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Hometown Dawg a jack of all trades

Mr. Versatility is making up for lost time on the diamond he grew up on. Matt Lloyd has been a fixture in the middle of the order for the Okotoks Dawgs in his first five games with the team since joining the club from the Indiana Hoosiers.

Mr. Versatility is making up for lost time on the diamond he grew up on.

Matt Lloyd has been a fixture in the middle of the order for the Okotoks Dawgs in his first five games with the team since joining the club from the Indiana Hoosiers.

His position on the field, well, that’s another matter altogether.

“I’m just trying to go out there and compete no matter where I’m at,” Lloyd said. “Whatever I can do to help the team, whether that’s playing first, second, third, right field or wherever.

“I’m just glad the guys accepted me with open arms coming in and being able to play every day. I’m just happy to be here.”

The Foothills Composite graduate has already suited up at second base, third base, right field, designated hitter and first base with the Western Major Baseball League squad.

Lloyd, who played at both the hot corner, first base and DH for the Hoosiers on top of his closer duties, is expected to play in the outfield and at second base next season in Indiana.

While in Okotoks it could be a case of expect the unexpected.

“He hits third, fourth in the lineup and we can choose to play him and get other guys to play,” said Dawgs coach Dave Robb. “With the summer going on you need the rest, you need the time off.

“It’s really nice to have that versatility and then no one really gets stale and so at the end of the year when we start to really rely on people, everybody has contributed and knows they can do it.”

The Hoosier joined a Dawgs team off to a strong start with a 7-2 record through its first nine games.

Lloyd played a supporting role on the 2014 Dawgs as a call up from the Okotoks academy.

He’s thrilled to now be playing lead for his hometown squad.

“It’s awesome. These are the best fans in college baseball, in summer ball for sure,” he said. “It’s always fun to play in front of them and this is my hometown I get to sleep in my own bed. Everything is great.”

Greatness has been a common thread during a breakout season south of the border for the Okotokian.

The 21-year-old saw extensive action as the Hoosiers closer, posting nine saves and a 2.23 earned run average.

At the plate he hit for a .312 average with 11 HR and 46 RBI while earning national player of the week honours in March and later being named a second team All Big Ten selection and to the ABCA/Rawlings Mideast All-Region team.

“It kind of puts me on the map for sure,” Lloyd said. “Being healthy, coaching staff at Indiana, coaching staff here and even carrying some of the information I learned here to the next level, everything in my past.

“I still have two more years of school and hopefully next year I can have even a better year and see what happens in the draft next year.”

The Hoosiers posted a 34-24-2 record and advanced to the NCAA regional where the Kentucky Wildcats eliminated the squad from contention.

“We played really well as a team all season,” he said. “For us, at Indiana it was basically just compete every game. We felt like every game was close and we battled it out one pitch at a time, never giving up.

“Taking that into this summer I’m going to have the same mindset. You’re never out of a ball game.”


Remy Greer

About the Author: Remy Greer

Remy Greer is the assistant editor and sports reporter for westernwheel.ca and the Western Wheel newspaper. For story tips contact [email protected]
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