Coach, a.k.a. Craig T. Nelson, returns home to throw the first pitch at Sunday’s Indians game

Craig T. Nelson has been rehearsing.

The veteran actor isn’t preparing for a scene in a forthcoming episode of “Young Sheldon” or a film. The Lewis and Clark alum, class of 1962, is getting ready to fire the first pitch before the Spokane Indians take on Eugene Sunday at Avista Stadium.

“We’re thrilled to host a star of Craig T. Nelson’s caliber at the ballpark,” Spokane Indians Vice President Otto Klein said. “Who better to help us celebrate Father’s Day than a Spokane native, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and the patriarch of ‘Parenthood’s’ Braverman clan?”

Nelson is focusing on what he’ll deliver.

“I’m working on a two-seam fastball. Yeah, right,” Nelson said while calling from his Los Angeles home. “My fastball is topping out at about 43 mph. Throwing 60 feet, 6 inches is way too far for a human to throw hard.”

But Nelson, 79, often pitched as a Spokane Little Leaguer.

“Those were some magical times,” Nelson said. “I loved playing baseball in Comstock Park. Growing up in Spokane was idyllic. There were all kinds of activities, and we enjoyed just hanging out in the neighborhood.”

Catching the Indians was always a highlight for Nelson.

“When I was a kid during the ’50s, I saw Tommy Lasorda, Maury Wills and Frank Howard as minor leaguers. It was a magical time.”

Nelson, made famous for playing a Division 1 football coach in the aptly titled TV series “Coach,” studied acting at Yakima Valley College and the University of Arizona.

The seeds were planted in his childhood movie theaters.

“There was the Fox Theatre, the State Theatre, The Orpheum,” Nelson said. “I saw ‘Spartacus’ at the State and was blown away. Years later I was working with Kirk Douglas, who starred in that film. I told Kirk Douglas that as a kid in Spokane I watched ‘Spartacus,’ and he made me realize what I wanted to do. I wanted to act. He was an amazing guy who understood me perfectly. Then we sang a song together from ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea,’ and it was a glorious moment.”

It was a struggle for Nelson upon arriving in Hollywood, but he became close friends with director Barry Levinson. The pals became a comedy writing team during the early ’70s. Still, Nelson longed to perform. Nelson’s first big break was as the prosecuting attorney opposite Al Pacino in 1979’s Oscar-winning “And Justice For All,” which was co-written by Levinson.

Nelson earned raves as the football coach in the Tom Cruise vehicle “All the Right Moves” in 1982. He also played the father in the “Poltergeist” film series. “My Name Is Earl,” “The District” and “CSI: NY” are among his television credits.

Nelson is again playing a coach on “Young Sheldon.”

“It’s been a great career and it’s not over yet,” Nelson said. “And it all started for me in Spokane.”

About every five years, Nelson returns to his hometown to visit his nieces and nephews.

“It’s always great to be back,” Nelson said. “You can’t forget where you came from. I remember how innocent it was when I was growing up there and going to Lewis and Clark. It was a time of optimism. My parents were coming out of the Depression and the Second World War. It felt like it could only get better, and it did get better for me. I left Spokane at 18, but I always come back.”

This time, Nelson, who has three children, will return for Father’s Day and reach back to fire a ball across the plate just like he did 65 years ago.

“I just don’t want to bounce one,” Nelson said. “Like I said, I’m rehearsing.”