SANDPOINT — North Idaho Lakers 16U head coach Travis Tyler plugged in a speaker at Memorial Field and began blasting nu metal as the team stretched on Tuesday. 

His reasoning?  

"The boys gotta get loose," Tyler said. "They got a state tournament this weekend." 

Tyler and assistant coach Eric Burk spent Monday and Tuesday evening getting their Lakers ready to close out their season at the American Legion State Tournament in Sandpoint this weekend. From working on their fielding to taking batting practice, the duo said they wanted to work with the players on realizing their potential for the final games of the season. 

The Lakers have struggled this season, going 4-16-1, a fact not lost on Tyler, Burk, or any of the players. Tyler said a major focus of his coaching this season has been building up the team's confidence and getting them to believe they can be a winning baseball team. 

"Because Travis and I know that this team can be special, and we just haven't, but we know they can do it," Burk said. "I think people will be surprised if we play our game this weekend, that we have a chance to win this thing." 

Much of the belief from the coaches comes from the fact that they've seen glimpses of the team's success. Tyler used their game against Calgary Premier Blues 18U at the Battle at the Beach tournament as a perfect example. Though the Lakers dropped that game, 4-3, they took the best team at the tournament down to the wire and nearly upset them. 

Tyler said that the team needs to get back to being themselves and putting the ball in play. He said that getting an early lead and playing ahead will give them a massive advantage in these games and help keep the players from getting down on themselves. 

"Our kids are tougher on themselves than they are on anybody else," Tyler said. "That's where Eric and I keep trying to get them out of it. It's the having their back, the whole saying of like, 'So what? Now what?' So what, you made the error. Now what are you gonna do? You're gonna go back, and you're gonna do that play again, and you're gonna make it." 

While the games might not have had the result that the Lakers were hoping for, every player has worked on improving their game before the next high school season. Whether it be Cy Marshall working through his mental battles on the mound or Karsen Garvin working to become a vocal leader in the dugout, the North Idaho players said they've all grown. 

Along the way, the Lakers' players have also made numerous memories, from an all-players practice to reminiscing on their heroic nine-inning walk-off win against Orofino. 

"The player-only day, there the team actually came together," Garvin said. "Definitely got the team closer, having that all-player practice." 

Getting the team to become a family was another aspect that Tyler said he worked on. As the North Idaho legion team, players come from all over the two northernmost counties, meaning that very few of these players had met each other before joining the team. 

"I think that's kind of the fun part, is you go play against them now and all the high school games and stuff," Noah Langlois said. 

The double elimination bracket features the Lewis Clark Bucs, Prairie Cardinals, Orofino Merchants, Nampa Legion Warriors, Idaho Falls Tigers, Minico 14U Storm and the Lakers. The Lakers will open the American Legion State Tournament against the Minico Storm 14U on Friday at 11:30 a.m. at War Memorial Field. 

"That's the part I'm most excited about," Langlois said about getting to finish off his summer season at home.  

Should the Lakers win on Friday afternoon, they will play against the Lewis Clark Bucs at 2:15 p.m. at Pine Street Park. If they lose, they will play either the Bucs or Storm again on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Pine Street Park. 

    Braden Burrows fields a ball during a North Idaho Lakers practice drill on Tuesday afternoon.