The 2024 California League season opens tonight with all eight teams in action for three-game series to kick things off. The matchups are as follows:
VISALIA at INLAND EMPIRE
RANCHO CUCAMONGA at LAKE ELSINORE
FRESNO at SAN JOSE
MODESTO at STOCKTON
The Modesto Nuts take the field at Banner Island Ballpark tonight as the reigning California League champions for the first time since 2017. The 2023 Nuts got hot at the right time, which was ALL THE TIME in the second half. After going 34-32 and finishing six games out in the first half, Modesto went 43-23 in the second half to narrowly win the North division by one game over Fresno. The blistering second half included at 16-game win streak in August/September and finishing the season with 17 wins in the last 19 games.
The playoffs were more of the same with a pair of two-game sweeps to raise the championship banner.
Tonight we start all over and in minor league baseball the players change quickly, so here’s a hat tip to the incredible season that Modesto put together last year. The banner will fly at John Thurman Field for years to come.
