MODESTO — As youngsters growing up in Stanislaus County, Dominic Rodriguez and Lucas Alaniz came to know the ballpark at 601 Neece Dr. in Modesto as “John Thurman Field.”
The name of the stadium changed to “Modern Woodmen Field” over the offseason and the walls and grandstands were painted bright blue and red as a Pioneer Baseball League expansion team, the Modesto Roadsters, began to move in and the Modesto Nuts relocated to Southern California.
With the new look and new team came new opportunities for each of the ballplayers who recently wrapped up their final seasons on the college circuit.
Rodriguez, a 2021 graduate of Turlock High, and Alaniz, a native of Modesto who grew up in Waterford and graduated from Hughson High in 2020, each signed professional contracts with the Roadsters over the past month, and have contributed regularly to the club as it continues to navigate its inaugural season.
The goal for the two locals, along with their new teammates, is simple— take advantage of the opportunity to play baseball at the professional level and perform well enough to sign with a major league organization.
“I want to get the most out of this, learn as much as I can and play for as long as I can,” Rodriguez said.
Alaniz and Rodriguez had similar paths to Modesto.
For Rodriguez, his road included a 12-hour drive from Phoenix, and a spot in the Roadsters starting lineup on May 24, less than 24 hours after signing his contract. It came just eight days after he hit a three-run homer in his last collegiate start as the University of Arizona wrapped up its NCAA season against Oklahoma State.
“I was getting ready to move out from my place in Arizona, took some time to watch UOP (University of the Pacific) play in Phoenix, and the Roadsters reached out and asked how soon I could come home,” Rodriguez shared. “I said I could be here tomorrow because of the drive. I left at 1 a.m., watched the Saturday night game, and I was in the lineup batting second the next morning. It was pretty crazy.”
The 23-year-old had a winding road in college that began with a redshirt campaign at Fresno State in 2022 and two seasons at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton. As a freshman with the Mustangs in 2023, he made a name for himself by hitting .354 with 61 runs, 20 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs and 62 RBI which earned him Third Team All-American, First Team All-Conference player, First Team All-Region selection, and Freshman MVP honors. He followed it up with First Team All-America, All-State, All-Region, and All-Conference nods following a sophomore season in which he hit .448 with 74 runs, 19 doubles, one triple, 12 home runs and 57 RBI. He transferred to Arizona that offseason.
Some of Rodriguez’s biggest performances came his junior year when the Wildcats achieved a 44-19 record ahead of advancing to the 2025 College World Series in Omaha, Neb. In the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament against BYU, he smacked an RBI double to help secure a 4-1 victory. He then became the seventh former Bulldogs to appear in the College World Series after pinch-hitting against No. 11 Coastal Carolina in the opening game. This year, Rodriguez appeared in 16 games with eight starts, collecting two doubles, two home runs and five RBI.
“After the season, I heard that a teammate of mine from Arizona was going to try to play independently in Missouri (in the Frontier League), so I was planning on also getting in contact with them about any opportunities to play,” Rodriguez said. “The call from the Roadsters came three days later. I was kind of shocked. They asked if I wanted to play and I said of course.
“I knew that (Modesto manager) JT Snow has that connection to Arizona and played with my head coach Chip Hale with the Wildcats in college, so we had some good conversations.”
Alaniz, 24, walked into the Roadsters clubhouse the very next week following the conclusion of CSU Northridge's season.
On Snow’s coaching staff is pitching coach Alex Leach, who also serves as the skipper of the Modesto Junior College baseball program, where Alaniz spent the first two years of his post-high school career. As a sophomore with the Pirates in 2023, the right-handed reliever worked 59.1 innings, racking up 52 strikeouts, a 2-5 record and a 5.76 ERA. The year prior, he went 3-1 with a 2.79 ERA and 23 strikeouts over five appearances.
Alaniz transferred to the University of California, appearing in eight games over two seasons with the Bears from 2024-25 due to having to undergo Tommy John surgery. He’d take his talent to Northridge this year. He appeared in 14 games for the Matadors and finished fourth on the team with 40 strikeouts and 44.0 innings pitched.
“My body felt good, my arm felt good, and I just wanted to continue playing,” Alaniz said. “I reached out to Leach to ask how I could join. He just told me to stay ready. I finally threw a bullpen and I was signed immediately after during that first week of June.”
