Brooks & Lucia Pounders: Major League Baseball, Family & Building The Clubhouse Baseball OC
Brooks and Lucia Pounders join Duffy Chats to share the remarkable journey that took them from Major League Baseball to entrepreneurship, family life, and building one of Orange County's premier indoor baseball and softball training facilities, The Clubhouse OC.
In this conversation, Brooks reflects on his path from a young pitcher with dreams of playing professionally to spending years in the Kansas City Royals organization before earning his call-up to Major League Baseball. Together, Brooks and Lucia discuss the realities of life in professional baseball, how they met, the challenges of balancing a growing family with the demands of an MLB career, and the trades that shaped Brooks' journey both on and off the field.
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Today on Duffy Chats, we're joined by a special duo. We have former Major League Baseball pitcher Brooks Pounders and his wife, Luchia. Welcome aboard. Great to have you.
Luchia: We're so happy to be here.
Brooks: Thank you for having us.
Let's dig right in. Brooks, what led you to become a Major League Baseball player? What was your path like?
Brooks: It's a long one.
Obviously, I started playing at a very young age and just fell in love with the game. I played three sports growing up—football, basketball, and baseball. By the time I got to high school, I realized baseball was going to be my path, so I stopped playing football and focused entirely on baseball.
And here we are.
Where did you grow up?
Brooks: I was born and raised in Riverside, California. Then, after my freshman year of high school, I moved to Temecula.
I'm from Riverside, so that's exciting to hear!
Professionally, you're a pitcher. What teams did you play for?
Brooks: I was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates, then traded two years later to the Kansas City Royals. I spent most of my minor league career with Kansas City and eventually made my Major League debut there.
After that, once you don't quite get the job done, they tend to find you another home.
I went to Anaheim, then Colorado, the New York Mets, Tampa Bay, and finally Seattle.
So...quite a few teams. I honestly don't even remember how many that was.
A different stop almost every year.
Brooks: Pretty much. Parts of six seasons, and a different organization almost every year.
Which city was your favorite?
Brooks: I'm probably biased toward Colorado.
It was a place I didn't know much about before I got there, but I absolutely fell in love with Denver. I lived right across the street from the stadium at a place called Glass House. There was a great park nearby, it felt very safe, and Lucia could easily walk back and forth.
When did you two meet?
Brooks: We met in 2017 while I was playing for the Angels. One of my teammates set us up.
Lucia, can you tell us that story?
Lucia: Absolutely.
When I graduated from college and moved back home, my family had moved from Villa Park, where I grew up, to Balboa Island.
There was a storefront available, and opening a boutique had always been my dream. I saw the "For Lease" sign and told my mom, "This is it—we have to do it."
So we opened our boutique in November. It was called Blush by the Bay, and it was such a fun season of life.
Every single person who walked through the door became our newest best friend. We were located on the corner of Grand Canal, so everyone walked past our shop. We'd visit with people all day, host happy hours—it really was magical.
One of my girlfriends—whose husband was Brooks' teammate—kept telling me, "I have someone I want you to meet."
I said, "Okay, after the baseball season ends."
And that was it.
The rest is history.
Brooks: She was just looking for a baseball player to check off the bucket list.
(Everyone laughs.)
So you met in 2017. You were still playing with the Angels at that point?
Brooks: Yep.
Did you immediately start traveling with him? What was dating like while he was playing professionally?
Lucia: For about a year I stayed here because I still had the boutique.
Once we got engaged, I still wasn't going to move in with him, so I spent a lot of time flying.
Usually every Thursday or Friday I'd get on a plane and meet him wherever he happened to be playing that weekend.
It was honestly such a fun time.
When you're young, don't have children yet, and don't have a family depending on you, traveling like that is exciting and easy.
Looking back now, I have so much respect for baseball families who are doing all of that with kids. That's when it becomes really challenging.
Brooks: She always picked the cities she wanted to visit.
Chicago...
(Everyone laughs.)
Lucia: It really was magical.
Being at Wrigley Field and watching him earn a win there...
