Lancers Get Jump on Baseball Season vs. Alumni

The season doesn't officially begin for the Carlsbad High baseball team until March 5, but fans were able to get a preview on Sunday when the Lancers took on a team of alumni players in a program fundraiser at the school field.

Even Lancers baseball coach Chris Greene took his licks in the batter's box, literally. One of his pitchers plunked him in the back on the first pitch of the at-bat.

"The big running joke is whether he's going to get cut or not," said Greene of his pitcher, who shall remain nameless. "No, he's a good kid and he's already apologized," added Greene, who continued the at-bat rather than taking first and popped out.

There were plenty of other light moments during the day, from a morning home run-hitting contest for entrants of all ages to the afternoon ballgame, won by the varsity 14-9 in seven-and-a-half innings. The Lancers jumped to an 11-2 lead through four innings, but the alumni closed to within 12-9 with four runs in the seventh.

With all proceeds from entry fees and raffles directly benefiting the non-profit Lancers baseball booster club, the program gets a big boost from the game, which Greene has reinstated since taking over as head coach five years ago.

"It was an annual event when I was going here in the '80s," he said. "It's good for the kids to see guys in action who helped build this program."

Among those who played for the alumni were a pair of former major leaguers, lefthander Scott Karl, who won 50 games for the Milwaukee Brewers from 1995-99, and outfielder Brady Anderson, who had a 15-year career in the American League, mostly with Baltimore, where he hit 50 home runs in 1996.

"Now if we can get Troy Glaus to come back, we'll have a pretty good team," said Greene.