Alaniz has come on in relief three times since his signing. Over 6.1 innings thrown he has posted a 2.84 ERA with three strikeouts.
As for Rodriguez, in 25 games heading into Thursday, he has hit .237 with 19 hits, including four doubles. He has also walked 10 times and has driven in eight runs, scored 13 times and stolen a pair of bases.
The Roadsters came into Friday's three-game home series against the Oakland Ballers with a 24-15 record, tied for third place in the league standings and seven games back of first-place Long Beach Coast.
“Getting to play baseball for a living, getting paid to do what I love,” Alaniz said. “And being able to do it so close to home is pretty awesome,”
“I'm just thankful and blessed to be here, to be in this jersey and to be able to see the field with my family able to watch me,” said Rodriguez.
Alaniz and Rodriguez each grew up attending games at the Modesto ballpark.
“I used to come here when I was seven years old all the way until I was in high school to watch the Nuts play here,” Rodriguez said. “I used to hang out by the fence as the players walked to and from the clubhouse, and it’s just crazy now that I'm on this side of the fence now.”
“I threw out the first pitch for the Nuts when I was six,” Alaniz said with a laugh. “I would always go to Modesto Nuts games, even when they were an affiliate with the Colorado Rockies before they changed to the Seattle Mariners. There used to be a miniature baseball field in the corner (down the first base line), and I would always go in there and hit. Those were fun times.”
Now as adults who have been through the competitive high school circuit in the Central Valley and at the Division I level on college baseball, each agreed that the talent level in the Pioneer League is significantly better, despite no teams being affiliated with major league organizations,
“The pitching here is definitely better,” Rodriguez said. “I had some nerves when I first stepped on-deck. I grounded out my first at-bat, then got my first hit out of the way, and after that it’s been good, continuing to adjust to the team and to the schedule. That’s one of the biggest differences is playing six or seven days out of the week instead of just four in college.”
Alaniz said the discipline of the hitters has been just as good.
“I didn't really know what to expect,” he said. “But in my first outing in Long Beach, I noticed the difference. I threw a real good cutter over the plate but just a bit off, and the hitter just didn’t budge. I was like, ‘Alright, this is how it’s going to be.’ These guys are good, and you’re going to have to make sure you hit your spots at all times.”
Modesto General Manager Michael Neis has seen some of the best that minor league baseball has to offer over his career, which included a GM stint with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats (Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays) from 2022-23. He believes the talent and intensity of the independent circuit is right up there.
“Many times, when you have top prospects coming through the system, their paths to the big leagues are already preordained,” Neis said. “These teams have mapped out their development, so sometimes, as long as they play well, there is an understanding of how long they will be with a team until they get promoted to the next level. Here in independent ball, that just doesn’t exist. You have to perform to stay on our team and keep that ultimate goal of signing with the major league team alive. There are no promises, so literally every time our guys lace up the cleats, it is the most meaningful moment to their careers. And it’s really fun to watch. The passion these guys play with in this league is really noticeable.”
Neis explained that there are many factors as to why some players are in independent ball and not in a farm system with one of the 30 MLB organizations — there aren’t as many rounds in the draft as there were before (it shrunk from 40 to 20 in 2021), there aren’t as many minor league levels any more, some players weren’t evaluated properly and fell through the cracks, injuries, some weren’t in the best situations in college and didn’t have opportunities to prove themselves.
“They have a chance here,” Neis said.
While teams in the Pioneer League are independent, there is an agreement in place with Major League Baseball to have players who have been scouted and signed to easily transfer to MLB farm systems. Since the partnership in 2021, 60 players have signed contracts with MLB organizations, and two made it all the way to big leagues. Of the 60 players who have earned minor league contracts was Turlock native Coleton Horner in 2022, inking a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks following a strong stint with the PBL’s Ogden Raptors.
It’s something Rodriguez and Alaniz hope to experience soon.
“Playing in the MLB has always been a dream of mine,” said Alaniz. “I obviously don't think I'm there yet, which is why there are places like the Pioneer League, the Frontier League, the American Association, different independent leagues. I just want to keep playing baseball. It’s as simple as that.”
“I’ve been grinding my whole life,” added Rodriguez, “so why not try to make it to the next level?”
The club’s full schedule, promotional calendar and ticketing information can be found at www.ModestoRoadsters.com.
