The boys of summer: Libby's American Legion baseball club gearing up for the new season

It may seem a bit odd to start talking about baseball with snow falling from the skies, but if you ask Libby Logger manager Kelly Morford, it’s never too early for baseball. And baseball in Libby, he said, is something on an entirely different level.

“We have one of the most prominent Legion facilities in all of the northwest United States,” he said. “I get calls and emails from countless teams every year wanting in our tournaments. For the teams that come, it is the highlight of their season and word travels around. Our kids have a great opportunity to play in a place like Lee Gehring Field, to play in front of our awesome home fans, and to be a part of a first-class program. We have numerous volunteers that work their tails off, whether it be on or off the field, to make our program what it is. Thanks to their work and the support from the community, our kids experience great opportunities.”

The program in Libby has struggled with dwindling participation during the past few years, but Morford is hopeful that the program, and the community, are turning the corner and looks to see a resurgence of interest in Libby baseball.

“We have been walking the line the past few years numbers wise,” he said. “It definitely isn’t any fun playing the ‘are we going to have enough’ game every year but that is the world that we are operating in lately it seems. This is the time of year to anticipate the upcoming season and to be excited. I hate wasting time fretting about if we have enough kids or not. There has been baseball played in this town for 100 years and there has been legion baseball played since 1953. I will be darned if that is going to stop on my watch. It is stressful every year but I am confident that we will get enough guys together just like we have every other year. Baseball should and will be played in this town.”

Morford said there are six players from last year’s roster who are eligible to return, most of whom have committed to playing this season. In addition, he said the team has several younger players waiting in the wings who can be called up to the Legion team if needed.

“It looks like we are going to kind of be in the same boat as last year numbers wise,” he said. “We have 6 kids eligible to return off of last years team. Dylon Lane and Collin Johnson are two kids who graduated last year and have a year of eligibility left. Erik Lauer, Braydan Thom, Taylor Wisdom, and Mason Chapel are the rest of the guys who are back from last year’s team. Most of those guys have given solid commitments to return while a few are on the fence. I have been talking to a few others in the hallways and we always have the option of pulling up some younger kids to fill the gaps if need be.”

While having more participants always helps, Morford said the key is finding the right mix of players. Libby has had highly competitive teams with barely enough kids to fill the field. It’s a possibility he sees for the coming season.

“We have never had a bunch of kids on our team so it isn’t just about numbers,” he said. “One year we placed third at state with nine kids on our team. Obviously that isn’t ideal, but it is just about finding the right group of kids. Although we haven’t been to the state tournament the last few years after a long run of going, the Loggers have always fielded pretty solid teams. We have happened to be in a pretty tough district the last few years that also produced the state champion. We have a good base of returning kids this season and if we get better throughout the season and get hot at the right time, we can be right back in there.”

Morford said the future of Logger baseball is a bright one, with a strong number of younger players coming up through the Babe Ruth program.

“I am also excited about our Babe Ruth numbers in both Libby and Troy,” he said. “I think we will be able to get back to multiple teams in Libby Babe Ruth so our numbers are up there. Both Libby and Troy have solid groups of kids that are talented ball players and are excited about the game. The future looks bright with those guys coming but we are focused on getting a good group together this year and representing the Loggers well.”

The first event of the Loggers’ season is the annual Sweet 16 Calcutta fundraiser, which will be held at 7 p.m. March 24, 2016, at Treasure Mountain Casino. The auctioneer, Morford, will auction off each of the teams in the NCAA men’s final 16 field. The baseball program will receive 15 percent of the funds generated in the auction, with the remaining 85 percent paid out to the winners.

Interested youth can sign up at Libby High School or by contacting Kelly Morford. There is also an online form at libbyloggers.com.

Morford encourages anyone interested in playing baseball to come out and enjoy some fun in the sun.

“Quite simply, baseball is America’s pastime,” he said. “What else should a 17 year old kid be doing with his summer?! As we all know, it seems like the priorities of kids are changing these days. When I was that age, I wasn’t thinking about much else beyond playing sports and being around my friends who all played the same sports I did. We had the time of our lives traveling the state and playing ball and I think our kids here also have a great experience every summer.”