Lusero named to RMAC All-Century-Team
Posted by Administrator on Apr 15 2009
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Former Loper infielder and current graduate assistant coach Cody Lusero was named to the RMAC All-Century Team on March 27. Lusero was the 2007 RMAC Player of the Year.

By Garrett Ritonya
Antelope Staff

Back in 2004, when then first-year coach Damon Day was scouring the state for his first recruitment class, he came across a scrappy young player playing for the Papillion-Lavista Monarchs named Cody Lusero. What Day saw was an outfielder who had the potential to be one of the best infielders on the UNK team.

Lusero proved him one better.

On March 27, Lusero was named to the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's All-Century baseball team, one of only 12 players selected to the squad. This team comprises the top players in the history of RMAC baseball, which played its first game in April of 1909.

"It's a real honor to be named to this team," Lusero said. "I just want to thank Coach Day for taking a chance on me and seeing the potential in me coming out of high school."

Lusero was Coach Day's first recruit when he was hired as coach in 2004, looking to rebuild a program that had fallen onto hard times. But Day didn’t want Lusero as an outfielder, which was the position he played for Papillion-Lavista.

"Coach Day was the only one from a Division II school who took a hard look at me and agreed with me wanting to move to the infield," Lusero said.

After joining the program in 2004, Lusero became UNK’s first Division II All-American. He was named the RMAC Player of the Year in 2007 after hitting a robust .443 on the season and taking home the league batting title.

Perhaps one of Lusero's greatest accomplishments was helping lead the Lopers to their first RMAC Championship and the team’s first appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

"I believe Cody was one of the main reasons we were able to lift our program up from where we were in 2004," Day said. "He has been such a role model, not just to the team, but to me as well."

What kind of role model has Lusero been? Day named his son Cody John Day after Cody Lusero, who is now a graduate assistant coach for UNK.

Lusero moved onto professional baseball after graduating in 2007, playing for the Lincoln Saltdogs and is grateful for the experience.

"I do not regret how I ended my baseball playing career," Lusero said. "I made my mark here, tried pro ball and am now loving my spot helping younger players improve their game. However, I do not see coaching as a future for me, instead, something in the field of business."

Although Lusero's playing days are over, his inclusion on the All-Century team is a great honor.

"He deserves that spot on the team," Day said. "He went from being my recruit to becoming one the best infielders in the history of the RMAC."