PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles found its new head baseball coach in the Roughriders’ own dugout.
Casey Dietz, an assistant on the 2019 Olympic League champions, has slid over a space on the Port Angeles bench to take over for Karl Myers.
The Riders posted a 52-18 record with three state appearances, back-to-back Olympic League titles and a West Central District championship under Myers.
Myers left the program to live closer to his girlfriend, a special education teacher battling a serious health ailment.
Dietz was sorry to see Myers leave the area, but understands he’s part of something special with Port Angeles.
“Being part of the baseball program was incredible,” Dietz said. “You can see how proud the community is of the program and the high level the program is at.
“When Karl left, that was difficult to hear. I had become great friends with him and working with him as a coach was rewarding.
“When the dust settled a little bit, the decision I wanted to make is to keep moving in the direction that Karl and the program is moving. I would have hated to see the program make a 180 and go the other direction.”
Dietz is a physical education teacher in the Port Angeles School District, working at Jefferson and Dry Creek elementary schools.
“We moved here after we spent two years teaching in Alaska,” Dietz said. “My fiance got a teaching job at Hamilton. We wanted to go somewhere new and wanted to see what we could see on the west side of this state.”
Dietz also was an assistant for the Port Angeles football team this past fall.
“I have a love for baseball, football and coaching,” Dietz said. “While I wasn’t able to come into a teaching job last year, I spent all my time working with the football and baseball teams and substitute teaching.”
Dietz grew up in Pendleton, Ore., playing baseball for Pendleton High School and later at Blue Mountain Community College in the NWAC.
“I played baseball for as long as I can imagine,” Dietz said.
Dietz worked primarily with the Port Angeles pitching staff last season along with Washington State Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame member and assistant coach Jim Clem.
“We are going to have coach Clem back with me, and Coach Alan Caverly back with the JV program,” Dietz said.
“I made it clear to [Clem] that I want him to work with whatever area he sees fit and we will find a way to make it work. Excited to continue to work with him and get things going. “We also will be bringing on a new assistant K.C. Mack. He played high school and community college baseball as a catcher, so I’m excited to have him bring that skill set to our guys.”
And those guys should be a strong team capable of challenging for a third-straight Olympic League title.
Port Angeles is set to return four first-team All-Olympic Leaguers in hard-throwing right hander Brody Merritt (8-1, 0.933 ERA), slugging outfielder Ethan Flodstrom and outfielder/first baseman Lucas Jarnagin and rangy second baseman Milo Whitman. Center fielder Tyler Bowen was a second-team pick last season along with third baseman Wyatt Hall.
“We’ve got a really strong group of returning players that work extremely hard and want to play at that high level and do all the right things,” Dietz said. “They are great kids. We have a strong group of seniors coming back and some underclassmen we are going to count on and contribute some meaningful innings.”
And when prep ball turns to American Legion ball in the summer, Dietz will be helping with Wilder Baseball Club.
Wilder Junior head coach Zac Moore is now the Wilder Senior skipper, with Larsson Chapman taking on the junior squad duties. Moore has coached many of the players that will make up the Wilder Senior squad for years.
“I’m going to work with Larsson with the younger group,” Dietz said.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
