Mexican American Baseball in the Central Coast pays tribute to the teams
and players who brought joy and honor to their fans and communities in
Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Baseball was played before
enthusiastic crowds in Piru, Santa Paula, Fillmore, Ventura, Oxnard,
Camarillo, Ojai, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Santa Maria,
Guadalupe, Lompoc, and other communities. Players and their families
helped create the economic infrastructure and prosperity that are
evident today in the Central Coast. For women, softball was a social
counterbalance to the strict cultural roles defined by society. Many
former players dedicated their lives to the unrelenting struggle for
social justice, while others devoted themselves to youth sports. This
book remedies the glaring omission of baseball images and stories of
Mexican American neighborhoods in the Central Coast of California.