Legion doubles wins from last season

The 2024 season was a big step forward for the American Legion Post 44 Worland Chiefs program. From doubling their wins to player development, there was plenty of growth this season.

Restarting the Legion program last season, the Chiefs won three games in 2023. This season, the team won seven games and had a four-game winning streak.

Besides a handful of games, the Chiefs were more competitive and in a position to win games this season.

"Last year, it was a positive that we got through the season and had a Legion season. This year, we were competitive in most games. We played the Cheyenne Post 6, and they got us good, but that's what they do. They're a phenomenal program. Cody had our number, too, but other than those five games. We were competitive in every single game.

Davis continued, "We were working on building the foundation for catching, throwing and hitting the ball last season. This year, we built on that foundation and worked in more game scenarios and built that baseball IQ. We were trying to throw too much stuff last year, we toned that down and focused more on throwing strikes, which we did. My pitchers went longer in games. We're going to keep working on throwing strikes. If someone proves they can throw strikes consistently, that's when we'll add more pitches."

The development of the Chiefs players from the preseason to the end of the season was due to their hard work. Many of the Chiefs attended practice and would put in work before and after practice.

"We had more buy-in from players and parents, and that helps, and we got more wins because of it. Most of these kids worked outside of practice. That's huge. If you're expecting to get better in the two hours of practice I give you a day, you'll get a little better. But the ones who got a lot better were working on stuff after practice.

"Parker Whitehead was one of those kids who worked all the time. He'd do my practice, then he'd stay after and work, or some days, he'd already been working for a half hour or hour. That kid worked so hard and it paid off because he was getting hits," said Davis.

Playing in Class C, the core of Worland's team was mostly 13-year-olds. All of whom were ready for the challenges of Legion baseball.

"Tyson Dunham and Bryan Barthelmess did a great job with this 13-year-old group. You could tell Bryan and Tyson worked hard with this group. I know the next group of players we get will be excellent, too. That's where the other towns are at and that's how we build this program," said Davis.

Putting together this second season for the Chiefs was a community effort. There was the grounds crew who kept the fields at Newell Sargent Park in great form.

"Ben Hake's got a few people working for him, and they work so hard for us. I call or text, and he's willing to do it. We're so lucky to have him. Other places have the parents or kids taking care of the field. We have Ben and the [City of Worland] who help keep these fields in good shape," said Davis.

Umpires Andrew Stiles and Bill Bain umped many of Worland's games.

"Andrew Stiles umped most of our games. He's very knowledgeable, passionate about the game and impartial. I don't agree with every call, but the strike zone is the same for both teams. He's fair and fun. Bill Bain umped a lot of games for us, and the same thing. We're lucky to have both guys. They're fair and there for the kids," said Davis.

The American Legion Post 44 and other sponsors around the community donated money to the program.

"Anyone who donated to this program was greatly appreciated. We sold signs and held raffles, and the guy who won the raffle donated it back to the program. This community is so amazing. They just give and give and give.

"The America Legion Post 44 hosted a gold tournament for their scholarship, but they must have raised extra and gave us that. They gave us two or three big donations and were in our corner the whole time," Davis said.

The program's president, Tom Davis, and Chiefs assistant and volunteer coaches dedicated their time, whether that was helping with practices or organizing things for the program.

"I couldn't get to the bulk of our preseason practices because I was coaching traveling soccer. Willy Wright stepped up and coached this team while I was coaching soccer. He volunteered and worked hard with them. We would have been more behind if he hadn't done that.

"Jess Rollema and Levi Tigner were my assistant coaches and helped me a ton. Dustin Whitehead and Charity Glanz, parents, helped me run practices. My dad, Tom Davis, is the president, and he worked hard. Obviously, he's my dad but in my opinion, we don't have a team without Tom Davis. He deserves a ton of credit for getting everyone organized and put together a board. He raised a ton of money," said Davis.

With the program taking a step forward this season, next year's goals are straightforward. The Chiefs will keep building up their bullpen and developing more pitchers while also creating positional flexibility.

"We've got to continue to develop our pitching. Danner Glanz and Dallon Lara came out of nowhere to help us with pitching. They got us out of a lot of jams and ate up innings for us. I don't need flamethrowers, I just need strikes.

"We have to be flexible as far as positions, catching a fly ball, fielding a grounder, catch and throw. Growing that flexibility and baseball knowledge is going to help push us forward. I'd like to see some more leadership and bring more of that accountability in a good way. We don't need anyone screaming at everyone," said Davis.

The second season in the books, the moment Davis will look back most fondly on was their doubleheader against Powell on June 19. The Chiefs lost both games, but it was a turning point in the season for the team. The games were also highly competitive and, just as important, fun.

"Those Powell games were where we started trending up. Right after that, we had our four-game winning streak. The boys were having so much fun. They were laughing, supporting each other, there was lots of chatter and they were working hard. We were in both games and could have won, but they were just fun games, even if they were losses," said Davis.