Legion baseball back in action

The wet winter this week didn't stop the newest youth baseball team in Sanders County from getting started in its training for the upcoming season.

The Clark Fork Valley Riverdogs, the first American Legion team in the county for 20 years, was officially given its charter on Jan. 1 when Jon Zigler of Plains registered the new team with the Montana/Alberta American Legion Baseball Association. The county has several different league teams from T-ball to Babe Ruth, but there hasn't been a Legion team for 20 years, when Sam Carter of Plains was a player on the Clark Fork Valley Black Sox, sponsored by Post 152 in Thompson Falls. Carter is now an assistant coach for the Riverdogs, which is sponsored by Post 129 in Paradise.

The team held its first practice at Plains Alliance Church in the church gymnasium on Sunday afternoon, spending nearly two hours working on their batting skills. Thirteen players from age 14 to 19 from Plains, Thompson Falls, Hot Springs and one from Superior signed up for the Riverdogs, said Zigler, who has been a youth baseball coach for 10 years, including as a pitching coach for the Missoula Mud Dawgs Travel Baseball Team. The 52-year-old has also served as a baseball and softball umpire for eight years. His son, Nate, 17, a team member, is also no stranger to youth baseball, playing for the last 11 years, including three years on the Mission Valley Mariners, a Polson American Legion team. Shawn Plakke of Superior is also an assistant coach and Crystal McDonald of Plains is the team manager.

Zigler said the plan is to continue practicing at the church gym for the next 12 weeks, training outside if the weather permits. Zigler said they are blessed to be able to use the church gym, which lets other sports organizations access to the gym during the winter months at no charge. He said Pastor John Curry has been a youth baseball coach for several years. Zigler said he plans to add more practice sessions when they can get outside in March or April. The Riverdogs first game will be April 17 at 1 p.m. against the Red Sox at Hamilton.

On Sunday, the boys concentrated on hitting and set up four different batting stations, two with regular baseballs and nets, and two with whiffle balls. Zigler and Carter rotated from station to station to give the players tips, such as using their entire body to hit, proper footwork in the batter's box, and putting their hands through the strike zone. Some of the older more experienced players also helped the younger players, such as 19-year-old Derick Curry, who has played baseball since age 5.

"I'm excited to play Legion this year. Getting to play 45-plus games this spring and summer will be a lot of fun and I think everyone on the team is going to have a lot of opportunities to play," said the 6-foot-3 Curry, who won 20 games and lost five as pitcher with the Lassen College baseball team last year. Curry said he likes sharing his baseball knowledge with the less experienced teammates. "I've learned so much through my years playing travel ball and my season in college. I'd like to share as much of the knowledge I have to my teammates so they can better understand the game and become better ball players," he said. 

Curry will be one of the team's starting pitchers, along with Trevor Harris and Kody Carter. Nate Zigler, Trenis McDonald and Garth Parker are also talented pitchers, said Zigler, who added that the team is deep with pitching and most of the players will be asked to take the mound. He said most of the boys will have primary and secondary positions. All of them have played on past teams, some even Legion ball players in other communities. The Riverdogs will be playing 47 games with the other nine teams, which travel from Hamilton to Eureka, where the Kootenai Rangers are in their second year as a Legion team. The Riverdogs are the only new team in the league this year, according to Zigler. The only home game, which will be played at Amundson Sports Complex, is scheduled for May 15 at 1 p.m., when they play the Bonner Eagles. Zigler is hoping to get a couple more home games scheduled.

"I believe that having a Legion team back in the valley will be a great opportunity," said Sam Carter. "American Legion has been one of my dreams to see in the Clark Fork Valley ever since I played almost 20 years ago."

Zigler said he's excited about the upcoming season. "This is a program that I want to see continue in the valley permanently. In regards to this year's team, we have three players (Derick Curry, Trevor Harris, and Nate Zigler) that could easily be playing college baseball next year. I expect them to all have a big season," said Zigler, who believed the first practice went well. They plan to work on defensive skills next time. 

"One thing I can guarantee is that we will be ready. I have high hopes for this program and I have high hopes for this team. We're going to be tough to beat," said Zigler.

Besides practice, work needs to be done on the field and the team's bus. Zigler said they would gladly take automotive expertise or donations. On the field, there is exposed plumbing, bases are torn and need replacing, and Zigler would like to get bleachers for the fans. He also hopes to erect a large scoreboard that was donated by Mission Valley Mariners to the Wildhorse Sports Association, the nonprofit organization responsible for the Amundson Sports Complex.