New Prairie coach aims for a taste of success
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 11 years, 6 months AGO
By JASON ELLIOTT
Sports writer
The recently completed high school baseball season left a bad taste in a majority of the mouths on the Prairie Cardinal "AA" American Legion baseball team.
What first-year coach Ron Mackie hopes for is the team to get that sour feeling out on the field this summer.
"I think it's going to affect them greatly," Mackie said. "Those kids from Lakeland got deep in the playoffs and falling short puts a taste in their mouths that they want to get closer."
Kris Jackson, Killian Estes, Kenny Cooper, Brian Howell, Blake Wrotenbery and Dalton Strong of Lakeland High - which finished as 4A runner-up in last week's state baseball tournament in Caldwell - return, along with James Prockish and Dustin Ceballos, who also played and graduated from Lakeland in 2013. All of them are expected to see time on the mound for Prairie.
"We've got a good depth in pitching," Mackie said, "which we'll need this summer."
The Prairie program consists of players from Post Falls, Lakeland and Timberlake high schools.
Prockish, Treavor Hammell (Post Falls) and Logan Bruner (Lakeland) will handle the catching duties, as well as play in the infield.
Mackie has been an assistant junior varsity coach at West Valley High in Spokane for the past 10 years, as well as helping with Legion programs in the Spokane area. He replaces Dustin Frank, who coached the Cardinals to two state AA tournament appearances in four seasons.
Mackie is also the president of the Inland Northwest Men's Baseball League, an adult baseball league which includes teams in Spokane, Spokane Valley, Newport, Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene, Rathdrum and Sandpoint.
"The opportunity came up and Justin Elliott (president of Prairie American Legion, who knows Mackie from playing in the Inland Northwest Men's Baseball League) contacted me for coaches in the program," Mackie said. "I've been around the league and felt it was a great chance to step in."
Howell (third base), Jackson (shortstop), Dustin Ceballos (second base) and Strong will be the primary starters in the infield for Prairie, which opened the season on Thursday night in the Northeast 49ers tournament at Deer Park High.
"We've got some depth at each position," Mackie said. "We've practiced three days and they're a great group and ready to get to work."
In the outfield will be Wrotenbery, Michael Bodak (Lakeland) and Jacob Lebsock (Post Falls).
"They're coming together really well and pretty interchangeable," Mackie said. "This is a great bunch of kids and they're anxious to get going."
The top two finishers between Prairie, Coeur d'Alene and Lewis-Clark from the Class AA Area A tournament at Post Falls High on July 24-27 advance to the state tournament at Harris Field in Lewiston on July 30-Aug. 3.