After 32 years as a baseball coach at Lake Stevens High School, including the last 28 as head coach, Rodger Anderson has decided to retire.
Anderson, who led the Vikings to the state tournament 12 times in his 28 years as head coach, made the announcement just two days after Lake Stevens lost to Mount Vernon in the opening round of the 4A District 1 Tournament, ending the Vikings’ season.
“I always told myself when I couldn’t throw batting practice anymore that was my sign that it’s time,” Anderson said. “My body is just starting to give out.”
Anderson said he has given thought to retirement for the past couple of seasons, but the decision was still difficult.
“It was really tough,” he said. “You look down at your juniors, sophomores and freshman and you look at all these great kids coming up and you think, ‘I’d love to coach this kid, or these kids.’ A couple of years ago I just decided at some point we’re going to have to end it.”
In addition to coaching, Anderson also runs the driver’s education program at Lake Stevens and said he knew that he needed to cut back on one of those commitments.
“The amount of time I have to put into both programs, I’d have to give up one or the other and I figured could take driver’s ed rather than baseball.
Anderson has seen 12 of his former players get selected in the MLB draft and one former player — pitcher Ryan Verdugo — make it to the major leagues.
The relationships Anderson has developed with his players and coach, both current and former, are going to be what her cherishes the most as he walks away.
“There are hundreds are game situations and things, but I think the biggest thing is just all the relationships with all the kids and the coaches,” Anderson said.
In the Vikings’ 12 state appearances under Anderson, their highest finish is second. They also have a third and a fourth place finish.
“We never really had the down years,” Anderson said. “Our down years were still making the playoffs, kind of like this year. …Just the fact that we’ve always been successful, I’m pretty proud of that.”
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