The Missouri Diamond Dogs have jumped out of the gate in 2010, taking home three tournament titles and one second place finish in their first four tournaments of the spring.  The Diamond Dogs are an independent organization based in western St. Louis and St. Charles counties in Missouri.  The organization has a rich three year tradition, in which they have accumulated multiple local and state tournament titles.  After a strong 2009 season in which they won five tournament championships, finished 2nd at the Triple Crown State Tournament and 3rd at the USSSA State Tournament, the Diamond Dogs reloaded.  They added four new players to an already talented roster and the changes have made an instant impact.  To date the Diamond Dogs have a 20 – 4 record in 2010 with big wins over local powerhouses; Team Illini and the Mizuno Outlaws.

The Diamond Dogs are managed by Derek Davis, who has a solid baseball history having played on a nationally ranked collegiate team.  Coaches Aaron Patton and Scott Krone anchor the coaching staff and put in tireless hours working with the boys to be at their best.

The Diamond Dogs roster is loaded from top to bottom with some of the best baseball talent in the St. Louis region.  Below is a brief introduction to the Diamond Dogs from A – Z.

#44 – Caleb Carswell (C – 1B):  One of the new faces of the Diamond Dogs.  Caleb is big, strong and has a very powerful swing.  He is currently hitting .538 through 24 games and provides a sure handed glove whether he is behind the plate or at first base.

#5 – Matt Davis (C – P):  Matt is a force behind the plate with a strong arm and good blocking skills.  He is a pitchers nightmare at the plate as he always sees a lot of pitches in an at-bat and sports a .510 batting average with a .648 on base percentage.

#19 – Gage Dwyer (OF – P):  The newest team member just joined the squad in May after being referred from his prior coach.  He brings lightning speed, a great arm and a powerful bat to the lineup.

#1 – Cody Hacker (P – OF):  The staff ace, a lefty pitcher that has mastered the art of pitching at a very young age.  He consistently keeps batters off stride by mixing up the location and speed of his pitches.  A true dual threat as he also sports a .581 batting average.

#7 – Nolan Herbst (1B – C):  Nolan is a big, strong kid with a powerful bat.  He is a first year Diamond Dog and has started the season strong with a .442 batting average and .574 on base percentage.

#10 – Zachary Hurwitz (P – 1B – OF):  Zachary brings a triple attack of blinding speed, a rocket arm and hitting power to his game.  He can track down anything hit in the air with his speed and then gun down the runner trying to advance with his arm.

#3 – Jonathan Krone (SS – P):  Jonathan uses his perfect technique and great glove to field his position at shortstop.  He also has stepped up his game on the mound and will eat up innings by keeping the hitters guessing with his location and varying speeds.

#2 – Gage Patton (OF – 2B):  Gage has really stepped up his game in 2010, raising his batting average nearly 100 points to .431 on the season thus far.  He is at his best in clutch situations, as he always comes through with the big RBI hit.

#9 – Jake Reeves (2B – OF):  Another newcomer to the Dogs this season.  Jake came in and quickly secured the starting 2nd base position with his good glove.  He is a master at laying down the perfect bunt and will beat you with his speed.

#13 – Nick Schmidt (3B – P):  The team leader, Nick has baseball intelligence well beyond his years.  He is a true five tool player; great arm, good contact hitter, hits for power, possesses great speed and has a rocket launcher for an arm.

#6 – Jake Verschoore (CF – P):  One of the best hitters in the entire 10U division.  Jake leads the team in seven of nine statistical categories including hits, runs, doubles, home runs, RBI, average and on base percentage.  His average currently stands at .681 with 24 of his 49 hits having been for extra bases.

The Diamond Dogs hope to continue their winning ways as they look forward to tough challenges in the Illini Classic Tournament which has some of the top 10U teams from Missouri, Illinois and Kansas entered and the AAYBA World Series with teams from Missouri, Illinois, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas already entered.

The Diamond Dogs look to garner some national attention in 2011, as they will enter multiple Super NITs and work towards an entry in the Elite 32. 

For more information on the Diamond Dogs visit http://www.modiamonddogs.com

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