LEGION BASEBALL: Lums look to stay on same wavelength through postseason

By JASON ELLIOTT

Sports writer

Maybe the credit for the Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen ‘AA’ team's success goes to the growth of the players.

They are a year older.

Bigger, stronger, faster, and can play at a pace that other teams can’t.

And for that, you can thank the coaches for constantly being in their ear.

Since early in the season, Coeur d’Alene has used a PitchCom system, a walkie talkie in the dugout to a receiver on the back of the catcher, who wears an earpiece to hear the calls.

“It really helps us and helps (Lumbermen pitching coach) Andy (Beaudry) refine the game plan,” second-year Coeur d’Alene coach Darren Taylor said. “Plus Andy can add in some additions to the call, like we’re going to go fastball away, but maybe get it a little further away than normal. You’re in the catcher’s ear the entire time, which is kind of crazy.”

From the earpiece, it’s like having a coach in the middle of the action.

“We can have him run out and say exactly what Andy wants to say to the pitcher without having to burn a mound visit,” Taylor said. “It’s a cool kind of thing.”

Joe DuCoeur has caught a majority of the games behind the plate for the Lumbermen this season.

“The first game I had it in, it kind of threw me off a little bit,” DuCoeur said. “Especially in the first few innings. Then I realized it sped the game up quite a bit faster. Our coach can give more specific details about where he wants the ball. But to be honest, I like it and it makes it easier for me to communicate with Andy and all the coaches in the dugout.”

“Joe and I have a good working relationship,” Beaudry said. “I’ve got good relationships with each pitcher, but I work with Joe five times as much as each pitcher."

Then again, sometimes, technology has its bumps.

“Every once in a while, we’ll have to change channels because someone is on the same radio frequency,” DuCoeur said. “I’ll start hearing random voices, sometimes in mid-pitch and I just have to turn it off and change the channel the next inning. Once, there was a girl on there talking about her dog or something, so I just had to turn it off because I couldn’t listen to it during an important game. All I’ve got to do is turn around and twist the cord and it’s off and I’ll signal the coach that he needs to signal the pitches in with his hands because it’s off.”

Coeur d’Alene got the idea for the device after playing in a tournament in Missoula to start the season in late May.

“(Missoula coach) Brent (Hathaway) got it from a Canadian team,” Taylor said. “He researched it, and anything that Major League Baseball is doing, it’s OK for Legion because we’re trying to model things after that. He said ‘you’ve got to get one of these things,’ and we jumped right on it and had a set.”

Members of the Lums have also seen the upside as well.

“I think it’s pretty neat,” left-handed pitcher Troy Sheppard said. “It’s definitely hard to pick up if you’re on the other team and hard to steal signs. I like it and don’t think it’s a bad idea. Sometimes the pace of the game can get a little slow because the coaches are having to explain everything, but we’re starting to get the hang of it and are ready to go on the next pitch before I get the ball back.”

Infielders as well.

“I just look at what the catcher is putting down and relay that to the third baseman and second baseman on positioning depending on the count,” shortstop Marcus Manzardo said. “I love the pace of the game and it really keeps the intensity there.”

Coeur d’Alene (31-9) opens the state AA tournament today against Blackfoot (2-18) at Rodeo Park in Nampa at noon PDT. The Lumbermen won four of five regular season tournaments and won last week’s Area A tournament in three games to advance.

“Our pitchers are piling up good wins against great teams,” said Taylor, whose team finished third at state in his first year at the helm last season. “We feel that it’s becoming a habit of good pitching performances. We’re not afraid of facing a good team in the second game, because we don’t fear anything with our pitching staff. We’ll have someone to answer it.”

Idaho Falls (24-5-1) has won the last two American Legion World Series titles in 2021 and 2019. The 2020 season was canceled due to COVID-19.

“Last year, we were good with basically the same team, but there was a little bit of doubt in the back of our minds,” Taylor said. “This year, there’s no doubt that we can win those big games. All the big wins and pressure situations to beat good teams, we think we’re ready for everything.”

Nampa (12-13) is the lone representative from the Treasure Valley as most other AA programs opted to play club baseball this summer.

“We’ve got some things to prove this year,” Manzardo said. “Idaho Falls has won the whole thing the last two years. But we’ve got the group to shut them down this year.”

Coeur d'Alene is seeking its first state title in program history, and has qualified for regionals just once, in 1979, when Taylor played for the program.

CLASS AA STATE TOURNAMENT

At Rodeo Park, Nampa

Friday’s Games

Game 1 — Area C No. 1 Twin Falls Cowboys (24-15) vs. Area C No. 4 Upper Valley Bulldogs (15-12), 9 a.m.

Game 2 — Area A No. 1 Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen (31-9) vs. Area C No. 5 Blackfoot (2-18), noon

Game 3 — Area C No. 3 Pocatello Runnin’ Rebels (26-13) vs. Area A No. 2 Lewis-Clark Twins (19-17), 3 p.m.

Game 4 — Area C No. 2 Idaho Falls Bandits (24-5-1) vs. Tournament host Nampa Chiefs (12-13), 7 p.m.

Saturday’s Games

Game 5 — Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3, 9 a.m.

Game 6 — Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 4, noon

Game 7 — Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3, 3 p.m.

Game 8 — Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4, 6 p.m.

Sunday’s Games

Game 9 — Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 9 a.m.

Game 10 — Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, noon

Game 11 — Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 6, 3 p.m.

Monday’s Games

Game 12 — Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11, 9 a.m.

Game 13 — Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 11, noon (semifinals)

Tuesday’s Games

Game 14 — Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13, 9 a.m. (championship game)

Game 15 — Winner Game 14 vs. Loser Game 14, noon (if necessary)