Big shoes to fill.

That’s what first-year Cordova High School baseball head coach Doug Hughes had to do this season. For more than 40 years, Guy Anderson guided the Lancers’ diamond program to many league and Sac-Joaquin Section playoff appearances.

“The thing I want to continue to do that Coach Anderson was able to do is build a strong program and have a winning tradition,” Hughes said. “Everyone involved with the Cordova baseball program knew this wasn’t going to happen overnight.”

One of Hughes’ goals this season was to have a junior varsity baseball team, which one wasn’t fielded last season. This season, Cordova didn’t field a lower level team.

“That is one of our main goals for next year,” Hughes said. “For us to be successful we need to build from the ground up.”

This season, Cordova posted a 5-10 in the Sierra Valley Conference and 6-15- 1 overall. At one point during the season, the Lancers were still in the thick of the conference’s race toward grabbing one of the three playoff appearances.

“It was an exciting time around the field as well as the campus knowing we were in the hunt for the playoffs,” Hughes said. “The keys for us were we were getting timely hits, good pitching and we were catching the ball.”

In early April, the Lancers won four of six SVC games that ignited them into a playoff run. Cordova started its season at 0-4- 1 that included conference losses to El Dorado and eventual SVC champion Union Mine.

“Our goals we set as a team were to be students first, to have fun, play as a team, compete everyday (and) never give up, give 100 percent,” Hughes said. “A 100 percent of the time and make the playoffs. We fell one goal short and that was making the playoffs.”

At the plate, the Lancers were led by junior Logan Appino, who had a batting average of .488 and seven stolen bases. Three Cordova players batted over .300; sophomore Jeremy Buck (.387), plus 13 RBIs, and Jarrett Harris and Spencer Gudgel, both of whom had .306 averages.

In the field, Gudgel had a .986 fielding percentage, followed by Appino at .959. Jordan Myers followed at .933 and Chris Wheat at .926.

There were two seniors on this year’s squad in Harris and Jacob Larson, “Jarrett and Jacob gave me a warm welcome to the Lancer family from day one,” Hughes said. “Jarrett was our captain and team leader. He was a coach on the field.”

Of the 14 players on the squad, 12 are projected to return next season; seven juniors, two sophomores and three freshmen.

Another item Hughes plans to address in the off-season to have ready for next spring – the return of the Cordova Easter Baseball Tournament. The tourney was cancelled this season.