- By Ernie Rapiere

The Lakes Area Dodgers is an organization that has now completed its 10th season, and it appears to be getting stronger each year.  But, these Dodgers are not from California.  Instead, they are based in Waterford, Michigan (in the Detroit Metro area) and they are clearly one of the top baseball organizations across the Northern states.  This organization was started in 1999 by John Hodgins.  After more than 10 years, John remains very active in the Dodgers development and now coaches area collegiate players during their summer league play.  Since their start, more than 10 years ago, many teams and players have worn the Lakes Area Dodger Blue.  This organization prides in the fact that many of its players move on to dominate roles in high school and a sizeable number also move on to collegiate play.  In fact, nearly 90% of the seniors from last year’s 18U team have now moved on to collegiate play. This is an impressive record by any measure.

With their success over the past 10 years, this organization has grown dramatically.  This year, they will field 11 teams that will be competing in all age groups, starting from 9 years all the way through 18 years.  Year-in and year-out, they play an aggressive schedule competing with the best in top national events across the country.  While the Dodgers field some outstanding 15U and 18U teams, following is a brief highlight of the teams from age classes 9 to 14 years.

The 9U Dodgers will be coached by Bill Hallman.  Although this age class is always a new team, it is an important group of Dodgers since it nurtures the seeds of Dodger teams of future years.

This year’s 10U Dodgers teams were made up by combining two other teams together to produce two stronger teams of 10 year olds to compete this year.

The 10U Dodgers “White” will be coached by Chad Anschuetz.  This team finished their 2009 season with a record of 29-13 in a season that was highlighted by a Super NIT title along with wins at the Michigan State majors.  This team will add 3 new players to complement their solid core of 9 returning players from last year’s 9U team.

The 10U Dodgers “Blue” will be coached by Brad Thompson.  This team finished their 9U season with a 15-13 record along with one key tournament victory.  This team is returning much stronger in 2010 that will add 8 new players to a solid nucleus of 5 players returning from their 9U season.  During the upcoming 2010 season, they will be competing in such major events as the Cinco De Mayo NIT (Canton, MI). Sterling Heights Super NIT, Columbus Super NIT, and the Michigan Major Elite in Milan, Michigan.

The 11U Dodgers is coached by Darren Adolfs.  This team returns 7 players from last year’s team that finished with a 28-25 record.  The 2010 will feature 5 new players and is set for a breakout year in 2010 as a team that builds their skills and competes strong in every tournament they play.

The 12U Dodgers “White” is coached by Chuck Morgan and is returning 7 new players from last years team.  They will add 5 new players to round out their 12 man roster.

The 12U Dodgers “Blue” is a new team that will be coached by Bob Reiche

The 13U Dodgers is coached by Todd Bonnivier.  This team finished the 2009 season with a solid 59-13 record topped off by 8 tournament wins and 4 as runner-up including wins at the Cinco De Mayo and the Michigan Major.  They also went to Cooperstown last year where they finished 17^th going 6-2 in this 98 team slate. 

The 2010 edition of these 13U Dodgers will return 9 players while adding 3 new players to bolster their already strong roster.

The new players include Steven Marowski, Kyle Garcia, and Nick Raimondo.  This is a unique team because on any given weekend, any or all of these 12 players can step up to play “Star” quality baseball.  The team will play in several major tournaments this year, including the Michigan Major, Super NIT, Elite Ohio 16, and the Cincy Flames Classic.

The 14U Dodgers “White” is coached by Rick Bicknell.  The 2010 team will feature 7 new players along with 5 returning players from last year’s 13U team that finished the season with a 30-15 record that included such titles as the USSSA AA World Series Championship and the AAA World Series Runner Up.

The 14U Dodgers “Blue” is coached by Tom Doherty.  This team will feature 5 new players to complement the 7 returning players from last year’s 13U team.  The team will play in several local area tournaments during the 2010 season.

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