Hometown baseball family
The Dugger family at Jackie Robinson Stadium after winning the Super Regionals and punching UCLA’s ticket to the College World Series.
Father and son Keith and Cashel Dugger spend their days around the game of baseball. Keith is in his 26th season with the Colorado Rockies, currently serving as the head athletic trainer for the team. Cashel plays starting catcher for the venerable UCLA Bruins baseball program; the team punched a ticket to Omaha to compete this summer in the College World Series. Cashel credits growing up around the game as a big part of his development. While he, like many catchers, modelled his game after Yadier Molina, he also learned by watching catcher Tony Wolters, up close at Coors Field.
Cashel and sister Tianna were born in Littleton, and grew up in Morrison. Cashel enrolled and played baseball at Valor Christian High School (Valor) and trained at The Factory, a sports performance facility in Castle Rock. After his freshman year in 2020, the Dugger family looked to move closer to the high school and a more direct drive for Keith; they found the perfect spot in Buffalo Ridge Estates. Cashel’s team at Valor won the 5A state championship in 2023.
Cashel’s mom, Shannon, works for her mother’s company KerrPR, where they offer a variety of public relations services and focus especially on image building. Tianna graduated from CU Boulder in 2021 and is an HR manager for a talent agency called Verve, which is great for Cashel having family close by when he is at school.
Cashel and his college team experienced some challenges last year. In September 2024, a federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to close Jackie Robinson Stadium, the home field of UCLA baseball. The stadium sits on land originally deeded for military veterans and the judge ruled UCLA would have to come up with a proposal that would allow the stadium grounds to be used to benefit those military veterans. Also, the team was coming off a rough season, 19-33. Cashel said that instead of letting it get to them, the team bonded.
“It brought us closer together,” said Cashel. “We had a team bonfire at the beach…just talking about it all, bonding and it definitely taught us how to handle adversity.”
After the team spent a month practicing on soccer fields and at local high schools, the Bruins were back at Jackie Robinson Stadium for the 2025 season.
When Cashel is not catching pitches, he enjoys golf and is an avid Lego builder. Keith volunteers as a YMCA Big Brother and likes to golf, fish and travel.
Cashel Dugger at bat en route to helping UCLA make it to Omaha for the College World Series.
By Shaun Kernahan; photos courtesy of Cashel Dugger
