Prairie didn't look far for new coach

When Justin Elliott, Prairie Cardinals American Legion Director of Baseball, was trying to find a new head coach to replace Dustin Frank before this summer, Ron Mackie was there to help him out with the search.

It turns out the soft-spoken Mackie was the right guy all along, so Elliott hired him. And in his first season, Mackie guided the Cardinals to the Class AA state tournament, which begins today at Harris Field in Lewiston. Prairie (25-22) opens at 10 a.m. against the Boise Gems.

Elliott and Mackie knew each other for several years in the Spokane-based Inland Northwest Men's Baseball League.

"I know he has the baseball coaching experience," Elliott said.

"He has the temperament we're looking for in this program right now with lots of changes. He was somebody I knew was reliable and had good knowledge and is organized and knows important things for the way a program that could make you want to return to every year. I actually talked to him to spread the word with the Spokane men's league, looking for coaches and we had seven to eight coaches we could be hiring ... he called me back and said 'Well, I might be interested.' We talked about it from there, and it got to the point where I needed a commitment and he was there every time we needed him."

Mackie has been more than ready while being a part of the West Valley High program in Spokane.

"He plays in my baseball league," Mackie said of Elliott. "I coach, I manage, I've umpired, I'm the president of that league. I've been a volunteer assistant coach at West Valley High School for more than 10 years and I've volunteered for their Legion AA program for the past four, before this year. So I devoted a lot of time for baseball; it's kind of been my passion."

For the past 17 years, Mackie, a West Valley High grad, has worked as a commercial architect for Architectural Ventures in Spokane. He is also licensed in Idaho.

"That's my real job when I'm not here," Mackie said. "Basically, I have to work late nights to offset the time I'm spending out here."

Mackie's style is a little quiet during games. He saves the heavy part of his instruction for practices and some postgame speeches.

"This first year has been great," Mackie said. "These guys have really been respectful, they're a good bunch of boys. Getting the opportunity to manage is something I enjoy doing. Basically I've told them this is like a summer internship and they're working for me and so the harder they work, the more opportunities they'll get. Hopefully that carries off the ballfield. If we get back to playing our game and having our approaches at the plate, we'll be fine."

Elliott said he likes Mackie's coaching style as well.

"He's autocratic," Elliott said. "He trusts his players to do what they've done in practice and doesn't overcoach during games. Ron's pretty mellow, definitely not an in-your-face, scream-at-you type of coach. He gives the players a lot of latitude to play the game. The thing I've noticed is when it's game time, they're playing. He treats his players like adults, expects them to behave like adults and when they don't, I've seen that addressed as well."

Prairie also accomplished winning a league title for the first time in 20 years. During the state tournament, Mackie said he is hopeful that pitcher-shortstop Kris Jackson, one of the team's best starting pitchers and hitters, can recover from recent jaw surgery to fix an underbite.

"We've accomplished a few things, we've played some good tournaments," Mackie said. "To be able to take first in league, for these guys was a nice bonus being able to basically beat Coeur d'Alene five times; I don't think it's ever been done."

James Prockish, the Cardinals' starting catcher, will be a sophomore this fall at Augsburg College, a Division III school located in Minneapolis. The Lakeland High grad has been in the Prairie American Legion program for five years and on the "AA" team for three.

"He's been more laid-back," Prockish said. "He still gets on us, but he's more of a guy who can hide his emotions. That's his style of coaching. Probably the best (move) is he always says 'All 14 guys contribute to the team.' He always expects everyone to do their jobs and for the most part, they do."

State AA Legion tournament

n At Harris Field, Lewiston

Today's first-round games

Prairie vs. Boise Gems, 10 a.m.

Nampa vs. Twin Falls, 1 p.m.

Idaho Falls vs. Meridian, 4 p.m.

Lewis-Clark vs. Mountain View, 7 p.m.