Big turnout for ML Legion program means two teams

The way Medical Lake’s AA American Legion baseball coach Austin Sharp figures, part of the tidal wave turnout that greeted he and his coaches is a desire by some of those players to not repeat in 2019 what happened in 2018.

In his first year at the helm, Sharp’s Northeast A League Cardinals finished 3-16. But the nine juniors who endured such a long season want none of that as seniors and playing summer baseball is part of the solution.

“Man, we had a ton of kids tryout,” Sharp said, 29 in all and enough to field both an AA and A teams. One player will float back and forth giving each squad 15 roster spots.

Another number of note is that unlike in the past few seasons, Medical Lake is not desperately casting its lure trying to make just a limited roster.

“We’ve always taken kids from the small schools,” Sharp said. The teams still have players from Lincoln County, two on the AA roster from Reardan, plus a pair from Davenport, and another from Reardan on the A team.

On the AA squad, there are 15 on the roster and 11 from Medical Lake. Plus this year, Pete Richardson and Rory Schuller have joined the team since there is no summer program in Cheney.

“Out of the 29 kids we kept for the two teams, 23 were Medical Lake kids,” Sharp said. “That’s a pretty high number especially when we graduated five.”

Medical Lake will have sponsorship from the town’s American Legion Post 196. “They are doing some fundraising and helping sponsor us,” Sharp said. A Founder Day raffle of a barbecue will benefit the team.

“We had to get new uniforms because we’re never had this many kids,” Sharp said. “I’ve got new pants and jerseys and hats coming.”

Todd Soliday will once against help coach at the AA level. ML grad Brayden Hale will return after time on the roster at Community Colleges of Spokane and work with pitchers.

Graduating Cardinal senior Ben Evans is going to coach until he sails away with the U.S. Coast Guard sometime in July.

Evans, whose primary job the past two years has been to catch, will work with catchers on both teams. “I’ve got to develop a catcher for next year,” Sharp said.

It would not be Medical Lake baseball if musical chairs movement during games ceased and Sharp expects some of that. Sharp said he hopes that by getting a catcher established, it saves moving Sam Gollehon or Weston Thomas.

He’s also trying to lock in a first and third baseman as well. “I’ve got two guys who I think can kind of do that,” he said. His prospects played there and just need more coaching.

The middle infield — shortstop and second base — also could be a bit fluid because of Gollehon’s lead role as a pitcher but he also plays short, like Thomas.

“The outfield, I kind of feel it coming together,” Sharp said. “I think Trevor Hurt-Moran will be my left fielder and Gavin O’Brien in center.” Right field might belong to a potential transfer, the son of a teacher at Medical Lake.

“If we can make him an outfielder, the kid’s got a bat, he can swing it,” Sharp said.

A notable program demographic are young players. “We got a big interest from our eighth grade,” Sharp said. Six will fill spots, including one, Joe Griffey, who is on the initial AA roster.

That’s important for the program Sharp said because they play less than a dozen a season. “Unless they’re playing on a club team there’s no other option,” Sharp said.

The A team, coached by ML junior varsity’s Jefferson French, is made up of eighth, nine and 10th graders. Of the 15 on the roster 12 are from ML.

The single-A league features a number of 4A schools and they will have younger players, Sharp said. “My goal is to get them all playing and we have enough of them so that’s going to be big for our program.”

And to think just four summers ago, there was no summer ball played under the lights at Holliday Field.

Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].