Gerrit Cole, the Yankees' starting pitcher in World Series Game 5, has fans at his alma mater in Orange County

ORANGE, Calif. (KABC) — The starters in Game 5 of the World Series on Wednesday in New York are expected to be a rematch from Game 1: Jack Flaherty for the Dodgers and Gerrit Cole for New York.

Both are from Southern California.

Cole grew up in Orange County and is considered one of the best players in the game, with a 2023 AL Cy Young Award and single-season strikeout records for the Astros and Yankees.

Even though he plays against the Dodgers, he still has many fans at his alma mater, Orange Lutheran High School.

“To be able to follow Gerrit and the path that he's taken and where he's at right now, I'm definitely rooting for him and the Yankees,” said Erin Shevlin, the school's baseball guidance counselor.

He stays in touch with the school. A video from 2023 shows the former Lancer visiting campus and meeting with his old teachers before being inducted into the school's hall of fame.

Jeannie Mooney, his former senior year art teacher, becomes emotional when she sees how far her former student has come as she presents a vase the masterpiece made all those years ago.

She remembers him contemplating a big decision at the time: He was a Yankees fan as a kid and was drafted by the team out of high school, but had to consider whether he should attend UCLA instead.

Ultimately, he decided to go the college route.

“I was really proud of him because it would be a big challenge for me as a high school student to play in the big leagues,” Mrs. Mooney said. “And it just showed that he respected his parents and really listened to their advice and thought about the long-term plan for his life, not the short-term plan.”

Cole eventually landed with the Yankees, but only after stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros.

And he remains an inspiration for the players on the school team.

“He’s actually my favorite player in MLB right now,” Orange Lutheran pitcher Zach Reiland said. “I actually look up to him and being a pitcher, I can kind of take something from him and learn from his mentality.”

Another memorabilia at the school is a softball that may be one of the first items Cole ever signed. His math teacher says he sits there in class and plays with the ball. She finally told him sign it because one day you will be famous.

“Knowing that a Lancer has the opportunity to play for a World Series is something all of our guys are extremely excited about,” said head baseball coach RJ Farrell.