Schmidt Dawgs' new 2018 collegiate head coach

Mitch Schmidt has been named head coach of the Okotoks Dawgs 2018 collegiate coaching staff. Photo Credit: YouTube

October 3, 2017

2018 coaching staff announced

By Dustin Saracini

Okotoks, AB. – The Okotoks Dawgs are pleased to announce the 2018 collegiate coaching staff:

Head Coach: Mitch Schmidt (Bellevue University)
Bench & Hitting Coach: David Robb (Mesa Community College)
Assistant & Infield Coach: Andy Peterson (Oregon State University)
Pitching Coach: Joe Sergent (Former Florida Marlins pitcher, Dawgs Academy)

Making his Dawgs debut will be coach Schmidt, who is heading into his 12th season with the Bellevue Bruins - a NAIA national champion organization. The Billings, Mont. product began his full-time coaching career in 1995 with Montana State University-Billings and Minot State University. Throughout Schmidt’s 22 years behind the bench, he has coached 87 players who have signed professional contracts - 51 of them being former Bruins.

Numerous individual Athletic and Academic awards from the National and Conference levels have been awarded to players Schmidt has coached, including (15) NAIA All-American Awards, (3) NAIA National Gold Glove Awards, (17) Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete Awards, (128) All-Conference Awards, (31) Conference Gold Glove Awards, (57) Conference Scholar Athlete Awards and (3) Conference Baseball Scholar-Athletes of the Year Awards. Since Schmidt joined Bellevue in 2005, the Bruins have made four NAIA World Series appearances -- most recently in 2016 -- 10 MCAC Tournament appearances and have earned two NSAA regular season championships.

"I would like to thank John Ircandia for his confidence in me, along with Andy Peterson, David Robb and Joe Sergent to lead the Okotoks Dawgs Summer Collegiate Club into the future,” Schmidt said. “Most of all, I would like to thank all of the current and past Dawgs and the Okotoks community for their continued support and the opportunity to grow on a personal and professional level within the Dawgs baseball family. As the new head coach for the Dawgs, my No. 1 priority will be to ensure that each athlete understands the past tradition of excellence and the importance to continue that success on and off the field in this great community, while we strive to bring the 2018 WMBL Championship home.”

From Managing Director John Ircandia:

“The Dawgs are extremely pleased to bring in Mitch Schmidt as the head coach of the summer collegiate Dawgs in 2018 and 2019. We did a lot of due diligence and Mitch was definitely someone we targeted. The success of Bellevue University in being perennial conference champions with numerous NAIA World Series appearances under its belt, speaks volumes about the kind of program Mitch is a part of. Bottom line: he is a winner and he has been a key part of building winning college teams.

"In the discussions we have had, I am particularly thrilled to note Mitch’s collaborative approach with the other outstanding members of our coaching staff: namely David Robb, Andy Peterson, and Joe Sergent, all of whom I am pleased to say, are returning. Together Mitch, David, Andy and Joe provide our summer college players and our fans with a truly extraordinary coaching staff. Mitch, welcome to the Dawgs family!”

Robb returns for his 11th season in Okotoks as the bench boss. The longtime mentor for the Dawgs carries tremendous respect from his players and colleagues while continuously pushing the program in the right direction with each passing season. Robb has his hand prints on each WMBL title the Dawgs have won, and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this January. Robb is currently an assistant coach for Mesa Community College.

Peterson is back for his third campaign with the Dawgs. A product of Anaheim, Calif., Peterson was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 27th round of the 2014 June Amateur Draft. The utility infielder played in all 65 games with Oregon State University in 2013, earning a spot on the Corvallis All-Regional Team and a Pac-12 Honorable mention. He currently is an undergraduate assistant coach with OSU.

Longtime collegiate and Academy pitching coach, Joe Sergent, will be wearing the red and white once again in 2018. Sergent was drafted in 1999 by the Florida Marlins in the 21st round and played five years in the organization. In his professional career, the lefty has a regular season record of 64-33 with a 3.87 ERA. He has contributed to the development of Dawgs players from the grassroots to collegiate level for the last two years.