Those are memories I'll treasure forever.
Be honest...
Were you already a baseball fan before you met Brooks?
How much did you actually know about the game?
Luchia: Honestly...
Yes.
My brother grew up playing baseball, so I basically lived at baseball fields while I was growing up.
I also went to Mater Dei High School, where so many of our friends played baseball.
My grandparents had season tickets to Angel Stadium, so baseball was always part of our family.
Did I ever think I was going to marry a professional baseball player?
Absolutely not.
But life has a funny way of working out.
Brooks: At least I didn't have to explain baseball to her.
She already understood most of it.
The only thing I really had to explain was why I kept going back and forth between Triple-A and the Major Leagues.
(Everyone laughs.)
I have a friend going through that experience right now with her daughter and son-in-law, and hearing those stories is incredible.
People outside of professional sports really don't understand what players go through.
Brooks: It's a business.
That's really what it is.
On the outside, everything looks glamorous.
But once you're living it, you realize it's a business just like any other.
Lucia: It can be really difficult emotionally, too.
Every single game, his job was essentially on the line.
If he had one rough inning and still had minor league options remaining, he'd come home saying,
"I think they're sending me down tomorrow."
That was hard.
I always tried to remind him to leave baseball at the field.
Whatever happened during the game...
Leave it there.
Now we're together, and we're going to enjoy our time together.
Sure, there were some incredible moments—like sitting at the Four Seasons at two in the morning eating chicken fingers and drinking margaritas.
Those are wonderful memories.
But there were difficult seasons, too.
It definitely wasn't always glamorous.
Still, we made a really great team, and we got through it together.
Were you married while Brooks was still playing, or did that happen after his career?
Brooks: We were married while I was still playing.
Our wedding year was 2020.
I was with the Tampa Bay Rays when everything shut down because of COVID. We had one day left of Spring Training, and suddenly everyone was sent home. Nobody knew what was happening.
Being the baseball-obsessed person that I am, we moved to Phoenix for a while because Arizona wasn't completely shut down at the time. A huge group of players relocated there, and we all worked out together, trained together, and tried to stay ready.
Lucia: We actually lived with the couple who introduced us. It ended up being a really fun experience.
We were married in Cabo in January 2020.
Before that, though, we had our Catholic ceremony.
Brooks had proposed at the Balboa Bay Club here in Newport, and we'd always dreamed of getting married in Cabo.
Because we wanted a destination wedding, we first had our Catholic ceremony at St. John Vianney on Balboa Island. It was beautiful and very meaningful to us.
Then we had our larger New Year's celebration and wedding in Cabo.
Looking back, even though COVID disrupted so many plans, it also gave us something really special.
We got engaged.
We got married.
Not long after our Catholic ceremony, we found out I was pregnant.
So, despite everything happening in the world, there was a tremendous amount of joy in our lives.
Brooks: Then I played one more season with Seattle in 2021.
Unfortunately, I tore my rotator cuff and my labrum.
At that point, Luchia was pregnant with Briggs, and I had to make a decision.
Did I really want to go through surgery, rehab, and try to make another comeback at thirty-five years old?
Baseball has become younger and younger.
Teams have realized there's tremendous value in players on rookie contracts. Young pitchers throw one hundred miles an hour now, they're inexpensive, and organizations control them for years.
From a business standpoint, it makes sense for teams.
They're less interested in paying a veteran three or four million dollars when they can develop a younger player.
Sounds a little like the corporate world.
Brooks: It definitely has a corporate side.
By then I'd been playing professionally since 2009 when I was drafted.
It felt like the right time.
I had a great career, and I truly enjoyed it.
Looking back, what were some of your biggest highlights?
Obviously the injury was one of the toughest moments, but what stands out as some of your favorite memories?
Brooks: There were a lot.
One of the biggest was throwing a no-hitter in Double-A.
Ironically, shortly afterward I tore my UCL and needed Tommy John surgery.
So that same season contained both one of the highest highs and one of the lowest lows.
Another unforgettable moment was making my Major League debut.
