Foresters will honor 2 former stars and current MLB players
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (KEYT) - Two of the top stars from the 2020 NBC World Series Champion Santa Barbara Foresters will be inducted into the team's hall of fame next month.
Jace Jung and Matt Mclain will be honored by the Foresters on Sunday, February 1 starting at 4 p.m. at the Cabrillo Pavilion in Santa Barbara. Foresters longtime medical advisor Dr. Chris Proctor will also be inducted at the annual Hall of Fame Hot Stove Dinner.
The dinner will also honor former trainer Kristy Lash, who herself is battling cancer, and the late Howard Cantor, a longtime volunteer and board member.
Jung was the Foresters MVP in 2020 hitting .404 and leading the team in home runs with 10.
McLain batted .436 in that sensational summer that most consider the best Foresters team of all-time.
The Foresters finished the 2020 season 30-4 and won all four of their World Series games by a combined score of 33-4.
They pitched a combined no-hitter at the NBC Tournament and they did not make an error in those four games.
“Matt and Jace were part of probably the most talented team in Foresters history, which dominated on the way to winning the NBC World Series championship as what some say was the best team in the long history of the NBC,” said longtime manager Bill Pintard. “And both players have gone on to see their Major League dreams come true.”
Dr. Proctor played a part in helping those players and the whole Foresters team navigate that 2020 COVID season, but that was just part of his more than 25 years making sure Foresters players are safe and healthy.
Together, Pintard and Proctor have seen more than 70 Foresters advance to the Major Leagues over the years, including the 2026 inductees. A former UCLA Bruin, has been a Cincinnati Reds shortstop since 2023, when he finished fifth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. (McLain’s teammates include former Foresters Spencer Steer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand.)
Jung joined his brother Josh, also a Foresters Hall of Famer, in the Majors in 2024 when he made the Detroit Tigers. In Jace’s first season, he helped the Tigers make the AL playoffs as a second baseman.
“The Hot Stove is one of our most beloved traditions,” added Pintard. “It’s a way to honor people who have played a big part in our success, but also a way for us to gather and share memories and stories with each other, all while raising money to help the Hugs for Cubs.”
Individual and table tickets are available, as well as sponsorship opportunities. Visit the Foresters website at www.sbforesters.org or write to info@sbforesters.org for more information.
