Former Edenton Head Coaches Take Flight in Pro Ball
March 21, 2014 - Coastal Plain League (Coastal Plain)
Edenton Steamers News Release
EDENTON, N.C - The Edenton Steamers of the Coastal Plain League announce today that along with former head coach Dirk Kinney (2011), Steve Moritz (2012) has been hired by the St. Louis Cardinals.While manning the ship, Kinney and Moritz became the second and third Steamer skippers, respectively, to be named CPL Coach of the Year when each garnered the honor following their successive stints. Under their guidance the Steamers continued to have success as one of the elite teams in the country, recording an overall record of 87-33 (including postseason) while also winning the first four division half-titles of the current CPL-record six consecutive the Steamers have garnered; each also secured the number-one overall seed heading into the Petitt Cup playoffs. In addition, 17 team records were tied or broken, five CPL standards were set, 14 all-stars selected and five players earned a CPL Player of the Week nod. Kinney and Moritz now bring their coaching and scouting talents to the St. Louis Cardinals organization, winners of the 2011 World Series and 2013 National League pennant.
Prior to being hired by the St. Louis Cardinals as the Kansas-Missouri area scout following the 2011 summer season, when Kinney coached the Steamers, he spent two seasons as pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Before his stint at UALR, he served in the same role for Ouachita Baptist University (Arkansas), finishing as runner-up in the Division II College World Series that year (2008). From 2003-2007, he was the head coach at Eudora (Kansas) High School and guided the Cardinals to an 87-21 mark in his five seasons at the helm. Kinney also coached the FCA Grays in the M.I.N.K league, finishing in third place in the NBC Regional in 2007 and also was the skipper of the Midwest Rebels Elite summer high school team, leading them to a state championship in 2004.
After playing his prep ball at Elgin (Oklahoma) High School, Kinney moved on to Murray State College (Oklahoma) and finally to Sterling College (Kansas), where he played two years and served as team captain in 1999, earning all-conference honors. Following his collegiate playing career he moved on to semi-pro ball, suiting up for the Lindsborg Black Sox for two seasons before Tommy John surgery ended his playing career.
"In Edenton the support was outstanding from the front office to the coffee shop, soda shop and families like the Willifords," said Kinney. "People went out of their way for me, my coaching staff and the kids. I think one should return the favor when given the opportunity. It is hard at times for kids to stay a whole summer, but in Edenton they make it such a family atmosphere (that) the kids want to stay. The 2011 World Series was amazing," added Kinney about his time with St. Louis. "I was still relatively new to the organization so it was all new to me. 2013 was outstanding; we just came up a couple of games short. They did everything first-class for us. Getting rings are just another reason for motivation to keep finding players to keep the team on top."
Katy Ebersole, the Steamers President at the time of Kinney's hiring as head coach, added this about his tenure in Edenton: "Dirk took a true sense of pride in the organization and the team. Not only was he a great Steamers coach and leader for the players and his assistants, but he made the extra effort to meet and greet residents at the local coffee shop daily, as well as many fans at the ballpark. He was the whole package - everything you could want a head coach to be - and his enthusiasm was contagious. Whenever a player, coach, broadcaster or front office staff person advances professionally from the Edenton Steamers, it feels like a feather in the cap for our program, "remarked Ebersole regarding Kinney's advancement into pro ball. "In this case, having back-to-back coaches graduate to work for the St Louis Cardinals club, it is especially exciting to think that the Steamers experience could have helped them in their career path."The Overland Park, KS, native, Moritz was hired in early 2014 as a hitting coach and scout for the St. Louis Cardinals and assigned to the low-A Peoria Chiefs in the Midwest League. He had recently completed his first season at Labette Community College (Kansas), where he served as an assistant coach. Prior to that he was an assistant coach at Georgia College and State University from 2010-2012, where he worked with the overall offensive game plan, coached first base and was involved with the recruiting process. At one point in 2011 GCSU held the number-one ranking in the Division II national poll for two consecutive weeks.
Before working for the Bobcats, Moritz had a one-year stint at Darton College (Georgia), where he served as pitching coach and assistant recruiting coordinator. Moritz's first coaching gig was at Middle Georgia College, where he worked for three seasons as hitting coach and shared recruiting responsibilities. While at Middle Georgia the Warriors averaged 41 wins and brought home a conference and regional championship that included a trip to the Division I Junior College World Series. Moritz was a graduate of Kansas State University with a Speech Communication degree in 2005 and finished up his Master's in Human Performance in 2012 from GCSU.
"I learned a lot in my two summers in Edenton, especially my last year as the head coach. The most important thing I learned was each player is different and each player has a unique personality; the importance of a head coach is learning how to get the most out of every player," said Moritz. "I will never forget the people I met or the people I worked with in Edenton. They and the town of Edenton will always have a special place in my heart."
Former Steamers General Manager Chip Pruden had this to say about "Mo" while with the Steamers: "After the 2011 season when Dirk told the Steamers that he would not be returning, the obvious choice was Coach Mo. Steve is a great coach and relates with the players. He also embraced the community of Edenton, which is key as a coach for the Steamers. Overall, Mo was the best choice and the CPL backed up that decision by awarding him with the 2012 CPL Coach of the Year award at season's end."
The Coastal Plain League is the nation's hottest summer collegiate baseball league. Celebrating its 18th season in 2014, the CPL features 14 teams playing in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The CPL gives college players the chance to refine their skills with the use of wooden bats. Players are housed with local host families for the summer and past experiences have been very positive for both players and hosts. The CPL has had over 1,100 alumni drafted and 65 of those - including 2011 AL MVP and Cy Young winner Justin Verlander - make their Major League debut; while another notable alum - Russell Wilson - won Super Bowl XLVIII. For more information on the Coastal Plain League, please visit the league website at CoastalPlain.com, and be sure to friend us on Facebook (at www.facebook.com/coastalplainleague) and follow us via Twitter (as CPLBaseball).
Coastal Plain League Stories from March 21, 2014
- Former Edenton Head Coaches Take Flight in Pro Ball - Edenton Steamers
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