Entering his final at-bat as a Little League player, Kaleb DeHaas had never hit a home run.

Because of Jason Pattis — that still didn’t happen.

“It was my final game and final at bat,” DeHaas recalled recently. “I hit the ball and it was on the way out. Then 5-foot-10 Jason Pattis comes along, jumps up and robs me.”

Looking back at that play, Pattis merely laughed.

Neither has let the other forget about that day, but have turned that moment into a long-lasting friendship.

While both attended separate schools in Coeur d’Alene, they have became inseparable off the field.

“When we’re not playing, we are usually spearfishing or having dart tournaments,” said Pattis, who graduated from Lake City High in June. “At first, I’m usually afraid of touching the fish so Kaleb has better days than I do. It’s fun and Kaleb laughs at me. I just started getting into it.”

Even during high school games, the two remain close.

“We’re not rivals at all,” said DeHaas, a 2011 graduate of Coeur d’Alene High. “When he comes up and I’m catching, it’s hard not to talk to him.”

“The only thing that sucked about it was that they always beat us,” Pattis added.

“It’s always something new with him,” DeHaas said of Pattis. “His dad always makes us breakfast, even when we’re going fishing at 5 a.m. Jason is a great passenger on the back of my scooter. I try to help him through his girl troubles and he tries to with me, but I don’t have any.”

They also spend time playing glow-in-the-dark Wiffle ball and often room together during out-of-town tournaments.

“We’ve always gotten along,” DeHaas said. “The only time I’ve gotten mad at him is when we’re rowing the boat.”

“I’ve got a lot of close friends,” Pattis said. “We’ve know each other 10 years, but I am a little worried about meeting another player like Kaleb again. We have played together for years, but we’ve never been as close as we are now.”

Both had to wait for playing time when they first moved up from the single-A Loggers to the AA Lumbermen.

“My sophomore year, I had to work hard just to get a spot on the field,” said Pattis, who roams center field for the Lumbermen. “My age and experience has really helped me out getting to the next level.”

DeHaas split time at third base and catcher for Coeur d’Alene High behind Devon Austin in 2009 and 2010. Austin was killed in a car accident near Twin Falls on Sept. 12, 2010.

“That first year, I played third base and when Devon pitched, I caught,” said DeHaas, who also played behind Austin at Cd’A. “I became more comfortable there because of him. The main thing he taught me was to play hard on each pitch. He was definitely a good role model for me to have.”

Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen coach Lloyd Duman compared DeHaas to a quarterback on a football team.

“Typically the catcher is very quarterback-like,” Duman said. “He’s the one calling pitches and directing traffic on the field. Kaleb is very, very good at doing that and getting players in the right positions.”

DeHaas added it can be tough to be at the control of the game behind the plate.

“It definitely feels good when everything is going right,” DeHaas said. “When the play goes away from you, you turn into a fan and can’t really control what others do. Everyone is looking at you when you behind the plate. That is another reason to play each pitch hard.”

“When Kaleb is calling pitches, I usually try to peek in at the signs to see what is going to be thrown,” Pattis said. “If I see a call for a fastball, I move in a little. We really don’t have any specific play calls, but I can usually see what him and the pitcher are doing. That’s one of the good things about his big fingers.”

DeHaas signed a letter of intent to play at NCAA Division II Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, but with only four scholarships for a 40-man roster, will be considered a walk-on.

“I think that’s a very good fit for him,” Duman said. “He’s been stepping into catching a bit last season and more so this year. He really enjoys catching and it rubs off on the rest of the team. He had to catch five games in a row because Mitch (Bevacqua) got hurt and we couldn’t put Joe (Roletto) at catcher because we needed him in the field. We ask a lot of him and he does it without complaining. It speaks to his character. He’s always in a good mood.”

Pattis plans to continue his playing career at the Community Colleges of Spokane next season. He also received an offer from Wenatchee Valley College.

“I’m going there to play in the outfield, but the coach keeps hearing about my pitching in the newspaper,” Pattis said. “It’s relatively close to home, so I can be a little closer to my family.”

Duman added that Pattis has developed into a key contributor to the program.

“He has his highs and lows as a sophomore, but has really been coming into his own,” Duman said. “I really thought he’d become a pitcher, but he’s really become a really good center fielder. When he was younger, he learned to track fly balls really well. His skills have been very fun to watch.”

On the field, Coeur d’Alene (30-18) is currently first in the class AA North Idaho League as the Lums make the final push toward the Area A (district) tournament in Trail, British Columbia July 21-24.

“This team has a lot of chemistry,” Pattis said. “There’s just something about playing on this field and under pressure. I’ve always enjoyed playing Legion.”

After turning 18 in November, this season will be the final hurrah for Pattis. It hasn’t been announced if it will be the final season for the program at McEuen Field quite yet.

“It’s hands down the reason why I play,” Pattis said. “It sucks they’re tearing it down. I’ve had a lot of memories on this field and so have a lot of other players.”

DeHaas was also sentimental about the longtime home of the Cd’A program.

“I love the atmosphere,” DeHaas said. “When you come to a game, you can look around and you know three people in the stands. With the view by the lake, it’s a great atmosphere to play in.”