ML Dirt Dawgs filling needed skills gap

MEDICAL LAKE – Lance Michaud saw a need when he arrived in Medical Lake for duty at Fairchild Air Force Base as its Food Superintendent in 2019 and he filled it.

Now the West Plains has an additional bridge to fill what was a baseball gap with the formation of the Medical Lake Dirt Dawgs Single-A American Legion team.

"I came up here from Vegas and, you know, they have good club ball down there," Michaud said. His son, A.J., played year-round, minus the three months he took off for basketball.

But to Michaud's surprise, for the ages between Little League and high school ball - 13 to 15 - "Baseball is like almost like non important out here."

"But there's a lot of good baseball players out here so it blew my mind," he said.

Typical club baseball and its hefty fees usually starting at $4,000 per season was often out of reach for most families in Medical Lake, so Michaud got together with some buddies to consider forming an alternative.

Having built a club team in Las Vegas, he got the wheels turning, formed the Dirt Dawgs and as luck would have it the effort landed smack dab in the middle of COVID-19.

It proved to be somewhat of an auspicious beginning both playing with masks and getting their butts kicked by some established club teams.

Being from a small town, but competing against select teams defeated the purpose of the program. Getting hammered on the scoreboard, and at the plate with limited at-bats, the opportunities are lost to learn and grow, Michaud explained.

Having conferred with Medical Lake High School's head baseball coach, Austin Sharp, who lamented a skills gap existed on incoming players to his program, Michaud was provided a different option.

Sharp pointed Michaud in the direction of American Legion baseball and its A-division.

It proved to be a good move as the Dirt Dawgs made it to the state tournament in their first ALB season. And they did it in dramatic fashion, rallying from 9-2 down to a last at-bat win, 10-9 over Deer Park.

Advancing with that walk-off win in district play, the team would go on to finish fifth in the tournament. They not only did it with just 10 players, but against opponents who were much more experienced in both baseball and life.

While his team stayed true to the 13 to 15 age range, you can still be 18 and play single-A. "We were playing kids and full beards and driving," Michaud said.

Regardless of the result, the skills development aspect paid dividends for both the Dirt Dawgs and Medical Lake High School baseball. The Cardinals advanced to within a game of the state tournament - again - thanks in part to contributions from Dirt Dawg players like Michaud's son, A.J., Ian Thompson and Kyle Kipp.

A.J. Michaud played infield and pitched, he was the Cardinals' second leading hitter with a .317 average with 20 hits in 24 games. In 44 innings pitched he racked up 38 strikeouts, all as a freshman.

Coach Michaud said his philosophy is to keep a balance between the three age groups. The 15-year-olds provide leadership for the 13 and 14's.

"We've got three 14-year olds and all the rest of seventh graders," Michaud said of the 2023 team. "Having that balance is what's going to keep this team growing."

Another example of advancement was Clint Zimmerman who made the ML varsity.

"He started off rough this year," Michaud said. With time spent in Michaud's batting cage, "He started contributing once the playoffs came up."

The origin of the Dirt Dawgs name is also a story.

"It is kind of a nickname I've always had for A.J.," Michaud explained. "He's been playing baseball since he was four and always slid and dove - even for no reason; I used to call him my little dirt dawg."

The team is essentially all from Medical Lake with the exception of one player from Davenport. They play home games at Holliday Field in Medical.