Dustin Guihan had a sensational baseball career in his five years playing for West Burlington High School.

In fact, some of Guihan’s fondest memories are from Falcon Field, all the games and practices and eventful bus rides with his teammates and friends every summer.

So when the opportunity arose to come back and coach at his alma mater, Guihan jumped at the chance.

Guihan, a 2009 graduate of West Burlington, has the Falcons off to a fast start.

West Burlington was 4-1 overall, 1-1 in the SEI Super Conference South Division heading into Wednesday’s scheduled game against rival Notre Dame.

For Guihan, giving back to the program and school that provided him with a platform to succeed in life is the least he can do.

“It’s pretty exciting, especially getting that first win,” said Guihan, the safety manager for Rasmussen Group, Inc. “It’s pretty cool. I’ve pretty much come full circle now. It’s great to be able to give back to the school I played for, to have a chance to give back some of the knowledge and things I learned to help these kids get better than I ever was. I want them to be better players and people by the time they are done.”

West Burlington opened the season with a 15-0 win over Wapello, then had wins over Louisa-Muscatine, Winfield-Mount Union and New London before dropping a 6-5, eight-inning game to Van Buren County on May 30.

The Falcons are hitting .333 as a team with 37 runs in five games. They are 37-for-37 in stolen base attempts.

Guihan knows a thing or two about hitting. During his senior season in 2009, Guihan hit a robust .640 with a .724 on-base percentage and a 1.213 slugging percentage. in 75 at bats, Guihan has 11 doubles, one triple and 10 home runs, drove in 46 runs and scored 44 runs. He made just one error in 59 total chances.

On the mound, Guihan was 5-2 with a 2.42 ERA, striking out 81 and walking just 11 in 46 1/3 innings.

Guihan played for Jeff Housel, who is now his boss as the athletics director at West Burlington.

“Jeff has been great to work for,” Guihan said. “He gets us everything we need for the baseball program to get to where it needs to be. He took a chance on me and I am doing my best to help this program succeed.”

Guihan is the fourth coach in as many years for West Burlington baseball. Pat McKasson resigned after the 2022 season. Aaron Brown coached the team in 2023 and Dreyton LaVeine was the coach last season.

Guihan, after spending time coaching at the lower levels, hopes to bring some much-needed stability to the program.

“I coached my two younger nephews since they were eight,” Guihan said. “Every year there was an opening at the high school, Jeff would ask me if I was interested. I figured I would take him up on the offer this time. I’ve known many of these kids since they were 11 or 12. That helped me make the decision.”

Guihan is pleased with the progress the Falcons are making thus far.

“It’s been awesome from the start,” Guihan said. “The kids have absorbed a lot of information and are extremely eager to learn and get better. They want to be here and they want to learn. When you have players who want to be here and are committed to the program, it makes my job a lot easier.”