Dawgs add Hitting Legend Stairs to Academy Coaching Staff
Okotoks, AB….. Okotoks Dawgs Baseball Club is pleased to announce the hiring of Canadian Baseball Hall of Famer and former Major League star, Matt Stairs, to the program’s Academy Coaching Staff. Stairs will serve as the Dawgs Hitting Coordinator and commencing on September 7th will work directly with Dawgs hitters from ages 10 to 18.
Stairs who hails from Saint John, New Brunswick holds the Major League record for pinch hit home runs, the most famous coming in the 2008 National League Championship Series between Stairs’ Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers, which has been widely referred to by baseball historians as “one of the most memorable home runs in Phillies history”.
Overall, Matt enjoyed an outstanding career as a MLB player that spanned 19 years in the big leagues. Following his retirement from playing he also served as Hitting Coach both for the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres.
With outstanding MLB career statistics including a .262 lifetime average with 265 home runs and 899 runs batted in, Stairs was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015. Often described as “a pure hitter”, Matt enjoyed some of his most outstanding seasons with the Oakland A’s where he had back-to-back 25 home run, 100 RBI seasons. He was a key contributor to the Phillies 2008 World Series Championship and his pinch-hit home run against the Dodgers remains an iconic moment in Phillies baseball history.
Post retirement, Stairs enjoyed a broadcasting career with NESN Sports and has continued to spend considerable time giving back to the game through youth hitting camps. He has been the featured guest at the WCBL All Star Games hosted over the past 3 seasons by the Dawgs at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks.
Matt and his wife Lisa have three daughters, Nicole, Alicia and Chandler.
Matt had this to say about joining the Dawgs coaching staff:
“I’m pleased to share that I will be joining the Okotoks Dawgs family. I’m looking forward to working with the many talented young players at the academy and to collaborating with the highly experienced coaching staff. This is an incredible opportunity, and I can't wait to contribute to the growth and success of our players and the team.”
In joining the Dawgs Coaching Staff, Matt will bring his phenomenal hitting expertise to a program that includes over 120 elite youth players locally and from across the country, ages 10 years to 18 years of age. The staff currently includes 14 full-time, professional coaches, with specialties in every baseball discipline, 5 of which serve as Associate Scouts for the Washington Nationals, Atlanta Braves, Texas Rangers, Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres. The staff also includes another ex-big leaguer with a World Series ring, former MLB pitcher, Lou Pote (Angels) who, in addition to this Academy coaching duties, has served the past 2 seasons as head coach of the Dawgs summer collegiate club.
The Dawgs college team managed by Pote just completed a historic 3-PEAT capturing back-to-back-to back WCBL Championships for the second time in league and team history. In "Stairs" like fashion, the college Dawgs defeated Moose Jaw in the deciding game 3 before over 6000 fans on a 9th inning, walk off, home run by Academy grad, Connor Crowson (University of Montevallo, Alabama).
Dawgs General Manager, Tyler Hollick (himself a former minor league all-star with the San Francisco Giants), had this to say about the addition of Matt Stairs to the Dawgs Academy Coaching Staff:
"The addition of Matt marks an extremely exciting time for the Dawgs Academy. Aside from his wealth of accomplishments as both a player and coach, Matt's personality, communication skills and experience will be a massive addition to the program. He will add to the deepest professional coaching staff in youth baseball across the country and will serve as a further separator for the next generation of Dawgs as they move through the program to best prepare them for collegiate and/or professional baseball!"
Dawgs welcome Matt Stairs to the Dawgs family and are excited to offer his hitting expertise to our Academy players. GO DAWGS!
OKOTOKS DAWGS BASEBALL CLUB
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