Sterling baseball team wins Legion title

STERLING --There were four teams that brought home state titles over the course of the year. And one of them was in the summer. The Sterling B Legion team hosted the state tournament on the Northeastern Junior College campus and put together great win after great win to take the title.

It was a fun moment. The fact that it occurred after the end of the regular high school baseball season did not lessen its significance at all. In fact, in many ways it made it seem more important. It was a long season. And while every team is close, there is something to be said for the summer baseball players who play for so long and so hard and through all the hot weather.

Coach Josh Wilson, the assistant coach on the Sterling high school baseball team, pulled the full potential out of his players. That was important as the team was whittled at throughout the tournament due to injuries and other obligations.

One of the biggest losses was Luke Engelhaupt, who injured his ankle sliding into second.

Freshmen stepped in and showed up big with Ty Lucero and and James Skerjanec both contributing in the final game.

Chaz Myers threw one of the best games he had in his high school career to give his team the edge. He wasn't the only Tiger who stood out from the pack. Brendan Diaz was named as the most valuable hitter, hitting a .643 on the tournament. But the MVP went to catcher Wyatt Nelson, who fought off the heat fatigue that normally plagues others at his position as the temperatures climbed above 100 and had a 1.000 fielding percentage. He also hit over .500 on the tournament.

All in all, the heat, the sweat and grime, the sheer length of the tournament, was worth it as the team brought home the title.

On a personal note, it was the first major event that I was out to cover after the birth of my son. Still very sleep deprived, the team, the coaches, and the parents all stepped up and gave me a lot of help to make sure I could get the best coverage out of the event that I could. Not just on the Sterling side either. Fleming was still in the mix up until the end and they helped in equal portion.

Jonathan Seib: (970) 526-9285; jseib@journal-advocate.com

Source: http://www.journal-advocate.com/sterling-sports/ci_19631060?source=rss

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