Eyes on another level ... Growth of Lake City’s DuCoeur behind the plate helps Timberwolves return to state 5A tournament for first time since 2016

By JASON ELLIOTT

Sports writer

The growth of Lake City High senior Joe DuCoeur on the baseball field could be traced to a coach getting in his ear and opening his eyes to a different side of the game.

And it’s been all good since.

DuCoeur, primarily the catcher for the Timberwolves, took advantage of a new rule during Legion baseball last summer, which allowed a coach to use a PitchCom device to signal pitches to the catcher.

Such a device is considered illegal in high school baseball.

“I’m definitely missing the earpiece right now,” DuCoeur said. “That was one of my favorite parts of playing last year was having the ability to have him (Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen pitching coach Andy Beaudry) telling me the exact pitches and locations and what he’s thinking about on an opponent’s swing.”

While he doesn’t have the earpiece now, DuCoeur can visualize the game a lot better now.

“Andy played at Army, so him telling me each pitch on each swing, it made me picture the game in a different way,” DuCoeur said.

DuCoeur and Lake City (19-6) are back at the state 5A tournament for the first time since 2016. The Timberwolves open at state as the sixth seed and will face third-seeded Eagle (16-8) in the opening round on Thursday at College of Idaho’s Wolfe Field at 12:30 p.m. PDT.

“We’ve gotten a lot older this year, but we’re still really young,” said DuCoeur of Lake City, which has five seniors on its roster. “We’ve learned how to compete a lot more this year. We get into these tight games and we’re just more calm. Last year, I think we lacked that a little bit and getting another year older really helped with that as well. Next year, I think they’ll be quite a bit better because they’re just going to continue to get better in that regard.”

IT WASN'T always baseball that was the sport for DuCoeur.

“I started playing baseball in Little League when I was 9 years old,” DuCoeur said. “I was a big tennis player before that, but I decided on baseball because of the team part of it and being a part of a bunch of different guys that compete well together. The team aspect is a big reason why I stuck with it.”

As a kid, Joe played tennis with his older brother, Jack, a 2019 Lake City graduate.

“I never got into any tournaments or anything like that, but just went to my brother’s practices with my dad and kind of learned,” Joe DuCoeur said. “I wish I could pick it back up now, but I think it’s a little too late for that now.”

At catcher, DuCoeur, who is 6-feet tall, enjoys the mental side of the game.

“It just seems to suit me the most,” DuCoeur said. “I’m engaged with the game as much as I can be and involved on every pitch. Playing shortstop is fun, but catching, especially when I get to call my own game, is fun to me. Sometimes, I’ve got to take the blame if they get a hit or something like that. But having the satisfaction of when things go right is great as well.”

“Joe just does a tremendous job managing the game behind the plate for us,” first-year Lake City coach Mike Criswell said. “He’s got a great grip on the game, what he’s seeing behind the plate, and puts the guys in the right positions.”

DuCoeur is batting .403 (31 of 77) with two home runs and 20 RBIs and 22 runs scored.

“He’s been really consistent for us at the plate all season long,” Criswell said. “Joe’s just a great competitor and really has a great grasp of the game, both offensively and defensively.”

“We got a new pitching machine and I’ve been hitting off that really well all year,” DuCoeur said. “I’m just sitting on the fastball right now and feel that if I can sit on that, I can work those counts with the breaking ball and get something to swing at.”

Criswell, a longtime Lake City assistant, took over as coach after Paul Manzardo stepped down last November.

“He’s definitely taught us to play the game right,” DuCoeur said. “He’s told us to just make the play that you’re making and each great play is a bonus. We had quite a few great plays with the diving catches (in the regional title game against Lewiston on May 10). What has made us good is that we don’t just make the routine plays, we can make some of those diving plays as well. Coach Criswell really just sits back and lets us play the game. He knows we can play at a high level and being able to do that really helps us focus on ourselves and what we need to do for ourselves to get better.”

DuCoeur has signed to continue his playing career at Division II Chaminade University of Honolulu next fall. DuCoeur and Coeur d’Alene High senior Andrew Karns have both signed with the Silverswords program.

“I’m really excited for it,” DuCoeur said. “I’ve never wanted summer to go by as quickly as this one so I can get there. Both Andrew and I are very stoked to go there. Just getting the chance to play baseball year-round is something I’m excited about. Being in Hawaii is just a bonus and it will make me a better player because we’ll get to be outside all year instead of the northwest, where it could be a little more challenging.”

DuCoeur intends to study biology at Chaminade.

“I’ve always been intrigued by the medical field and all that stuff,” DuCoeur said. “Having some arm injuries in baseball, I’ve learned about recovery and how everything like that works. And it really sparked my interest.”

Earlier this season, Lake City fell 6-0 to Eagle on March 24 in the Rocky Mountain Invitational. Lake City went 1-3 in the Boise area on that trip, beating Mountain View 5-4 in 10 innings. The Mavericks of Meridian are the fourth seed at state.

“There’s some good teams down there and we’ll have to play our best baseball,” DuCoeur said. “We’ll have to continue to hit the ball well. We’ve been throwing it really well on the mound, but will need some big moments as well. Whether it’s a big hit or big play, those moments will help us go far in the tournament.”