of things,” Bow said. “I’m taking a holistic approach to everything that I’m doing. Over time, you learn more and more things and get to meet new people who are giving you more advice and mentors who are allowing you to open your mind to new things.”

Bow’s position with the Coast marks the first time he’ll pitch for a West Coast team since his collegiate days at the College of Southern Nevada. Bow embraces the friendly pitching environment California provides.

“There’s nothing better than pitching in a place like California,” Bow said. “The elevation is perfect, the weather in the climate is perfect for it.”

Another selling point for Bow was the Coast’s coaching staff, namely Percival.

“[Percival] has got fire to him that I like to add to my own game,” he said. “I’m a fiery type of guy and I like to compete, and he’s the same type of dude so it’s good to be under somebody who’s relatable.”

One of Bow’s positive attributes on the mound is his ability to strike out batters. In 81 innings with the Yankees’ minor league system, Bow recorded 85 strikeouts. Although he can get at least one batter out on three strikes per inning, he is more focused on contributing to winning baseball.

“I think strikeouts are important but that’s more of an individual stat,” Bow said. “Helping the team win is the most important thing… So strikeouts are important, yes, but getting outs and limiting walks are huge.”

Long Beach Coast’s inaugural home opener takes place on June 2 at Blair Field at 4700 Deukmejian Drive. Single-game tickets, season passes and various packages can be purchased on the team’s website.