CHANDLER, AZ — A Chandler dad combined his career as a software engineer with his role as an assistant Little League coach to create an app now being used across the country and in Canada.
Little League season is in full swing across the valley, and for 11-year-old Matthew Cervantes, the sport is about more than just the game.
"I love how it is like a team sport, and I get to play on a team with all of my friends, and it is just really fun just to play," Matthew said.
Matthew's team includes his dad, Roman, who is one of his coaches.
"It's really fun to have him on the field with me," Matthew said.
This season is different for the Cervantes family. Roman is seeing something he built put to use right in the dugout.
"Honestly, it is my dream come true," Roman said.
It started when Roman was asked to manage the dugout, keeping track of lineups and making sure every kid knew their position.
"The tool of choice was a dry-erase board, which is the tool that most coaches use. And it worked great until there were some changes to be made, and the marker stopped working and kids smeared the dry-erase board, and that caused big chaos," Roman said.
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Software engineer by day and assistant coach by night — his two worlds quickly collided, and Dugout Master was born.
"Anything the coach may have to deal with is all in one place," Roman said.
The app tracks lineups and positions, uses AI to generate new practice drills, and lets coaches make changes from their phone that show up instantly on the dugout tablet. The goal is less time managing and more time coaching.
For Matthew, watching his dad build it has been the best part.
"Now that my dad is making it happen, it's really cool and mind-blowing," Matthew said.
Since launching in February, Cervantes says coaches are using Dugout Master across the country, and even in Canada.
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