It’s a busy time of year for the Okotoks Dawgs as they prepare for opening day in the Western Major Baseball League on June 8.
As the club readies for another championship run head coach Brandon Newell is in the process of confirming his roster.
“We’re pretty much finalized now,” Newell said. “For the most part, the team’s put together.”
Since the end of August, Newell and his fellow coaches Dave Robb, Brett Thomas and Allen Cox have been burning up the phone lines and badgering contacts across North America in hopes of finding elite baseball players to wear the Dawgs’ colours.
As the roster begins to take shape for the 2011 season, Newell said he is pleased with the players who are expected to make their way to the Great White North this spring.
“All of our coaches have been exhausting all of our contacts to try and get the best team up here. I think we’ve put another quality team on the field,” he said.
One of the misconceptions of summer baseball is the end of the season means an end to the recruiting work.
Not so, the Dawgs coach said.
With college programs in full swing come springtime, the four-year schools prefer to allocate their players in the fall to avoid a scheduling nightmare.
This quirk in the calendar means Newell and company start preparing for the next season almost immediately after the final pitch of the year is thrown in August.
After determining which players will or will not return, the Dawgs’ administration then begins to call contacts across the United States and entice them to send their players north.
This process continues throughout the winter and even into June.
Newell said he and his staff have to be prepared for any sort of complication – whether it is a cancellation or the availability of a new player.
“You’re constantly juggling your roster until the time that players actually show up,” he said.
While a lot of WMBL teams face a considerable challenge in recruiting elite players, Newell insisted the Dawgs’ program practically sells itself.
“We’re pretty fortunate with the experience that our players have had playing in a beautiful stadium in front of such great fans,” he said. “A lot of our players talk to their buddies around and tell them that it’s the place that they probably want to play in the summer.”
Recruiting through reputation and word of mouth is vital for survival, especially when competing against a large network of summer baseball leagues.
“That’s the best way for us to recruit,” Newell said.
For long-time visitors to Seaman Stadium, the 2011 edition of the Okotoks Dawgs will be an entirely new-look group.
“This year we have a big turnover in our roster,” Newell said, estimating that 80 per cent of the team will be made up of new recruits.
Buoyed by returnees Danny Britton-Foster, Desmond Sullivan, David D’Errico and Jason Gibson, the Okotoks pitching staff will have some familiar names.
Among the newcomers to the group will be lefthander Ryan Rogers – a player who was heavily recruited by the NCAA’s Southeastern Conference (SEC) before ultimately settling into Lindsey Wilson College.
Jed Vandernaald, a pitcher with California’s top-ranked Orange Coast Community College, will also be bringing his game north of the border.
The junior college standout is currently 7-0 in league play with a 1.90 earned run average.
Lewis-Clark State hurler Zach Clanton is expected to inherit the closer role for the Dawgs after leading his team in appearances at the college level the last three seasons.
With several high-profile guys slotted in the pitching rotation, Newell said the Dawgs are set up well for WMBL success.
By making pitching a priority, the Dawgs will have a decided advantage against their foes – a must for teams seeking to contend for the championship.
“When you’re playing in a wooden-bat summer league, you win games with pitching and defence,” he said. “It gives us a chance to be in all the games.”
Not to be outdone, the Dawgs’ offence will also be ready to go heading into their abbreviated spring training.
With several players having moved on, Newell and his staff burned up the recruiting trail in the offseason looking to rebuild the batting order.
The work has paid off with a bumper-crop of power hitters who have a chance to anchor the heart of the Dawgs’ batting order.
At least five players are strong candidates to fill the void at the three and four spots in the lineup, Newell said.
Newcomers Justin Juneau, Bryce Baugh, Kendall Boone, Logan Moore and Chandler McLaren will all have a chance to make in impact in the middle of the order.
Moore, in particular, will be an interesting candidate to watch.
The draft-eligible prospect just signed a scholarship with the University of Tennessee Volunteers of the SEC – one of the largest college sports programs in North America.
With “big bashers” like this in the middle of the order, Newell also turned his attention to his potential lead-off guys.
Lincoln Memorial College’s Deaun Williams and Tyler Hollick of Chandler-Gilbert College will be counted on to put fear into the hearts of opposing catchers all summer long.
Hollick is a 2011 graduate of the Dawgs Academy.
With Trever Allen and Kasey Coffman from Arizona State University already in the mix, the Dawgs’ offence will boast an extremely formidable college pedigree.
Newell said he is confident the new Dawgs will have what it takes to succeed.
After toiling with the New York Mets organization as a player and scouting for 10 years with the Milwaukee Brewers Okotoks’ coach and manager has developed a well-deserved reputation for recognizing talent.
His career in professional baseball has also allowed him to develop a rapport with coaches from across North America, something coming in handy as the Dawgs’ lead recruiter.
While he hasn’t been able to see every new player in person, the Dawgs boss is confident the recommendations of his contacts won’t let him down.
“As long as they’re telling us the truth… Everyone’s happy,” Newell added.
With Robb, Thomas and Cox also contributing their expertise and tapping into their contacts, the Dawgs’ network of recruiters has grown exponentially.
“We’ve added coaches that can throw a big net around North America as far as recruits,” Newell said. “Baseball’s a small tight-knit group of people.”
With all of these resources at their disposal, the Dawgs will certainly be ready to go once the WMBL season opens on June 1 against the defending champion Swift Current Indians.
The Dawgs will play their home opener on Thursday, June 9 against the Medicine Hat Mavericks.
