The Worland Chiefs close out a successful first season

The Worland Chiefs Post 44 C American Legion wrapped up their season last week, ending it with a 4-24 record. The revived program had its growing pains this season, but overall, it was a successful first season back in the American Legion ranks.

The Chiefs lost to the Riverton Raiders in the final game of the season 11-9. While it was the 24th loss of the season for the Chiefs, it was the best they played all season.

Offensively, the Chiefs had a strong first inning batting around and getting a total of 12 at-bats in the inning. The Worland pitchers also went after batters throwing strikes throughout the game.

"What was cool about that last game was that we batted 12 batters in the first inning," said Worland Chiefs coach Corey Davis. "That's something that happened to us all the time, so it was good to see the kids be the ones to do that. Kolby Wall pitched for us, and really, all of our pitchers that game did well. They were throwing strikes, and that's what we had been working toward. Even though we had won games, that last game against Riverton was by far our best game played."

For the first season back in American Legion, the Chiefs would take their lumps, but the focus for this season was player development. Each Chief made tremendous strides this summer in one area of the game or another.

Among those who made those improvements this season were Ryu Moreno. A pitcher, Moreno struggled at the start throwing strikes. However, by the end of the season, he was not only throwing strikes with multiple pitches, but he was also an ace for the Chiefs.

Canon Tidemann and Eli Fox were two other players that carved out roles for themselves. Tidemann was an excellent utility player, and Fox worked hard on his pitching and threw in the last game of the season to great success.

"Ryu Moreno really impressed me with his growth in his pitching. He had games where he'd walk every guy he threw to but at the end of the season, he was a legit ace for us. He was an ace with three pitches. He had a fastball, a breaking ball and a change-up. He'd goof around with this knuckle thing but hadn't quite got it down yet. Watching him work the last 10 days of the season was fun.

"There are so many kids who really improved a lot. Canon Tidemann played every position on the field. Not everyone can do that, and that was cool," said Davis. Eli Fox was a fun kid from Ten Sleep. He's only been playing baseball for a couple of years. He outworks everyone and is willing to play wherever I needed him. He wanted to pitch, and he and his dad worked on that all season. He got to pitch in the last game of the season and got three outs immediately. That doesn't happen if he doesn't work on that outside practice."

Eason Peterson was always there in relief for the starters and always ready when called upon. Zach Davis, coach Davis's son, might have been the smallest player on the field, but he could make contact with the ball and get on base.

"Eason Peterson, I love that kid. He was always reliable. Whenever our pitchers were in trouble, I'd throw Eason in there, and he'd get a strike out or an easy ground ball or pop fly. I'm going to miss him next year because he'll be too old.

"Zach Davis was hands down the smallest player on the field, but every single at-bat, he'd put the bat on the ball. It made it hard for me to put him in the dugout. That's what I need. I want every player to make it hard for me to put them in the dugout. It was fun to watch him grow that way," said Davis.

Kolby Wall and Krew Neighbors grew into their roles as the season progressed. By season's end, Wall turned into an extra-base machine for Worland.

Neighbors was one of the Chiefs' best base runners and outfielders. Playing centerfield, he used his speed to deny teams multiple runs.

"Kolby Wall always made contact. He wasn't always solid at the beginning of the season, but by the end of the season, he was getting extra-base hits all the time. Krew Neighbors was so fast on the bases and in the outfield. He ran like a deer out there patrolling the outfield. We were playing Riverton, they had the bases loaded, and they crushed one out there to the ally in left-center. He was playing center, and from my perspective, it looked like he was loafing, but he wasn't," said Davis. "He just makes it look so easy. He tracked that ball down that would easily score three runs."

Kyston Rollema was another versatile player for the Chiefs playing first base, catcher and pitcher. He was also a positive leader in the dugout by encouraging teammates and helping the team regain their focus.

"Kyston Rollema is another terrific human being. He was one of my better players. He pitched, he caught and played first. He was a good ballplayer. His leadership was important. When things got out of hand, he was there to get everyone's attention back. He was a positive leader and picked everyone up. Every team should have a Kyston Rollema to keep everything calm," said Davis.

The improvement of each player this season set a strong foundation for the Chiefs for the following seasons. Getting to that point where the program is challenging for spots at the state tournament and, eventually, state titles is a process. The program is headed in the right direction after this season, and building off this season's successes will help toward that ultimate goal.

"We've got to keep playing baseball. When we put our best players out there going against teams with similar ages, we competed in every single game. You could see the experience difference between our team and other teams. We definitely got better; we just need to continue in this direction. It was a successful season.

"I know the record doesn't say that, but we got people excited again. We were playing baseball in Worland," said Davis. "Our games will be a lot closer, and we'll keep winning more games each season. We're on the path to getting Worland playing competitive baseball."

With the improvements made this season, getting an earlier start with offseason work are among the goals next year for the Chiefs.

Ideally, the program would like two teams, a B Class and C Class. But if the numbers aren't there, the program could do what Riverton did and play a B and C Class schedule, adjusting the lineup whenever they played a B Class or C Class team.

"We want to start earlier by getting sign-ups done earlier and find somewhere indoors to get some throwing in on the portable mound. The kids really hit their stride toward the end of the season. If we get some early work in, maybe, they hit that stride in the first third of the season.

"In a perfect world, we'd like a B Team, which is 16 and under and a C team, which is 15 and under. Riverton did a cool thing. They had one team but played a B and C schedule. If they played B teams, they played their best players, and if they played a C team, their 16-year-olds couldn't play. That's another option for us if our numbers don't come out," said Davis.

As a former player in the Worland Chiefs Post 44 program, being asked to coach was an honor for Davis. He got to coach with his father, Tom Davis while coaching his son Zach Davis and watching as his team grew from that first game against Thermopolis to the final one against Riverton.

"We had fun and competed. I love coaching and baseball. On a personal level, I got to coach with my father, who coached me when I was younger. That was special. Then on the flip side of that, I got to coach my son, which is always special to me. Being associated with Worland American Legion baseball, something that was a big deal to me, my friends, and my family, was an honor. I don't take it lightly, and I appreciate that," said Davis.

Reviving the American Legion program took a lot of work from multiple volunteers and sponsors. Davis was grateful for the work and support of sponsors, parents, fans and the Worland community. He was also appreciative of Worland Chiefs Post 44 Legion Team Manager Chance Bond, who helped spearhead the program's revival.

"I'm thankful to Chance Bond for getting this thing started. It wasn't a one-man show, but we are lucky to have somebody like Chance, who dived in headfirst and got this program going again. A huge shoutout to our sponsors and all the parents who helped raise money. For a team that didn't win many games, our stands were full. That was so cool. Thank you to our umpires who helped us all season.

"I'm just very thankful that I live in Worland, Wyoming, because the town backs you. That's what's special about this town; we really back our programs. I'm thankful to live in a community that thinks so much of our children and is willing to invest in them financially and emotionally," said Davis.