Earwigs 6-foot-8 shortstop finds inspiration in other tall infielders as he prepares for the next chapter in career
Theo Anderson has spent countless hours on the Dunn School baseball field, not just during the Earwigs’ games, but using Dunn’s Fungoman machine to take grounder after grounder with one goal in mind — playing shortstop.
With idols like Cincinnati Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, Anderson has proven that height is an advantage on the left side of the infield. At 6-foot-8, 240 pounds, Theo has followed the careers of tall infielders like De La Cruz and Pittsburgh Pirates star Oneil Cruz closely, finding inspiration in their ability to dominate the position. Now, Theo is set to make his own mark in collegiate baseball, signing his scholarship agreement on Nov. 13 to play for Saint Mary’s College.
“I look up to Elly and Oneil Cruz,” Anderson said. “Because they’ve shown that you don’t have to fit a certain mold to be great at shortstop. Watching them gave me the confidence to push myself and believe I could do the same.”
St. Mary’s, located in the Northern California town of Moraga, is a Division I school that plays in the West Coast Conference. Head coach Eric Valenzuela has coached the Gaels for seven seasons over two stints; he has also coached at Long Beach State. Last year, the Gaels went 34-22 overall and finished third in the WCC with a 16-8 conference record.
Anderson’s signing ceremony took place in front of family, friends, and the Dunn School community in the school’s Assembly Area, where the towering shortstop celebrated his commitment to the Division I program. His signing comes after a stellar 2024 season, where he ended the regular season ranked among California’s top high school players. According to MaxPreps at the time, Theo finished the season with a .577 batting average (tied for 28th in the state), 6 home runs (also tied for 28th), and a slugging percentage of 1.019 (20th). His on-base percentage of .711 ranked him an impressive 12th statewide.
“Theo represents everything we hope a Dunn student can become,” said Kelsey Sullivan, Dunn’s director of athletics. “He is someone who leads by example. He’s an ‘all-in’ kind of man. He builds community and puts others first. He’s a player everyone would want in their lineup. And he has the right balance of kindness and a playful nature to bring joy and success to any locker room.”
The ceremony was a joyous event for the entire Dunn community. Anderson’s parents, David Anderson and Mary Heyden, sat proudly by his side as he signed his scholarship agreement, while teammates, classmates, and teachers cheered him on. Dunn’s Head of School Kalyan Balaven spoke about Theo’s leadership on campus, not only as an athlete but as a student who exemplifies the school’s values of character and hard work.
“If you’ve seen Theo play, it’s a beautiful thing,” Balaven said. “You see laser focus in his eyes, beauty in motion, and you get to see that at school in his relationships with students and in the classroom. He doesn’t just live on the baseball field, he lives throughout this campus in so many ways. When I saw him with his family at the Saint Mary’s campus and saw him in his element, I couldn’t be more proud.”
For Anderson, the day was about more than just the excitement of playing Division I baseball — it was the culmination of years of hard work and the realization of a dream he’s had since he first picked up a bat.
Dunn School is proud to have supported Theo, who has attended since first stepping on campus as a sixth-grader.
“I’ve always loved this game,” Theo reflected after the event. “Getting to take this next step with Saint Mary’s means the world to me. It’s everything I’ve worked for.
“The facilities here, I get to use them all the time. I’m in the batting cage twice a day, and when I first started working out, it was at the Dunn gym over there. This is where I learned how to put the work in. Before, it wasn’t real. But when I got here, it became real and there were facilities and resources to use.”
As the event concluded, Theo posed for photos with his teammates, coaches, and family, proudly wearing his new Saint Mary’s gear. The reception afterward buzzed with congratulations and well-wishes as the community celebrated Anderson.
With a Division I future ahead of him and his sights set on following in the footsteps of some MLB stars, Anderson is ready for the challenges and opportunities that await him at Saint Mary’s.
About Dunn School: Dunn is a boarding and day school (grades 6-12) nestled in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. Founded in 1957 from its campus in Los Olivos, Dunn has remained true to its mission of providing whole student education for more than 67 years through its character-based educational pillars: Emotional Wellness, Physical Readiness, Intellectual Growth, Social Responsibility and Moral Courage.
