Docs bank on speed, experience

Scott Shaver hopes to hit the ground running as the new head coach of the Dr. Stewart’s American Legion baseball team. And to do it he’s assembled one of the speediest rosters to wear the blue and orange.

The 2008 Docs debut at 6 p.m. Saturday against the Mid-Valley Rockets of Albany at Legion Field, less than a week after the team was selected.

“We’re going to take advantage of one of our strengths, and that strength is speed,” said Shaver, the first-year coach of the Docs but a longtime coach in the Roseburg Legion program.

Much of that speed will come from an infield lifted straight off the Roseburg High diamond in Boone and Johnny Farrington and Derek Priestley. Douglas High’s Jered Stoffal will play at third.

Boone Farrington is one of nine returning players from last summer’s Dr. Stewart’s team that went 34-16 and placed second in the Area 4 standings. After he and his Roseburg teammates got about a week of rest between high school and Legion seasons, Farrington head to Northwest Nazarene on a baseball scholarship in the fall.

“I’m excited to keep things going,” the shortstop said. “I don’t really like to stop once the season gets going.”

The most experienced players on the roster are pitchers Justin Counts and Chad Hanson. Counts, a left-hander from Roseburg, and Hanson, a right-hander from Riddle, recently completed their freshmen seasons at Linn-Benton Community College.

“We’ll look to them for a lot of leadership,” Shaver said. “They’re very good character kids and nice people. I’m very excited about them taking that role on our team.”

Counts and Hanson won’t join the team until next week following the completion of final exams.

“We’ve got a lot of young guys but a lot of talented, young guys,” said A.J. Royal, who along with Mitch Huff plays in the outfield.

Six pitchers return with AAA experience on Roseburg’s right-hand heavy roster. Brandon Jackson, Dakota Cavens, Matt Thomson and Brett Poitner logged most of the innings pitched for the Indians this spring on their way to a runner-up Southwest Conference finish and a run to the Class 6A quarterfinals.

Kyle Fields, a Class 3A all-state selection at Glide, and Dakota Mathis, a Class 2A/1A all-state selection from Oakland, both pitched for Pepsi last summer. Bryson Norton, who carried a hot bat for Douglas High this spring, comes up from Horizon and will also pitch.

“We’ve got a bunch of guys who can throw strikes and like to get people to swing early in the count,” Shaver said. “We’re pretty light on lefties, but this can be a very effective group.”

Jordan Guthrie returns at catcher after a strong offensive season for Roseburg High. He’s joined by South Umpqua’s Bo Younker, who played for Pepsi last summer and was a first-team all Far West League selection. Vince Ampi will swing between the Docs and Pepsi.

Counts, Jackson, Cavens, Poitner, Mathis and Norton can all play outfield positions when not pitching. Hanson and Fields can play corner infield positions.

Shaver has coached much of the team’s roster at the AA level. Shaver spent the last five seasons guiding Pepsi. And while he’s coming up with many players from that team, having so much speed in tryouts was somewhat of a surprise.

“Each year you look at what’s coming up and tune your approach around the kids you get,” Shaver said. “This year is just happens that the team’s biggest plus is speed. It should be fun to watch.”



• You can reach sports reporter Rob McCallum by e-mail at rmccallum@nrtoday.com, or by phone at 957-4221.