Lee Lancaster hasn’t missed a beat.

After graduating from Delta Charter School in 2017, Lancaster took his studies to Louisiana Teach University. But sadly for him, he didn’t take his baseball career any further than that with the Storm.

Since returning for his first summer home after beginning college, Lancaster has also returned to the one place he misses most — the diamond.

“I felt like I was just a little rusty at first trying to get back into it,” Lancaster said of the start to his season with the Miss-Lou Dixie Boys. “I wasn’t really in shape, but now it feels better.”

Having not seen any game action since he left high school, Lancaster has taken back his position on the mound, as well as other positions in the infield. He has also hit two home runs — one coming inside the park during his regular-season closer on Thursday.

“I really don’t know how I got back into it so easy,” Lancaster said. “I just like it so much. I love this game.”

Lancaster’s spark this summer might have come from the fact he didn’t give up on baseball right away. As a senior, he led the Storm to an appearance in the LHSAA Class 1A quarterfinals in the school’s first year of postseason eligibility. After that, Lancaster said he did try to walk on at Louisiana Tech.

“I tried out in September for Tech’s team, but they already had their roster full,” he said. “At that point, I just focused on engineering because I found myself constantly studying.”

Another thing Lancaster has enjoyed since returning to the field is being with his friends, he said. His summer league team — Johnny’s Pizza — has a handful of former Delta Charter players.

Recent Storm graduate Chase Gillespie took over as a pitcher when Lancaster left the school, and he said it’s like nothing ever changed.

“When I looked at his first swing, he was not rusty at all,” Gillespie said.

Former teammate Trenton Miller wasn’t so sure.

“He’s garbage,” Miller said laughing. “That’s really the nice way to put it.

“No but for real, he’s a great friend.”

When Lancaster returns to college in the fall, he said he might change his major from biomedical engineering to nursing. But that’s not the only thing.

Lancaster also said he still thinks about the possibility of playing baseball.

“I sometimes think about transferring somewhere to play,” he said. “I don’t know for sure, but I might.”