Dopps plays up with Legion AA

Cody Dopps is no stranger to getting to play up with the older kids, and this spring that experience paid off as he went from playing Babe Ruth Baseball to playing Legion AA with the Kalispell Lakers.

Dopps, a 16-year-old Bigfork High School rising junior, moved up to Legion baseball this year, which consists of an A and AA division. Most of the younger and less experience players start in A and move their way up to AA, but Dopps made the AA his first year trying out with the Lakers.

"It was definitely way different than Babe Ruth," Dopps said. "There were a lot of different types of pitches."

Dopps finished the season with a .213 batting average. He had 19 runs, 16 RBIs and two home runs.

"As a rookie on the team, his stats aren't real huge, but coming up from Babe Ruth to AA there's a huge learning curve," Lakers coach Ryan Malmin said. "Cody poses a huge power in his swing and some great all-around talent. We are looking him to produce big things for us next year."

Dopps is happy to have started his time on the Lakers' AA team early knowing that it will help him in the coming years.

"Being in AA was way better than being in A this year and having to move up to AA next year," Dopps said. "Now I know what to look for and what I need to work on so I can get better."

Playing up with the more experienced players is one thing that has always helped Dopps. He played on Bigfork's Babe Ruth team when he was just 11 years old, where as most boys go into the league at 13. He made the 13-year-old Glacier All-star team two years later. The following year he was put on the 15-year-old All-star team even though he was just 14 and he played for that All-star team again last year.

"Playing with the older kids has made me better," Dopps said. "It helped me push myself. When you play up, you have more experienced coaches that can help you more with mechanics and give you better instruction."

Even though Dopps was one of just two 16 year olds on the otherwise 17- and 18 year-old team, he was not without familiar faces. Fellow BHS student Shane Johnson, who will be a senior this fall, was also on the Lakers' AA team this season. Last year, Johnson played on the Lakers' A team.

It was Johnson, as well as Malmin, that helped Dopps decided what team he would play for this season. After Babe Ruth players are given the option to play for the Kalispell Lakers or Whitefish's Glacier in the Legion League. Dopps met with the coaches from both teams prior to the start of the season and ultimately chose the Lakers.

"I just thought that the Lakers were a better team for me to get a college scholarship and get recognized," Dopps said.

Coach said he wanted Dopps on his team due to his raw talent as an athlete.

"We had a chance to watch him play some basketball and we heard about him playing varsity football as a sophomore so we were really excited about his athleticism," Malmin said. "He's a great kid and loves the game. He works hard and he wants to be successful. Those are the key ingredients to him having a successful career."

Dopps first picked up a bat when he was 4 years old playing T-ball and has played every season since. His older brother Caleb and younger brother Colten have played as well.

"My older brother, my little brother, my dad and me would always play baseball together when we were growing up," Dopps said. "We'd play in the backyard or go to a baseball field when we could."

All those days of practice paid off on the field when Dopps homered for his second time of the season June 3 against Mission Valley. His two-run home run in the third inning gave the Lakers the lead, which they never relinquished.

"It felt good," Dopps said. "It was kind of down hill after that, but that's baseball. Baseball goes in streaks and I hate that. You do really well and then you start not doing well, and then you do well again."

Dopps is a versatile player serving as a catcher, pitcher and outfielder. Pitching is his preference, however, pains in his arm have kept him off the mound.

"I started pitching in minors and I've loved it ever since then," Dopps said. "My arm started hurting me when I was 13 and it has hurt ever since."

Dopps' doctors can't find anything directly wrong with his arm and have just suggested that he try to remedy the problem with exercises. In the meantime, he has been unable to pitch and did so during just one game this season.

"I was disappointed because I was looking forward to pitching, but I was OK with getting to catch and play outfield because I like those positions too and they don't wear on my arm as much," Dopps said.

As much as Dopps has accepted his injury, he has no intentions of allowing it to keep him permanently out of the pitching lineup. During the off-season, he plans to focus on building his arm strength up.

That, in addition to wanting to work on other aspects of his baseball game, is making Dopps consider not playing basketball this winter.

"It's something fun I like to do, but I'm not good enough at it to play in college," Dopps said. "Baseball, though, is the sport I would like to work on and try to play at a big college. If I don't play basketball, I will have all winter to work on baseball and be even more ready for next spring."

Dopps was a standout on the froshmore Vikings basketball team his first year in the program and he made the varsity team last year as a sophomore, though he didn't get extensive playing time.

The Lakers (32-20, 10-10) narrowly missed making it to the state playoffs earlier this month, so Dopps is finished with baseball for now and getting ready to focus on his other favorite sport — football.

"I love football almost as much as baseball," Dopps said. "It's another sport I really want to work on. I would like to play football in college if baseball doesn't work out."

Last season Dopps played linebacker, full back and backup kicker. Even as an underclassman, he played a pivotal role in several of the Vikings' games to help the team find success in its comeback season.

"I'm ready for football to start," Dopps said. "I want to get revenge on Loyola and Eureka. I'm excited for Travis (Knoll) and I in the backfield, and with the line we have this is going to be a great season."