There’s a very important addition being made this Friday at Carlsbad High School’s baseball field. Carlsbad High School has announced that the baseball field is being named for Coach Tom Forni. This will be done in a special ceremony at 6:45 p.m. before the Cavemen’s home playoff game against Eldorado. 

Coach Forni’s role in Carlsbad’s status as a “baseball town” is significant. In 1971, Coach Dave Perini took over as head coach of Carlsbad’s baseball team. His coaching staff included Forni, Gary Whittemore and Richard Mattson. Together, the four men headed Carlsbad’s baseball program for almost four decades. 

Forni led the Cavemen to six state titles and never had a losing season. In 1990, the Cavemen were picked as the nation’s best high school baseball team. The roster included Shane Andrews, who would go on to play in the majors. Carlsbad’s baseball legacy has continued to produce stars, among them Cody Ross and Trevor Rogers. Many of the strategies put in place in 1971 haven’t changed for the Cavemen, and the winning tradition certainly hasn’t. Naming a field for Coach Forni, who also belongs to a Carlsbad pioneer family, is very well deserved.

From the office of Mayor Dale Janway