Rocco, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2000 Draft and the 2019 AL Manager of the Year, is 16 years older than Dante, who hit .308 for the Eagles in 2021.
Player: Darren Baker, 2B, UC Berkeley
Relative:Dusty Baker Jr. (father, 19 MLB seasons/Astros manager)
No longer most famous for being rescued at home plate by J.T. Snow during the 2002 World Series while serving as a bat boy for his dad’s Giants club, Darren earned All-Pac-12 first-team honors for the Golden Bears this year.
Player: Casey Dykstra, CF, Azusa Pacific
Relative:Lenny Dykstra (uncle, 12 MLB seasons)
Two of Casey’s cousins were drafted, Cutter Dykstra (second round, 2008) and Luke Dykstra (seventh round, 2014), and both played professionally, although neither reached the Majors. But the most famous Dykstra is Lenny, a three-time All-Star center fielder and 1986 World Series champion with the Mets.
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Working on his game around the country pays off this spring season
Telegram & Gazette
Jack Gardner’s journey to playing Division 1 college baseball was a long one literally and altered by a 2018 injury and last season’s abrupt ending, but the former St. John’s High star never wavered from working hard.
“I truly believe the game rewards those who persevere,” Gardner said during a phone interview Tuesday morning.
Gardner’s senior season at Morehead State in Kentucky is off to a terrific start. The Eagles’ top catcher is batting .344 to rank among the leaders in the Ohio Valley Conference. He leads the team with 3 home runs, 10 RBIs and 20 total bases.