WALLA WALLA – The 2019 Community College Baseball season in Walla Walla brings with it a change of leadership as Justin Speer takes the helm from Dave Meliah who has assumed duties as assistant to Athletic Director Jeff Reinland.

Meliah, a Desales and Walla Walla Community College alumni, originally took over for Mike Cummins and served for nine seasons as Head Coach and eight years as an assistant. .

Spear's wife, Chelsea, is the Women's Volleyball coach at WWCC. The couple moved here in the fall of 2014. Chelsea began her first year leading volleyball and Justin served as an assistant in the program he now leads.

In that 2015 season the Warriors baseball team finished with a 31-17 record, winning the regional tournament and competing in the NWAC Championships.

The next season, the school had a need for a head softball coach and Speer stepped up. During his three-year stint, the Lady Warriors combined on a 98-48 record, taking second- and fifth-place trophies at the NWAC Championships.

"But deep down I'm a baseball guy," Speer said.

His background supports such a claim. He grew up in Gresham, Oregon and, following a successful high school playing career, took his talents to play at Mt. Hood Community College. After being an All-Conference player there, he moved on to play one year for legendary college coach Ed Cheff at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho before transferring to Western Oregon College to finish his playing days and finish his degree.

He returned to Mt. Hood Community College as an assistant coach and also headed the strength and conditioning programs. Then came a stint as head coach at Sam Barlow High School outside of Portland, Ore. Speer also spent four summers serving as the head coach of the East County Knights of American Legion baseball. He followed those stops with the move to Walla Walla.

"I feel awfully blessed. I was offered my dream job and could see us staying here the rest of our lives," Speer said.

Courtesy Photo

Dave Meliah

The Warriors took to the road in early March to beat the snow and start the season. The first weekend in March saw the Warriors beaten four times in doubleheaders at Linn-Benton (Albany, Ore.) and the following day in Salem, Ore. at the hands of Chemeketa Community College.

This begins a thirty-five game regular season and the possibility of league tournament and NWAC championships played in late May.