Evolution of Cavemen's re-emergence

In case you haven't noticed, the American Fork Cavemen baseball program is looking pretty sharp these days.

From the baseball field and amenities themselves to the equipment and new retro-look uniforms to the way the kids walk and play and to dedication of the coaches — everyone who follows baseball in Utah Valley agrees that the Cavemen are on the way up.

"The baseball here is just a lot of fun right now," Cavemen head coach Jarod Ingersoll said. "The kids all love baseball. They love to play it and they love to watch it. They're excited to be a part of this program and they take a lot of pride in it."

American Fork was once a baseball power. The Cavemen won three state titles in the '80s and regularly challenged for region crowns and advanced to the final rounds of the state tournament each May. The program fell on hard times about six or seven years ago, and it's been a struggle since to return to the prominence of old.

Since Ingersoll came on as head coach four years ago, however, the Cavemen baseball program has slowly, but steadily, improved. The changes are noticeable both on the field and off. The team and community has worked tirelessly to improve the playing field, outfield fence and dugouts. They've constructed a new clubhouse and scorer's booth. The team is also sporting some of the fanciest throw-back uniforms in the state, which are receiving compliments everywhere they play. The team decided on the uniforms after seeing them during a visit last summer to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.

"When you look good, it makes you want to play good," Ingersoll said.

In Ingersoll's first year, he had 11 kids in his varsity program. Now he has more than double that. He used to have to twist arms to get players into the batting cages and weight room. Now they do it on their own. The community even contributed enough money to fly the team to California next week where it will compete in a big-time tournament at Cal-State Fullerton. All the signs say American Fork's depressing baseball days of a few years ago are over.

"The kids now are more committed, the parents are more committed, the community is more committed and the coaches are more committed. This used to be a baseball powerhouse school and we'd like to see it get back to that," Ingersoll said.

The changes and improvements are noticeable around Utah Valley's baseball circle.