Logger baseball opens season next week

A kid named “Sticks” picked short hops at first base Wednesday at Lee Gehring Memorial Field. Standing below a finally warm sun, lanky Libby High freshman Erik Lauer remembered what it felt like to sweat while preparing for the Libby Loggers’ first Legion baseball game.

Returning from a third-place finish in state, the Loggers will suit up several key players from last season, minus one All-State player. Standout pitcher and shortstop Jared Winslow will not play this season, instead undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair the right ulterior collateral ligament he damaged while pitching last year. Replacing his production will require improvements all around, but Coach Kelly Morford said he will count Oliver Grupenhoff, Will Reichel and Luke Haggerty as team leaders when the season gets under way.

“We’ve got a solid group from last season,” Morford said.

In all, the Loggers return seven players with significant playing experience. Like many other area teams, the Loggers will battle low turnout. Only 13 kids signed up. Still, Morford said his team has enough talent to contend. After earning a top three finish in four of the last seven years, could this be the season Libby takes state?

“I’m sure a lot of teams will count us out without Jared,” Morford said. “But we have a good chance to make state. We just want to be playing our best ball at the end of the year.”

At six feet four inches, Grupenhoff is a colossus behind the plate and among the team’s top run producers. His 15-year-old brother, Quincy, will join the Noxon senior this season.

Reichel will likely bat leadoff, pitch as often as possible and fill-in for Winslow at shortstop.

Haggerty will play several positions this season, including third base and centerfield, which his brother, Andrew, manned last year.

“We don’t have a lot of players, but we have a lot of reliable players,” Morford said.

The loss of Winslow created an infield musical chairs of sorts. Oliver Grupenhoff took ground balls at third base during practice Wednesday, but Morford seemed to think Haggerty could claim the hot corner. Collin Johnson will see time at second base and shortstop when Reichel is on the mound. Lauer was the only boy catching throws to first.

There are a couple of age-related changes to Legion ball this season. For one, there is the addition of a Junior Legion team comprised of equal parts Libby and Troy boys. Former Libby Logger Micah Germany will coach the younger team with Winslow’s help. Logger 18-year-olds, including Winslow and Grupenhoff, learned a bit of bad news when the rules were changed to no longer allow 19-year-olds beginning next season. The Loggers count three 19-year-olds this season: Reichel, two-year starter Cameron Burkes and Matt Willis.

“We would barely have a team if this rule went in this year,” Morford said.

Practices began April 6 for Libby, a time when many of their opponents are already playing games. Morford said he likes his team’s relatively late start, finding three full months plenty to prepare his team for the state tournament in Helena beginning August 1.

“We’re ready to play,” Morford said.

The Loggers begin their season Jan. 9.