It happened in Toronto on July 5th, right after Independence Day.
That was incredibly special.
Then there were all the smaller moments along the way.
Getting wins.
Facing players I'd admired growing up.
Striking out hitters I'd watched on television for years.
There are countless memories like that.
Like we've been saying, though, professional baseball isn't all glamour.
There are plenty of disappointments mixed in with the victories.
That's just part of the journey.
It really takes a special kind of person to stay committed through all of that.
Professional sports definitely aren't for the faint of heart.
Brooks: No, they're not.
People see the salaries Major League players earn, but they don't always see the sacrifices behind them.
You're home for maybe three months each year.
Then you leave for two months of Spring Training in Arizona or Florida.
After that comes another six-month season.
By the time you squeeze in a vacation during the offseason, it feels like Christmas arrives...
...and then it's already time to leave again.
It's a constant cycle.
We'll probably have some young athletes watching this interview.
If there's a kid who's feeling burned out or wondering whether to keep chasing the dream, what advice would you give?
Brooks: The biggest thing I'd tell young athletes is this:
Play as many sports as you can when you're young.
Every sport teaches athleticism differently.
Football teaches physicality and movement.
Basketball develops lateral movement and coordination.
Baseball develops hand-eye coordination and timing.
All of those skills transfer.
Don't specialize too early if you don't have to.
And don't burn yourself out.
If you truly love the game, give yourself permission to step away occasionally.
Take a break.
Three months later you'll probably fall in love with it all over again.
For high school and college players, I'd also say this:
If you genuinely have a dream, don't give up on it too early.
Your window is actually much smaller than most people realize.
By the time you're twenty-five, baseball considers you one of the older players in the system.
So keep working.
Keep believing.
If you're playing at the upper levels of the minor leagues, you're literally one injury away from the Major Leagues.
Everything can change overnight.
You just have to stay ready.
Have your kids started playing sports yet?
Brooks: They have.
My personal passion is golf, so I really wanted our oldest son, Briggs, to learn golf before baseball.
But he ended up falling in love with both.
Now he's playing baseball at Newport Harbor in the Shetland coach-pitch division.
So we're spending our Saturdays back at the baseball field again.
He's four years old now—almost five.
Which is actually a perfect transition into talking about The Clubhouse, the business you started in 2022.
Can you tell everyone how that vision came to life and who it's designed to serve?
Can you tell everyone how the vision for The Clubhouse came to life and who it's designed to serve?
Brooks: When I first retired from baseball, I was trying to figure out what came next.
I had opportunities to coach with different organizations and affiliates, but Briggs had just been born. I knew I didn't want to be coaching somewhere like Syracuse, New York, while my wife was home with our newborn.
Throughout my playing career, I'd trained at facilities all over the country during the offseason. One thing I noticed was that everything was spread out.
You'd go one place to work out.
Another place to throw bullpens.
Another field to play catch.
Another location for recovery.
It wasn't efficient at all.
I wanted a place where an athlete could walk in at seven in the morning, get everything done in one building, and be finished by noon.
Then I could go play golf.
(Laughs.)
That was honestly part of the motivation.
So we built the facility I always wished I'd had—a place where training, recovery, instruction, and everything else could happen under one roof.
When we first opened, I assumed most of our clients would be college athletes, professional players, and high school baseball players.
Instead, it's been almost the opposite.
And that's been a really pleasant surprise.
We've had youth teams, families, private instruction, camps, and events. Upstairs we also have two golf simulators with a golf instructor on staff.
The vision has evolved into something even better than I originally imagined because now these young athletes can grow with us.
They'll come here as kids, continue training through high school, head off to college, and hopefully come back to keep working with us.
Is The Clubhouse membership-based, or can anyone come in? How does that work?
Brooks: Anyone can come in.
We're open to the public.
We do offer memberships that provide discounts on cage rentals and access to certain amenities that aren't available to everyone, but membership isn't required.
Luchia, are you involved in the business? Can you tell us about your role—especially the event side of things?
