LEGION BASEBALL: Lums figure it out heading into state ... Coeur d'Alene to face two-time champs Pocatello in opener

By JASON ELLIOTT 

Sports writer 

When Coeur d’Alene beat the Pocatello Runnin’ Rebels 6-5 in late June in the Western Invitational in Hyrum, Utah, the Lums improved to 14-12 on the season. 

They’ve since won 12 of 18 games and enter the state class AA tournament with wins in seven of their last eight games, including a 5-2 win over Lewis-Clark to clinch the top seed from the district. 

“We’ve figured some things out, and that’s the big thing,” first-year Coeur d’Alene AA coach Jim Allison said. “Once a team gets where they trust what their teammates can do, they start to gel. Sometimes, it depends on the length of the season.” 

Allison, along with Gil Pierce, have coached in the Lums program the last two years in the Single-A program, advancing to the Northwest Regional ‘A’ tournament in 2023. 

Coeur d'Alene (26-18) opens at state against Pocatello today at noon PDT at Rodeo Park in Nampa.

Coeur d’Alene went 5-0 in the Pacific Prospects Series at Pacific University in Forest Grove, Ore. 

“The last three years, when we’ve gotten to district, it really just depended on what team shows up,” Allison said. “Last week, everything kind of came together. They knew it was time to step it up and it was the weekend that really came together. We played pretty much flawless defensively but for one inning, and that’s always fun to watch. 

Pierce is a three-time NAIA champion while playing at Lewis-Clark State in Lewiston. Allison and Pierce also played Minor League Baseball after college. 

“Not many coaching staffs have guys that have played at a higher level,” Allison said. “We’ve seen a lot of things and we can help with keeping the mistakes to a shorter time. After a while, I think they finally started to figure out that we know what we’re taking about.” 

Lumbermen players Mark Holecek, Tanner Franklin, Travis Usdrowski, Wyatt Riske and Tyler Voorhees were part of a Coeur d’Alene Little League team that advanced to the Northwest Regional in San Bernardino, Calif., falling short of advancing to the Little League World Series in 2019. A group of Coeur d’Alene players advanced in 2018 to Williamsport, Pa. 

“They’ve played in a lot of big games,” Allison said. “They were so close back then and I think they’ve learned from that and are focused coming into the weekend.” 

Coeur d’Alene is seeking its first trip to regionals at the AA level since 1979. 

“I think a lot of guys have bought into what we’re doing,” Allison said. “We’re a lot better right now defensively and we’re playing more as a group.” 

In last weekend’s tournament in Oregon, Coeur d’Alene allowed eight runs, while scoring 35. 

“We just keep telling them if you never quit, nobody can beat you,” Allison said. “We’re OK with our pitching right now. We didn’t have a lot of it at the start of the season, but we’ve got kids that will battle. We’ve just got a staff of Rocky Balboa’s out there.” 

Speaking of Rocky Balboa, the Lums open with the Runnin’ Rebels today at noon PST at Rodeo Park. Pocatello has won the last two state AA titles, including in 2023 at Thorco Field in Coeur d’Alene. 

The winner of this week's tournament advances to the Northwest Regional tournament Aug. 6-10 at Dehler Park in Billings, Mont.

“When we played them the first time, we really didn’t have our stuff together yet,” Allison said. “We’re a lot better defensively than we were then.” 

Lewis-Clark (16-21), the runner-up from Area A (District 1) opens with the Idaho Falls Bandits (33-10) today at 3 p.m. 

STATE AA LEGION BASEBALL TOURNAMENT 

At Rodeo Park, Nampa 

Thursday’s Games 

Game 1 — Idaho Falls Knights (11-20) vs. Parma Charros (8-12), 9 a.m. 

Game 2 — Pocatello Runnin’ Rebels (17-16) vs. Coeur d’Alene Lumbermen (26-18), noon 

Game 3 — Idaho Falls Bandits (33-10) vs. Lewis-Clark Twins (16-21), 3 p.m. 

Game 4 — Twin Falls Cowboys (19-14) vs. Nampa Chiefs (20-15), 6 p.m. 

Friday’s Games 

Game 5 — Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 3, 9 a.m. (loser out) 

Game 6 — Loser Game 2 vs. Loser Game 4, noon (loser out) 

Game 7 — Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 3, 3 p.m. 

Game 8 — Winner Game 2 vs. Winner Game 4, 6 p.m. 

Saturday’s Games 

Game 9 — Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7, 9 a.m. (loser out) 

Game 10 — Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8, noon (loser out) 

Game 11 — Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 3 p.m. 

Sunday’s Games 

Game 12 — Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11, 9 a.m. (loser out) 

Game 13 — Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 11, noon (semifinal) 

Monday’s Games 

Game 14 — Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13, 9 a.m. (championship) 

Game 15 — Winner Game 14 vs. Loser Game 14, noon (if-necessary)