Dawgs add Stairs to Academy coaching staff
The Okotoks Dawgs have added former big league slugger Matt Stairs (Fredericton, N.B.) to their Academy coaching staff. Photo: Okotoks Dawgs
August 26, 2024
By Jeff Duda
Okotoks Dawgs
Okotoks, Alta. - The Okotoks Dawgs are 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 Fredericton, N.B., holds the major league record for pinch-hit home runs with 23. His most famous coming in eighth inning of Game 4 of the 2008 National League Championship Series between Stairs’ Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Overall, Stairs enjoyed an outstanding 19-year career in the big leagues. Following his retirement from playing, he also served as hitting coach for the Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres.
As a big league player, Stairs batted .262 and belted 265 home runs, the third-most by a Canadian. For his efforts, Stairs was inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2015.
Often described as “a pure hitter,” he enjoyed some of his best seasons with the Oakland A’s where he had back-to-back 25 home run, 100-RBI seasons in 1998 and 1999.
After hanging up his playing spikes, 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 by the Dawgs at Seaman Stadium in Okotoks for the past three seasons.
Stairs and his wife, Lisa, have three daughters, Nicole, Alicia and Chandler.
“I’m pleased to share that I will be joining the Okotoks Dawgs family,” said Stairs. “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, Stairs 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, five 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 his Academy coaching duties, has served the past two 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 in front of more than 6,000 fans on a ninth-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!”