The Vigilantes were founded in 1997 when the Long Beach Barracudas moved to Mission Viejo.
[1] In their inaugural season, the Vigilantes finished last in the South division at 39-51, but drew 92,960 fans, third-most in the eight-team league, despite playing out of a makeshift ballpark set up on the campus of Saddleback College.
[2] Amidst the backdrop of this uncertainty, the Vigilantes finished 49-41, tied for the second-best record in the Western League.
Unfortunately, the three best teams all resided in the South and only two reached the playoffs; the Vigilantes lost the tiebreaker to the Sonoma County Crushers and missed the postseason.
With no prospects of a permanent home, the Vigilantes ceased operations after the 1998 season.