When Kaden Isola was 10 years old he moved to Bend, and one of the first baseball games he ever attended was a Bend Elks game at Vince Genna Stadium.

Nearly a decade later, the former Bend High Lava Bear is suiting up and spending his summer playing for his hometown team.

“I’ve always dreamt of this,” Isola said. “It is nice to finally play in a Bend Elks’ jersey. There is nothing like this crowd, everyone has been so supportive.”

Isola is now one of four Elks players that played their high school baseball in Bend. Kaleb Karpstein (Bend High), Finn Edwards (Summit) and Simon Lemke (Mountain View) have each spent previous summers playing for the Elks.

The moment Isola took the field at Vince Genna Stadium and was in the batter’s box for the first time in the Elks season-opener against Ridgefield was a moment he won’t forget.

“It felt like I was on another planet,” Isola said. “It is funny because it is a small town and a small baseball team. But when you have the presence of the crowd and you grew up watching these guys, there is nothing like it.”

Isola just wrapped up his freshman season at Sacramento City College this past spring where he played in 28 games, batted .369, drove in 19 runs, scored 20 runs and belted two home runs. But injuries to both his hamstrings kept him out of the regular lineup for the second half of the season.

With missing nearly half the season, it was important for the 6-foot-2 first baseman to get on a summer league team. He knew it was probably a long shot, but he had the Sacramento City College coaches reach out to the Elks to see if they had a spot for him.

The Elks made room for the Bend local.

“He’s a big first baseman and had a really good year at Sac City College,” said Elks coach Alex Cox. “He’s got some pop in the bat, which is good. It is nice when you can get those local kids.”

Through the first 17 games of the season, Isola has appeared in eight of them. He’s currently hitting .333 with four hits, two runs scored and five RBIs.

“I’m here to get better,” Isola said. “I’m always about getting better. I’m grateful to be with this program, so anytime I’m in this dugout I’m just happy.”

The Elks began a six-game road stand on Friday with a three-game series against the Portland Pickles, followed by a three-game series at the Marion Berries in Salem. Starting June 27, the Elks will play six-straight home games against Yakima Valley and Walla Walla.

Entering Friday’s games, the Elks had an 8-10 record and were fourth in the West Coast League’s South Division.