By Jordan Kimball, Beat Writer
Since the Stompers were founded in 2014, the team has gone through plenty of changes, but superfan Jeff Garrison has remained loyal through it all. Photo by Phil Duncan
The ball hung in the air for a moment before dropping into Jeff Garrison’s glove. It sailed in slowly, each spin prolonging time. It was the Stompers’ first pitch at Arnold Field, and Garrison had to be the one behind the plate. His father, Warren, wouldn’t have thrown it otherwise.
Children frolicked through the gates as their parents tried to keep up. Blue skies were overhead. A buzz flowed through Arnold Field — one Garrison had anticipated for years. The smell of freshly cut grass filled the air. The pop of the glove echoed through the stadium. Professional baseball had arrived in Sonoma.
A month into the inaugural 2014 season, the Stompers had yet to step onto their own diamond. They’d traveled to San Rafael, Vallejo and Pittsburg as Sonoma County’s Babe Ruth league occupied their field. When they finally arrived, it was a moment that had been months in the making. The community united. Pro baseball felt unfamiliar to all fans except one: Garrison.
He’d attended nearly all of the Stompers’ road games, forming relationships with General Manager Theo Fightmaster and numerous players. Garrison couldn’t get enough of it, aiming to establish a legacy that would positively impact the team and its fans.
“We were spoiled. It was a really good brand of ball. Having to go nowhere for a professional level was just incredible,” Garrison said.
As the Stompers gear up for a playoff run in 2025, the team’s identity has evolved since that season. No longer a professional club, they’ve transitioned to a collegiate level with a renewed focus on youth development. Yet, Garrison’s commitment remains. He attends nearly 40 games each season, as loyal as ever, with no intention of slowing down.
“We were definitely missing a team for our hometown and something that could bring our community closer. Who doesn’t love baseball?” Garrison’s stepdaughter, Amber Brown, said. “It’s brought a lot of people who didn’t know each other together as a family.”
Garrison was relaxing in his home in El Verano — about 2.5 miles west of Arnold Field — flipping through the Sonoma Index-Tribune. On Jan. 1, 2014, he came across an advertisement suggesting professional baseball might be coming to Sonoma. Excitement rushed through his mind, but a decision hadn’t been made.
For Garrison, pro baseball in Sonoma had been a quiet wish. However, he left work each day at 2 p.m. and drove north to Healdsburg or south to San Rafael, unable to shake the idea of watching that same level in his own town.
Jeff Garrison watches the Stompers while proudly wearing his 2016 Pacific Association Champions sweatshirt. He and his wife, Kim, were in San Rafael when Sonoma clinched the title. Photo by Phil Duncan
One Saturday soon after, a city council meeting took place at the Sonoma Police Department. Garrison couldn’t attend, so his wife, Kim, went in his place.
With over 300 people in attendance, Fightmaster presented what the Stompers would bring to Wine Country. He spoke about their schedule, the Pacific Association and the support they’d need from others.
The room was split.
A large group of people, representing the condominiums and townhouses adjacent to Arnold Field, stood up. One man spoke. He didn’t want to listen to an announcer each night. His argument was straightforward, but Kim didn’t care.
“Why would you move next to three built baseball fields, a football field and a soccer field? If you don’t wanna live here, you never should’ve moved here,” Kim told the man.
The room went silent. The man didn’t say another word.
When the meeting concluded, Fightmaster approached Kim. She described how badly her “better half” wanted the Stompers. Garrison was born and raised in Sonoma. Kim had moved there when she was 2. The rolling hills and lush vineyards were in their blood. Sports were also.
Garrison became Brown’s stepfather when she was 9, and he immediately immersed himself in her youth sports. He was Brown’s street hockey coach at age 12. He’d talk strategy and analyze the game when they weren’t playing. Brown loved it, she said.
As Brown grew up and had kids of her own, the trend continued. Garrison coached Tristan, Brown’s oldest son, in Babe Ruth baseball. He also worked at the Hanna Center in North Sonoma, overseeing recreational sports.
