Cañada baseball manager back in dugout

“I got an email from the district about a week or so ago and it had the results of the investigation. It was, obviously, good news for me.

“I got a letter from the college a couple days ago, saying, [I’m] allowed to come back to work.”

An email sent to the district for comment said they would not be back in the office until Nov. 30.

In June, an anonymous person started a petition on Change.org seeking to have Lucca fired, accusing him of misconduct. Almost immediately, letters and emails of support flooded into the San Mateo County Community College District and Cañada College, vouching for Lucca’s character.

“I’m just being accused of some things that are pretty bad,” Lucca told the Daily Journal in June.

It was that support that kept Lucca’s hopes up, saying he was on the verge of tears saying what the support meant to him.

“You’re going to make me cry right now,” Lucca said. “It was tough for me, mentally. Just the support that came from all the former players, friends, family, all the backgrounds, it was awesome. It kept me going. I couldn’t thank those people enough.”

His suspension from the team came at an awkward time as the summer is usually when he is trying to find spots at the four-year level for his sophomores. The coronavirus pandemic only added to his dilemma as now sophomores had a choice to stay or go, meanwhile, a new crop of players was also coming in.

Lucca missed all of it as he was forbidden to have any contact with the players during the investigation.

And while he, and those who knew him, knew he had done nothing wrong, there was always that one kernel of doubt in the back of his mind. So with not a lot to do while the investigation was on-going, Lucca tried his best to keep his mind off of it.

“(I wasn’t doing) a whole lot. I was just sitting there going through it,” Lucca said. “It was a tough time. I would go on walks with my girlfriend and try to take my mind off it.

“It was like a dark cloud hanging over my head the last six months.”

In 19 seasons as the Colts manager, Lucca has compiled an overall record of 358-350, while going 222-198 in conference play. Cañada was 12-9 overall and 1-4 in conference play when the 2020 season was canceled because of the virus.

A 1993 South San Francisco graduate, Lucca was originally drafted in the 45th round by the Minnesota Twins in the Major League Baseball Draft. Instead, he enrolled in college, spending one season at San Jose City College before transferring to Cañada. He would move on to Oklahoma State, earning All-Big 12 honors in 1998. The Miami Marlins drafted him in 1998 and Lucca and spent three seasons in the Marlins’ minor-league system, earning team Most Valuable Player honors for the Utica Blue Sox in his first professional season.

Overall, Lucca batted .267 with 181 hits, 41 doubles, 12 home runs and 3 triples while splitting time between first base and the outfield.

Now that Lucca is back as the Colts’ manager, the job of preparing for another weird season begins. After having the 2020 season cut short, the 2021 campaign is expected to look different, as well, because of the pandemic. Normally the season starts at the end of January, but the California Community College Athletic Association implemented a plan that has the baseball season, along with seven other sports, beginning practice in March with games starting April 10.

Regardless, Lucca is ready to get back to what he loves — coaching baseball.

“I like the group of kids coming back, as far as baseball is concerned. We’ll have a good group of kids to work with,” Lucca said. “It will be interesting. It will be different trying to get to know these guys in January and February, instead of August. … But I’m excited about it and look forward to the challenge.”