Play ball!: Moses Lake Youth Baseball honors Coach Pete Doumit with tournament

Around 25 teams from all over the state came together Friday through Sunday at the Larson Playfield on West Broadway Avenue in Moses Lake for the first-ever Pete Doumit Memorial Tournament, put on by the Moses Lake Youth Baseball Association (MLYBA).

Formerly known as the Firecracker Classic, MLYBA President Jason Avila proposed the name change this year and the board agreed.

Pete Doumit, elected into the Washington Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame, coached in the Columbia Basin for decades. In his 45-year career, he won more than 500 games.

Doumit passed away of cancer in 2018.

His daughter Amy Nelson threw the ceremonial pitch Saturday morning, caught by his son, Ryan Doumit, former Major League Baseball catcher and founder of The SIX Athletic Training Facility in Moses Lake.

“It means a lot to all of us,” Avila said. “I think everyone on the board was coached by Coach Pete, and to have Amy and Ryan out here to throw the first pitch is pretty special for us. So we just want to enjoy the day and remember Coach and play some baseball.”

Doumit received the American Baseball Coaches Quarter Century Award and was elected to the Big Bend Community College Athletic Hall of Fame as well. Many athletes he coached went on to be drafted by the MLB, said MLYBA communications director Rob Bragg.

But he is known for a lot more than baseball, he said. He was also a longtime teacher at Moses Lake High School, Midway Elementary School principal, Chief Moses Middle School basketball coach, author and just an “all around good guy.”

“We’re using baseball to honor him, but he was huge in the community,” he said. “He did a lot of different things and he was one of those guys if you asked him, ‘Hey can you help me out with this?’ he was the first person to say yes.”

It goes way beyond baseball, Bragg said. Doumit used baseball to teach life lessons.

“It’s very flattering for them to change the name to honor my dad,” Ryan said. “Coaching was his life. I think anyone who has played baseball around here the last 35 years has crossed paths with my dad at some point, so it’s very flattering. I know he’d be really excited about it.”

The Pete Doumit Memorial Tournament is three straight days of baseball, with teams split in four divisions, ages 9-14.

After a back-and-forth championship game with the Whatcom Prep team, the Moses Lake All Stars 9U team took second place in their division. The 10U All Stars took sixth, and the 11/12U All Stars took fourth. The 13/14U All Stars took fifth, making West Valley the overall winner in that division.

“We just want to keep kids on the field and I know coach would have felt the same way,” said tournament director Quintz Whitaker, “and the opportunity the city’s given us to be able to jump out and do that.”

Such tournaments are vital to the sport, Ryan said.

“This is where it starts, at this age,” he said. “I remember sleeping in my uniform the night before big tournaments, and this is what it’s all about. To have beautiful weather like this and a great turnout, I think Coach Whitaker and Jason Avila and (Vice President) AJ (Escamilla) and that crew did a fantastic job in getting this thing going and off the ground. It’s a testament to them, and I see a lot of smiles out here, which is the best part.”