There’s an odd dichotomy at work in the local baseball scene, in that it looks on paper — OK, on GameChanger — like more athletes are playing than ever while in places Legion ball is losing ground.

Exhibit A would be the Bitterroot Bucs, who won’t have a team out of Florence this year. That leaves the Red Sox in Hamilton to represent that valley. 

The Flathead Valley seems to have its full allotment of Legion teams, which is good, because quite a few young men of that age have filled up another couple local squads: The Kalispell Sluggers U18 and U17. 

Ray Queen runs the U18 team and it is dotted with familiar names from the just-concluded high school season: Reyd Hobart and Carter Godsey of Whitefish; Kaeden Kahler of Glacier High; Nico Young of Columbia Falls; Rowan Burow and Tyce Van Orden of Eureka. 

The team sprang up five years ago as an alternative to Legion, with the idea of exposing players to college scouts in tournaments around the region. In other words: travel ball. 

“I had been coaching these kids since they were 8 years old,” Queen said. “And Cal Ripken and Babe Ruth baseball was dying. Fewer and fewer towns were participating, and travel ball was becoming more popular.” 

When Queen played his Legion ball, Montana had “A” and “B,” and the Glacier Twins were among the best programs at the highest level; he played on the Twins’ 1986 State A championship squad. The program hosted an annual, high-test tournament that brought college scouts to Whitefish. 

The Sluggers go to the scouts. They’ll be in Spokane for a tournament this weekend, and trips to Portland and Seattle are on the schedule along with the Missoula Mavericks’ Memorial Tournament June 18-21.  

“It’s kind of a cool opportunity,” Queen said. “Every one of these kids pretty much want to play college baseball.” 

Three Sluggers have already signed or committed: Kahler and Young to Umpqua College in Roseburg, Oregon, and Burow to Columbia Basin in Pasco, Washington. Bigfork’s Hayden Mayer, a Slugger in 2025, is also headed to Umpqua; he’s on a Bigfork-based travel team this summer. 

The Sluggers work out of ABS Park in Evergreen, and Queen credits Chris Gillette with really getting this thing going. “There’s not any politics involved, it’s all about the kids, and it’s a perfect spot for us,” Queen said. 

He added: “I do have a lot of respect for AA Legion baseball. I think it’s the best product offered in Montana. But we’re (drawing) from areas that aren’t offering AA baseball.” 

And perhaps scouts no longer come to Cranbrook, British Columbia, or Whitefish or Polson. Yet the addition of baseball as an MHSA-sanctioned sport has put more athletes on the diamond. 

“Couldn’t have been more a perfect storm, getting the Range Riders to town,” Queen added. “More kids are playing baseball now than ever. And that’s what this is really about.” 

Sports Editor Fritz Neighbor can be reached at 406-758-4463 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.