LJ baseball: 25th Alumni Game

By Ed Piper

I asked a present Viking varsity player if he thought the alumni were going to give the 2018 baseball team a run for their money.

"Yeah, they're beasts," the player expounded as the chat went on in short right field during batting practice. "Look at Brett Volger (former shortstop). He was pounding the ball."

Kind of humorous were the varsity players, methodically and diligently doing their warm-up routine in right field on the Muirlands Middle School turf, dodging line drives hit by the alumni before the game at 12 noon.

"That isn't fair," said one of the La Jolla High players, as balls whizzed between and by teammates like rockets.

No feeling sorry for the "old" alumni on this day. It was the 25th annual event, and there were enough "young-un's" among the former players to propel their lineup.

Take, for instance, Bobby Schuman. The 2012 grad, now 24, said he is headed for two minor league tryouts with independent teams, one in California City. "I know, not too great a place, is it?" said Schuman, who looked fit and strong--listed on The Baseball Cube online at 6'3", 210 pounds--much more filled out than in his prep days, when he wasn't exactly a slouch.

No, the reporter said, it's not about the place. "You're going there to try out for baseball. It's fine."

Schuman was told about a nephew of the reporter's son-in-law who, at 28, a graduate of Stanford, is in the Angels' Spring Training camp right now as a non-roster invitee trying to latch on to the big club for one last chance. He has a total of 37 at-bat's in the majors.

"That's cool," said the outfielder, seeming to take encouragement from the tale.

The alumni, batting first, scored right off the bat in the top of the first inning. Coach Gary Frank had nine hurlers slated to pitch one inning each for the varsity in the special, informal nine-inning game.