Brooks: She's the brains behind the operation.
(Everyone laughs.)
Luchia: I don't even know how to turn on a batting cage.
That's definitely not my department.
I handle the back-end operations—scheduling, organization, and making sure everything runs smoothly.
We use a great booking platform that makes things really easy for families.
Parents can book a batting cage directly from their phones.
When they arrive, our staff adjusts the machines based on the athlete's height, age, and skill level.
Parents can stay and participate, or simply watch while their child trains.
We also offer private instruction, birthday parties, team events, and corporate gatherings.
One of my favorite events we've hosted was with CHOC Children's Hospital.
Growing up in Orange County, partnering with CHOC was something I'd always dreamed about, so seeing that happen was really special.
We're constantly looking for new ways to use the space and bring the community together.
The building itself has an interesting history, doesn't it?
Luchia: It does!
It actually used to be a gymnastics facility.
When I attended Mater Dei High School, our cheerleading team practiced there.
So when we found out the building was available, it felt like everything had come full circle.
It was exactly the type of space we were looking for.
We needed room for batting cages, turf, weightlifting equipment, golf simulators—everything.
The only challenge was that gymnastics facilities have enormous foam pits.
They were incredibly deep.
We had to fill them with gravel and concrete before we could install the turf.
That part was a little nerve-racking because we wanted to make sure everything was done properly.
Brooks: Those pits were probably ten to fifteen feet deep.
(Everyone laughs.)
You also put a lot of thought into the design of the facility. Tell us about that.
Lucia: Brooks had a very specific vision.
When you walk into the lobby, it's intentionally dark and moody.
One of my favorite features is the custom scoreboard.
The numbers displayed represent the date of Brooks' Major League debut.
Then, when you walk out onto the training floor, everything changes.
It's bright.
The lighting feels like you're stepping into a stadium.
Even the flooring was custom designed to resemble baseball dirt.
There are lots of subtle details that mean something to us personally.
It's become such a happy place.
Most of our members live nearby, but we also have people driving from Los Angeles, Inland Empire, and South Orange County because of what we're offering.
We're incredibly grateful for the location.
Being close to the 55, 73, and 405 freeways makes it convenient for families coming from all over Southern California.
Do you see yourselves expanding in the future?
Lucia: Absolutely.
We've talked a lot about franchising and opening additional locations.
If we do, it'll probably be outside California.
One of the advantages of being here is our weather.
We can roll up the garage doors almost year-round without needing heavy air conditioning.
But we've talked about places like Seattle or Colorado—areas where athletes spend much more time indoors because of the weather.
Brooks: My original thought was somewhere like North County San Diego—Oceanside or Carlsbad.
Lucia: Although we've discovered something interesting.
Parents are willing to drive.
We have families coming from all over because they'll do just about anything to support their kids.
Brooks: I honestly don't know how parents manage it all.
Once school lets out, everyone becomes an Uber driver.
They're taking one child in one direction, another child somewhere else...
It's a full-time job.
Lucia: I ask my own parents that all the time.
"I don't know how you did it."
You really don't understand until you're living it yourself.
It also feels like kids today have so many more activities than we did growing up.
Brooks: When we were kids, our parents basically said, "Go ride your bike, and be home when the streetlights come on."
(Everyone laughs.)
Lucia: Exactly!
Growing up was so different. We were told, "Go ride your bike and come home when the streetlights come on."
(Everyone laughs.)
Lucia: Exactly!
My son couldn't believe me the other day when I was telling him about pagers and the different number codes people used.
I told him, "If Nana sent a certain code, I knew I'd better get home immediately."
Brooks: My grandma had this really distinctive whistle.
If you heard that whistle...
You knew you were in trouble.
(Everyone laughs.)
Those were good times.
Let's switch gears a little. When you're not running the business or supporting charities, what do you enjoy doing together as a family?
Brooks: Golf.
(Laughs.)
Definitely golf. Do you golf?
Honestly...I don't have time.
(Laughs.)
Lucia: I really don't either.
