Humboldt Crabs Baseball

By Ray Hamill — The Humboldt Crabs are back in town for the summer season, as they get set for Friday night’s opener at the Arcata Ball Park.

New manager Jeff Giacomini and his coaching staff held their first practice on Wednesday and the local summer collegiate team will kick off the new campaign with a three-game weekend series against the Novato Knicks.

Game one is set for Friday night at 7 p.m., and as usual a big crowd is expected to be on hand for the first game of the best summer sporting tradition here on the North Coast.

Giacomini, a former Crabs player and longtime assistant coach, takes over this summer from Robin Guiver, who stepped down at the end of the 2025 season.

And he had 21 players on hand for the first practice with a roster the new manager expects to be well-rounded.

“I think we have really good balance,” said Giacomini, who also took over recruiting duties from Guiver. “It’s my first year (recruiting), and I made a lot of great positive relationships with a variety of different schools, and a lot of D-1s, and I’m really excited about who we have coming in.”

The new squad includes six local players — outfielder Daniel Osborne and pitchers Cody Collins, Aidan Dorsch, Jackson Kelly, Ben Lukens and Miles Oliver — and will be expected to contend for this year’s Pacific Empire League championship after finishing second to the Healdsburg Prune Packers last summer.

But that’s far from the only goal for this year’s Crabs team.

“That’s always a goal,” Giacomini said of winning the league. “It’s always something we’re talking about, but our No. 1 goal is to keep our guys healthy and also the development of the players. We want to get them back to school better than when they came here.”

With so many new faces on hand and a limited roster to choose from, the opening weekend is always a challenge, especially with the players and coaches getting accustomed to each other.

Humboldt Crabs Baseball – Jeff Giacomini

Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Matt Tomlin

“We’re all feeling each other out,” Giacomini said. “And they’re getting acclimated to the area.”

This year’s team also sees some new coaches in the dugout, with Matt Tomlin of St. Bernard’s and Tommy Gale of Eureka joining Giacomini’s staff, along with returning assistant coach John Bryant.

Gale has previously worked alongside Giacomini at Eureka High and the Humboldt B52s.

“I’m really excited to have Tommy on board,” the new manager said. “We’ve maintained a very close friendship throughout the years and Tommy brings a lot to the table.

“I’m also really excited to have Tomlin. He has a lot to offer. He’s been very successful here for a long time, in a lot of sports. And we’re happy to have JB back. He has a wealth of knowledge. He’s played professional baseball and played at a very high level, and he does a great job with the hitters.”

Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – Eureka High’s Tommy Gale joins the Crabs coaching staff this summer.

Winning a first-ever PEL would be a big accomplishment for the club this summer, but whether that happens or not the season is about far more than that.

The Crabs and their fans have been a huge part of summer sports here on the North Coast ever since the club was founded back in 1945, and Giacomini wants to ensure that continues to be the case under his watch.

“I’m very confident that we’re going to win a lot more games than we lose, and we’re hoping to be one of the top contenders for the PEL and give the fans something to come out and cheer for,” he said. “We’re just honored to keep carrying that torch.”

Saturday’s game against the Knicks is set for 6:30 p.m., with the series finale set for Sunday at 12:30 p.m.

The Crabs will also play their annual early-season matchup against the Humboldt Eagles 19U team on Wednesday night, with first pitch set for 7 p.m.

Giacomini is the ninth manager in club history.

Humboldt Crabs Baseball

Humboldt Crabs Baseball