Senior Omar Heredia has dreamed of this moment since he moved from Mexico to play varsity baseball at Thousand Oaks for the 24-25 season. For years, he played on dirt fields back in Mexico, but the transition from those fields to a newly built, state-of-the-art baseball diamond at Thousand Oaks feels like a dream come true for him.
“It’s so much different here,” Heredia said. “In Mexico, you only play on dirt fields, and here the fields are so much nicer. You have so much more—better equipment, better everything.”
The transition wasn’t easy. Growing up in Mexico, where things are so different, presented significant challenges for Heredia, especially adjusting to a new country and a new way of life.
“I’m not familiar with English, and the way they play here is different from how we play there,” Heredia said. “You don’t have the same opportunities in Mexico that you do here.”
Despite these challenges, Heredia found a welcoming environment at Thousand Oaks. The varsity boys’ baseball team embraced him with open arms, making his new team feel like home right from the start.
“The first week he got here, our team invited him out to dinner and to play bingo at my work,” senior Dane Holt said.
The warm welcome from his teammates, along with the guidance of first-year head coach at TO Haden Cronenbold, a former D1 baseball player at Oklahoma State, has made Heredia’s experience at TO all the more meaningful. Heredia never imagined he’d be coached by someone with such a strong athletic background.
In his very first game with TO, Heredia made an unforgettable impact. He started his senior season by hitting his first-ever walk-off home run on his very first swing, beginning the Lancers’ 2025 campaign with a bang,
“It was my first walk-off ever,” Heredia said. “I’ve done a lot of things, but I’ve never hit a walk-off before. When I heard ‘run, run, run,’ it just felt so good. “
With his confidence building and his teammates by his side, Heredia is proving that change can truly be a dream come true. After his first eight games in the green in black, Heredia hit an impressive .320 batting average, along with his 6 runs batted in (RBIs). Walking off the field with his head high after every game, Heredia and the Lancers face the season’s home stretch.
