Former Oakmont baseball MVP dies at age 21

Oakmont High School graduate Justin Salisbury, who played catcher for the Vikings' Capital Valley Conference championship team in 2017, died of apparent heart failure on Saturday, his family said. He was 21. Friends of Salisbury said he was taking a trip to Fresno with another group of friends to get a puppy when they unexpectedly had to perform CPR on Salisbury. Salisbury's family said he had no pulse after EMTs tried to revive him. "It broke my heart, absolutely devastated. A whole piece of my childhood died," said Salisbury's longtime friend Ross Strider. "He was my best friend. He was the person I'd call when I needed anything or nothing at all. He was just always there to talk to me." Salisbury's sister, Nicole Trujillo, said the family is still awaiting the official autopsy to determine the cause of death. In addition to loving baseball, cars and music, Salisbury had an infectious smile and could brighten any room. "He was a light," said friend Gage Kinsey. "Somebody who, no matter the situation, could always just come in and always put a smile on anybody's face, no matter how bad your day was." Oakmont baseball coach Paul Martinez recalled the "legendary" reputation that Salisbury built playing for Maidu Little League. "When he got (to Oakmont), he lived up to it," Martinez said. "He was a really good baseball player, he was an all-leaguer, he was the MVP of our team his senior year, just a super hard worker, good teammate." Martinez noted how personable Salisbury was off the field. "Justin was very sincere," Martinez said. "He had a very common-sense understanding of things when you talked to him. It didn't always have to apply to baseball. It could be about classes or personal relationships with guys on the team. He had a sincerity about him, which was something I admired." Salisbury played on the first Roseville Bandits travel team in 2012, which traveled to Cooperstown, New York, for a tournament. His family has all five home run balls he hit in that tournament. Strider mentioned how Salisbury convinced him to transfer from Rocklin High School to Oakmont High School so they could play together their senior year. "He was my catcher and I was his pitcher. We were a great combo," Strider said. "He caught the last pitch I ever threw at a competitive level. I tore my UCL and shattered my elbow at Oakmont, and (Justin) came out to the mound to check on me." Other friends said Salisbury was a deep-thinker who could hold conversations for hours. "There were multiple times where we would just sit in my car and have really deep conversations about life and who we were and who we wanted to be and how we wanted to change," said friend and former classmate Sammi Unwin. "We could just sit and talk for hours, and it felt like time stood still. It didn't feel like hours but they were really meaningful conversations that I will cherish always." After high school, Salisbury helped crews of firefighters during the Paradise and Santa Rosa fires. He often worked 24-hour shifts helping to clean up debris. "That boy put his hand in everything and everything he put his hand in, he was so abundantly successful at," Trujillo said. "Something about Justin is that he would literally give you the shirt off his back. We actually have a picture of him with no pants on because he gave them to someone else." Salisbury was described as both "rugged" and "goofy" in multiple recollections. "He was just a goofball, the most loveable goofball teddy bear you've ever seen," Strider said. "He had a temper like a match but that kid's heart was made of fur." Salisbury loved the outdoors. The last time they spoke, Trujillo said, Salisbury mentioned he wanted to move to Montana and build his own house because "he felt that was where he belonged." No matter where he was, those closest to him said Salisbury always kept in touch. "At least once a week, he would call," Trujillo said. "Just to say 'I'm thinking of you and I love you.'"