RANCHO CORDOVA, CA (MPG) - Did I ever tell you how much I love the game of baseball? If not, let me tell you now, I LOVE THE GAME OF BASEBALL!

So, when I heard that Major League Baseball was locked out due to player and owner negotiations, I was very upset. 

Springtime was meant for the start of baseball, and without it, it seemed like old man winter was going to hang around a lot longer. Well, buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks!

Last Friday, I made the long walk from the parking lot at Hagan Community Park towards Peterson Field. I heard the snap of the hard ball hitting a leather glove, the crack of the bat and the sound of the fans cheering. In that moment, I knew baseball was back.

As I made my way towards the stands directly behind home plate a familiar face caught my eye, the legend himself, Guy Anderson, a hall of fame high school coach. Anderson led the Cordova High School (CHS) baseball program to 927 wins over 45 years and to several championship seasons starting in the early 1970’s.

Talking a little baseball with Anderson while gazing out onto Peterson Field, one can’t help but think about the past players that not only made their marks in CHS history but went on to play in the major leagues.

Names like Chris Bosio, Geoff Jenkins, Randy Lerch, Jerry Manuel, Larry Wolfe and Max Venable to name a few. All these players had several things in common. They had remarkable talent, loved the game of baseball and were all coached by Anderson.

Fast forward to the present, this brings us to another player coached by Anderson, Scott Ahlstrom, head coach of the 2022 Lancers. Ahlstrom played at Cordova from 1999 to 2001. After graduating, he planned to play baseball for American River College, but the events of 9/11 inspired him to enlist in the United States Army.

After his return from active duty, Ahlstrom started a family and took on the roles of husband, father and eventually… coach. It was always a goal for Ahlstrom to coach at Cordova, so when the opportunity came knocking in 2020, he answered the door. Additionally, Ahlstrom helps operate the Izturis Baseball Academy in Rancho Cordova to develop young players.

This year’s team seems to be shaping up nicely with the return of some key players from last season. One returnee is senior captain Matt Jernigan who is Western Oregon University bound! Jernigan, who can pitch as well as play first base and outfield, is coming off a stellar season and has started 2022 right where he left off.

Other talented returning seniors are Cody Fennel and Justin Nelson, two utility players who can pitch and play catcher. Some impactful juniors are Eli Campbell and captain Alfredo Cervantes IV, who both play the infield. Campbell is currently on the disabled list for a few more weeks with a broken finger suffered while playing basketball for the Lancers.

“My goal is to get CHS back on the path it used to be on for baseball and curb the recent trend of CHS losing student athletes to play for Folsom High School,” Ahlstrom said. “We have talented players coming in as freshmen next year, one being standout player Levi Nyberg.”

Ahlstrom believes many other top young players will follow in Nyberg’s footsteps to play for the Lancers. This trend has impacted the rosters of many other sports at Cordova for years now. Ahlstrom has a deep passion for athletics at CHS and for athletes in Rancho Cordova. His passion is fueled by his parents also being Cordova graduates.

If you would like to watch some baseball and cheer the Lancers on as they strive for another title, come on out to the next two home games on March 7 and 18. All games are played at Peterson Field in Hagan Park and start at 3:30 P.M.

GO BIG RED!