Very few – if any – of Cal High’s baseball players will ever get to play college baseball at the highest level. All of them, however, can say they played at USC’s Dedeaux Field.
On Monday, Cal coach Tony Nieto brought his team to play La Canada in a nonleague game on the Trojans’ famous diamond. Nieto is a former USC player and still has strong connections with current USC coach Dan Hubbs, a former teammate. Monday’s game – a 3-2 Condor victory that ended on a rarely seen walk-off balk – marked the fifth consecutive season Cal has played at Dedeaux Field.
“It’s a great experience for our kids,” said Nieto, who also brought along the freshman and JV teams. The team got a tour of the campus and the athletic facilities, and Nieto hopes the trip can help inspire his players to go to college, whether they play baseball or not.
“It’s very important for the guys to see what is possible,” he said.