LEGION BASEBALL: A new start for Prairie, and coach for the Lums

By JASON ELLIOTT 

Sports writer 

Prairie is taking a big step up this year. 

And with nine returning players back from last year’s squad, the gap the Cardinals will be trying to close at the Class AA level might have grown smaller. 

Sean MacNiven will be the Coeur d'Alene Lumbermen's third AA coach in as many years, taking over for Jim Allison and Gil Pierce as coach this season.

"They're a good, well-rounded team," said MacNiven, who coached at the Single-A level last year and U16 for Coeur d'Alene previously. "We've got a lot of promise and potential this season."

Prairie, which hasn’t fielded an AA program since the COVID-19 shortened season of 2020, will join Lewis-Clark and Coeur d’Alene in the North Idaho League this year. 

The state AA tournament is July 23-26 at Harris Field in Lewiston, with the winner of that tournament advancing to the Northwest Regional Tournament in Medford, Ore., Aug. 6-9. 

With Lewis-Clark hosting state, officials have yet to determine how many teams from Area A (District 1) advance to state, with the possibility of all three advancing. 

“We’d like to see our district represented by as many teams as we can get,” said Prairie coach Nathan Collier, who played at Prairie in 2012. “Our hope is that everybody gets that opportunity.” 

"It's going to be nice having them in the league," MacNiven said. "Any time you can add a local legion team, it's always exciting."

“I think ultimately, our goal was to be an AA program,” said Collier, who has coached this group at the Single-A level the past two seasons. “As this group has gotten older, and now being a group of juniors and seniors, it just made sense to make the jump. It was more a part of the plan getting them to the right age to do it.” 

Prairie: Outfielder Alec Finn (Ferris High in Spokane), infielder Ben Carrasco (Post Falls High), infielder/pitcher Bryce Berger (Post Falls), pitcher/infielder Gavin Wienker (Post Falls), outfielder Grady Stinson (University High in Spokane Valley), outfielder Isaiah Kearney (Post Falls), pitcher James Morast (Lake City High) and catcher Timothy Howard (Lakeland High) return for the Cardinals, who finished 25-17-1 last year, advancing to the Class A Northwest Regional in Burley. 

“We’re excited about the opportunity to coach these guys again,” Collier said. “I think they’re excited to get back together and play again.” 

Both Wienker and Morast were named to the all-6A Inland Empire League team for their efforts on the mound during the high school season. 

Berger, Finn and Andrew Olson (Ferris) will likely compose the middle of the Cardinals’ batting order. 

“We’re looking forward to having everyone together again this year,” Collier said. “It’s likely the last season we’ll have this group together due to graduations and players moving on.” 

Prairie opens the season Friday against the Sandpoint Sasquatch at War Memorial Field in Sandpoint. 

Coeur d'Alene: Jack Pierce, who played at Lake City High, returns after spending the last season playing at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Ore. Tanner Franklin, another Lake City alum, returns after playing this spring at Shasta College in Redding, Calif.

Aven Adams (Lake City High), Noah Childress (Lake City), Malcolm MacNiven (Lake City), Asa Morton (Coeur d'Alene High), Colton Nordman (Coeur d'Alene), Evan Huss (Lake City), JD Davenport (Coeur d'Alene) and Logan Strimback (Lake City) also return.

"We've got a lot of arms we can throw out there on the mound," MacNiven said. "If we can get our bats going at the right time, we'll do really well."

Coeur d'Alene plays a doubleheader against the Sandpoint Sasquatch U17 on Saturday at War Memorial Field on Saturday starting at noon.

Prairie and Coeur d'Alene will open North Idaho League play against each other at Thorco Field in Coeur d'Alene on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m.