Loggers set sights on state championship

After a surprise fourth-place finish at the state tournament last season, the Libby Loggers Legion baseball team is poised to make a run at a state title.

It’s just one of the happy benefits to returning essentially the entire squad.

The Loggers are deep offensively and have strong fielding. Although he was careful with his words, Head Coach Kelly Morford has high goals for his team.

“I think, obviously, the way last season ended it is our expectation to compete for a state title,” he said. “We have to take it to the next level.”

 The only qualm Morford has yet from his team is the lack of depth on the mound. Jared Winslow is an ace and a likely all-state player. Will Reichel and Micah Germany will contribute some quality innings, but after that, the pitching talent comes down to position players. 

“We’ve got to have a good rotation,” Reichel said. “Our strength is going to be our whole order. It’s going to be a good season.”

The Haggerty brothers, Luke and Andrew, will fill a larger role on the mound this summer as well.

That all might be fine were it not for one thing: The Bitterroot Bucs, who went 42-22 last season. 

There is no love lost between the teams, as Libby beat the Bucs to make the state tournament. A fight between the teams after a Bitterroot player bowled over the Loggers’ catcher didn’t help matters. 

“They were solid last year,” Morford said diplomatically. “And they are returning a good group.”

But Libby can’t focus on their rivals yet. They have to make sure things are in order at Lee Gehring Field before that can happen. 

A powerful lineup has a few players with high on-base percentage in Reichel, Luke Haggerty and Winslow. Germany and Ollie Grupenhoff are strong-armed cleanup hitters that could vex opposing pitchers.

“I’m pretty excited with where we are offensively,” Morford said. “Considering how we scored runs last year at state.”

With 14 athletes, including three 19-year-olds, there isn’t a great deal of flex for the Loggers. Nick Robertson, a player who lit up near the end of last season, elected not to play Legion baseball this year. Morford said that’s just how it goes sometimes.

“There are not a whole lot of numbers,” he said. “But there is a lot of experience.”

Libby will put itself to the test May 3 when the Calgary Redbirds come to town.