Erstad Thrills Campers At Cal Poly Pomona

Anaheim Angels’ outfielder is a hit at summer baseball camp

POMONA – One look at the large crowd of youngsters at Cal Poly Pomona’s summer baseball camp made it pretty obvious Anaheim Angels’ outfielder Darin Erstad was going to be a big hit Friday afternoon.

And judging by the looks on the kids’ faces after their memorable afternoon was over, Erstad didn’t disappoint.

Erstad made an appearance at the Bronco Baseball Camp on Friday and entertained 105 youngsters between the ages of 7-15 who have spent the week learning fundamentals and having fun at Cal Poly Pomona. Many of the children wore Angel uniforms bearing Erstad’s No. 17 and many others had T-shirts from the reigning World Series champion Angels.

The campers wasted little time asking Erstad about the 2002 World Series and the popular Angels centerfielder told them it was a dream come true.

“How many times in your life have you thought about the final out of the World Series?” Erstad asked the young campers. “It was almost funny. I found myself thinking to myself, ‘I’m playing in the World Series.’ To actually win it … when you’re grown up a lot of you will have individual accomplishments. But one thing you’ll never be able to replace is when you’re part of a team that wins something. When you look in your teammates’ eyes and see the enjoyment and satisfaction. I could win all the Gold Gloves and make all the All-Star teams, but when I go home at night, it’s not about that. It’s recalling seeing a teammate high-fiving another and seeing the joy in their eyes. That’s what it’s all about.”

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Erstad Entertains Campers

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Erstad, who grew up in North Dakota, played baseball, basketball, hockey, soccer and track and field when he was younger. He was a punter on the University of Nebraska football team and starred on the baseball team. In 1995, Cal Poly Pomona Head Baseball Coach Mike Ashman was the hitting coach at Nebraska and spent countless hours with Erstad. Ashman, who is now in his ninth year as Cal Poly Pomona’s head coach, and Erstad have remained close and Erstad is now a regular visitor to the Bronco Baseball Camp.

Of course, this is the first time Erstad has come as a member of a World Series championship team and the kids seemed especially fired up for this year’s appearance. It made it even more special that so many youngsters were familiar with Erstad making the catch in centerfield for the final out of the seventh and final game as the Angels defeated the San Francisco Giants to win the title.

“You expect to catch the ball, but that was actually really cool to catch the last out of the World Series,” Erstad said. “How many people can say they’ve done that? That’s pretty special.”

Erstad spoke for about 30 minutes, answering questions on a variety of topics. He then patiently signed autographs for all the campers, including a Wheaties box commemorating Nebraska football.

“You could tell the kids really enjoyed spending time with Darin,” Ashman said. “We appreciate that he takes time out each year to share his experiences with the kids. How many kids get an opportunity like this to be with a Major League player?”