I love sitting in the golf cart with a cocktail, watching everyone else play.
I'll hit a few shots here and there, but Brooks would definitely like me to golf more.
Now that our family is becoming a golfing family, though, the kids take lessons every Friday.
We also have a family home in La Quinta, so we're trying to make golf something we can all enjoy together.
Locally, though, we love spending time on Balboa Island.
We'll walk around the island, take the kids to Dad's for a Hippo Cookie, head over to the Balboa Bay Club so they can swim, or spend time at the beach.
It's such a social community, and we love raising our kids here.
Halloween on Balboa Island is absolutely magical.
Our neighborhood goes all out.
The kids love every minute of it.
My parents also live on the Peninsula, so the Fun Zone is a regular stop for them.
The kids are really getting the full Newport Beach experience.
Brooks: Now most weekends revolve around Briggs' baseball games.
That's become our family activity.
And we spend a lot of time making sure our younger son, Lars, doesn't wander onto the field.
(Everyone laughs.)
He's already been discovered inside another team's dugout once.
Lucia: Meanwhile, Goldie is dancing and doing gymnastics.
So we're constantly going in different directions.
It's busy, but we try to make everything as enjoyable as possible for the kids.
Since you both grew up in Southern California, did you spend much time in Newport Beach growing up?
Brooks: Not really.
My family usually vacationed in Carlsbad.
We'd camp at Carlsbad State Beach every summer.
Ironically, Luchia's family actually had a house there while she was growing up.
There's a good chance we crossed paths years before we ever met.
I really didn't know much about Newport until I started playing for the Angels.
Once I got here, though, I thought, "There probably isn't a better place to live than this."
What do you love most about Newport Beach?
Brooks: Even though it's a fairly large city, it still feels like a small town.
Now that we're running our business here, we've met so many wonderful families.
There's a real sense of community.
People genuinely care about one another.
It's an incredible place to raise children.
And, of course...
The weather doesn't hurt.
(Laughs.)
How did you decide Newport would be home? Was it a mutual decision?
Lucia: During Brooks' playing career, we spent our off-seasons here beginning around 2018.
When we started thinking about where we wanted to settle down after baseball, we seriously considered Arizona.
I went to school there, and we both absolutely love Arizona.
But I finally said, "I don't want our children spending every summer in that kind of heat."
We wanted a place where our kids could enjoy being outside all year long.
Then, when the opportunity came to open our business here, everything just lined up.
We decided this was where we wanted to build our life.
Now our kids go to school here.
Our business is here.
My parents are here.
We're surrounded by family and friends.
Honestly, I can't imagine living anywhere else.
Brooks spends plenty of time at the beach, the country club, and the golf course...
So we're all pretty happy.
(Everyone laughs.)
Let's finish with a few Newport favorites. Do you have a favorite coffee shop?
Lucia: We definitely drink a lot of coffee.
I think anyone with kids does.
(Laughs.)
If I'm going somewhere specifically for great coffee, I'd choose Stereoscope Coffee, near the Back Bay.
My everyday stop, though, is Coffee Dose, simply because it's on my route.
What's your go-to coffee order?
Brooks: Just an iced cold brew.
Nothing in it.
I just need the caffeine.
Lucia: I use the mobile app.
As soon as I drop the kids off at school, I place my order, and it's ready when I arrive.
It's quick and easy.
That drive-thru line can get pretty long, so the app saves a lot of time.
Host: That's funny—the owner actually grew up in Riverside.
Lucia: Really?
She went to high school with me!
Small world.
What's your favorite restaurant for date night?
Lucia: We actually try to have a date night once every week.
Brooks: My favorite is definitely sitting at the sushi bar at SOTA, having some sake, an Asahi, and great sushi.
I'm a sushi guy.
Lucia: For breakfast, we love Hot Cakes on 17th Street.
For lunch, R&D Kitchen is one of our favorites.
For dinner, if we're staying close to home, we love sitting at the bar at Louie's by the Bay.
There are honestly so many wonderful restaurants around here.
And there are new ones opening all the time.