Photos by Ray Hamill/Humboldtsports.com – Aidan Dorsch, second from left, will be reunited with his former St. Bernard’s teammates Jeran Ford (left) and Cayden Lee (right) on the Eagles this week. Also pictured celebrating St. Bernard’s NorCal state title last year is Peyton Smith.

By Ray Hamill — An old friend will rejoin the Humboldt Eagles this week, just in time for one of their biggest tournaments of the summer and a playoff push.

Fresh off a spring playing for Folsom Lake College and an early summer playing in the impressive Northwoods League on the East Coast, pitcher Aidan Dorsch flew into Humboldt on Wednesday and will make his 2023 debut with the Eagles 19U team on Thursday.

Dorsch will give the Eagles pitching staff a big boost as they begin their 16-team, four-day tournament on Thursday and get set to open the American Legion playoffs next week.

“We’re very excited to see him on the mound,” Eagles head coach Matt Tomlin said.

Dorsch was on the Eagles roster last summer and played a key role on the 2022 St. Bernard’s NorCal state championship team, which was also coached by Tomlin.

Playing alongside McKinleyville’s Cameron Saso, who is playing for the Humboldt Crabs this summer, Dorsch appeared in 16 games for the Folsom Lake Falcons in the spring.

The Falcons finished 36-13 and made it all the way to the state tournament.

This summer, Dorsch pitched for the Rochester Honkers in the Northwoods League, which is one the top collegiate summer leagues in the nation.

He was 1-1 in five appearances with the club.

The Eagles open what Tomlin expects to be a very competitive tournament with two games on Thursday.

They will play Australia No. 2 at 2 p.m. at Belotti Field and follow that with a game against Australia No. 1 at 5:30 p.m. at the Redwood Fields in Cutten.

The tournament continues through Sunday with 40 games scheduled in the 17U and 19U brackets.

Click here for a full tournament schedule …