Our Story:

How the MO Dawgs Began

Sometimes the best organizations aren’t created from a business plan. They are created because a group of people believes something is worth saving.

The story of Missouri Dawgs Baseball began with a group of coaches, players, parents, and families who simply loved baseball and had built strong relationships through the game. At the time, we were all part of another local baseball club. Our players had teammates they loved, coaches they trusted, and a place they considered their baseball home.

Then, at the end of the season, everything changed.

The owner of that organization made the sudden decision to close its doors. Our families were left wondering what would happen next, and our athletes faced the possibility of losing not only their teams, but the community they had built together.

That was when Bob Roth stepped in.

Bob saw something bigger than uniforms, team names, or an organization. He saw a group of young athletes who deserved the opportunity to keep playing together, coaches who still wanted to teach them, and families who believed in what had already been built.

Rather than allowing that community to disappear, Bob made the decision to keep it going.

With the support of coaches, parents, players, and families who were willing to jump in alongside him, a new chapter began. There was a lot to figure out and plenty of work happening behind the scenes, but one thing was certain: our kids were going to continue to have a baseball home.

One year ago, that commitment officially became Missouri Dawgs Baseball.

More Than a Baseball Club

From the beginning, the MO Dawgs have been different because this organization was built by the people who are still a part of it today.

Bob Roth and Kayla Bailey are founding members of Missouri Dawgs Baseball, but they certainly did not build it alone. Many of the coaches, athletes, parents, and families who took that first leap with us remain part of the organization today.

That means something to us.

The MO Dawgs were not formed around a logo. We were formed around relationships. We were built by families who believed in keeping their players together, coaches who believed in continuing to invest in young athletes, and people who were willing to put in the work to create something that could last.

Those beginnings continue to shape who we are today.

Bob Roth — Founder

At the heart of the MO Dawgs story is Bob Roth.

When our previous organization unexpectedly closed, Bob could have simply allowed everyone to go their separate ways. Instead, he recognized what our players and families stood to lose and stepped forward to give them something to continue building upon.

His commitment to the players became one of the driving forces behind the creation of Missouri Dawgs Baseball.

Bob has remained focused on creating opportunities for young athletes, surrounding them with coaches who care about their development, and building an organization where players can grow over multiple years rather than simply moving from season to season.

What began as an effort to make sure our athletes still had somewhere to play has grown into a much larger vision: building a baseball organization where development, competition, relationships, and opportunity all matter.

Kayla Bailey — Managing Partner & Original Member

Kayla Bailey has been part of the MO Dawgs from the beginning and has played an important role in turning that original vision into an organization and community.

As a founding member, Kayla works closely with our families, coaches, teams, and leadership to help keep the many moving pieces of the organization connected. From communication and organization to building relationships with families and helping create new opportunities for our players, her focus has remained on making the MO Dawgs experience about more than what happens between the lines.

For Kayla, building the MO Dawgs also means building a community where families feel connected to the organization and where parents understand that they are an important part of what we are creating.

That family-first mentality has been part of the MO Dawgs since day one.

Where We Are Going

We are proud of where we started, but we are even more excited about where we are going.

In just our first year as the Missouri Dawgs, our vision has continued to grow. We are investing more heavily in player development, creating more structure throughout our organization, expanding opportunities for our athletes, and continuing to build a program designed to help players progress year after year.

Our goal is not simply to build winning baseball teams.

We want to develop baseball players.

We want young athletes to learn how to compete, how to respond to failure, how to be great teammates, and how to work toward something that takes time. We want to give players opportunities they may not otherwise experience and provide them with coaches who are invested in who they become both on and off the field.

And we want our families to know that when they join the MO Dawgs, they are joining something they can help build.

We will continue to grow. Our uniforms will change. Players will get older. New teams and families will join us. Our program will continue evolving.

But we never want to forget why the Missouri Dawgs started in the first place.

A group of kids needed a baseball home.

A group of coaches and parents believed they deserved one.

And a community decided to build it together.

That is how the Missouri Dawgs were born.

And we are just getting started.