With the Stompers’ establishment, something new infused his lifestyle. Garrison never just watched games. He wanted to expand the community’s horizons, opening them to a professional level of sports Sonoma hadn’t seen. His arrival isn’t just by first pitch but rather when batting practice starts.
At Pacifics games before the Stompers’ existence, Garrison would watch San Rafael’s starting centerfielder. His name was Zack Pace, and he had six pro seasons under his belt before joining San Rafael.
What connected their stories was Pace’s past at Sonoma State. Across two seasons with the Seawolves, he hit .365, which ranks fifth in school history. The two exchanged phone numbers, which Garrison now constantly uses since Pace’s appointment as manager of the Stompers seven years ago.
At home games, they “talk shop” with each other before Garrison wanders off to build relationships with players.
In 2014, Isaac Wenrich was Sonoma’s starting catcher. Wenrich was called to the Frontier League, so backup catcher Andrew Parker stepped in. Being the backstop for the Stompers’ final 30 games is no joke, but Garrison kept Parker sane. They’d speak daily, often talking about the wear and tear on Parker’s body. Garrison called it inspirational.
Jeff Garrison leads a chant during a Stompers game. While most fans clear out when games stretch past three hours, Garrison is always in the grandstand. Photo by Phil Duncan
A year later, Jacksonville State’s Eddie Mora-Loera returned to the Bay Area to make his debut with the Stompers. Over four seasons, he played 158 games, ranking fifth in franchise history, and helped lead the team to a championship before transitioning to the front office in 2018.
Watching Mora-Loera go from player to personnel influenced Garrison to involve his own family. When Mora-Loera insisted they join the staff, Brown and her husband, Mike, dedicated themselves as the team’s host family coordinators.
Being around the role has drawn Garrison closer to the squad. Prior to each season, Brown receives a confidential roster to prepare host family assignments. During the months leading up to Opening Day, Garrison claws at it, continuously asking Brown if “so and so” is returning.
That’s not what makes Garrison so special to the Stompers’ community, though. It’s what he does each night at Arnold Field that keeps people coming back.
It’s impossible not to notice the man sitting in the third row with his family and friends. That’s Garrison. He often speaks up when people look lost, offering them a hand in finding their seats. When the game begins, Sonoma’s public address announcer, Kaden Sanders, is loud. Garrison might be louder. Whether he’s leading chants or shouting at players, Garrison’s voice overpowers the rest.
A steady tradition in Stompers’ history is selecting a kid to be the team’s bat boy. Tristan was the first one ever. During the “Rawhide Race,” Brown’s other son, Levi — who has cerebral palsy — is wheeled around the bases by pitcher Nikolas Haas. The games have become more than a hobby; they’re a family affair.
“It fills a huge hole in my family. The Stompers have definitely left a print on our hearts because you can’t find that everywhere,” Brown said.
People tuning into the Stompers’ YouTube channel listen to broadcasters Kiran Costa and Roman Raffaeli. In the background, they can hear the faint voice of Garrison screaming, “We will stomp you.” It’s become a routine.
“Loud and proud and cheering. Jeff’s infectious. When he’s cheering, it makes you want to cheer,” Brown said. “It gets you excited. When he gets pumped up, you get pumped up.”
“Jeff’s infectious. When he’s cheering, it makes you want to cheer. It gets you excited.””
Last year, Garrison was walking around the Sonoma Plaza. A little girl approached him, then hid behind her father. Finally, the girl overcame her shyness and popped her head out.
“You’re Mr. Stomper,” she said to Garrison.
That’s the imprint he’s left on the community. Pace manages the team. The players are the reason Sonoma’s pushing for a CCL title. But none of it would be possible without Garrison’s 11 years of dedication, with many more to go.
“He doesn’t think of it as fans in the grandstands. It’s family,” Brown said of Garrison. “He’s cheering for his family, for his home team. It’s not just ball.”