Counting on experienced pitchers and improved depth, the Wood River American Legion baseball team debuts its 30-game summer season with a home doubleheader against the Kimberly Astros Monday, June 10 at Hailey’s Founders Field.
Head coach Trent Seamons and assistant coaches Tyler Israel and Greg Wakefield are back for their third summer season with the Hailey-based 15-18 year olds. Legion director Kirk Felger has beefed up the season schedule by 10 games and added a return to the Nampa Wingers Father’s Day Classic tournament June 13-15.
Wood River competes in the Area C “A” West Division with eight other teams, all nine of the West clubs battling for six spots in late July’s 12-team district tournament. Rounding out the 19-team Area C this year are 10 teams in the East Division, also fighting for six spots in the district meet July 25-28 at Pocatello’s Halliwell Park.
The Wranglers (5-14 last summer, 7-17 two years ago) haven’t qualified for the district tournament since 2010. Seamons said qualifying is a realistic goal for his 17-player team.
“We have a good ball club as long as our pitching holds up,” said Seamons. “I’d say we’re at least a good middle-of-the-pack team, with no real holes like we’ve had in the past. As coaches we want to make sure the boys get something out of the season, not only in baseball terms but also in life lessons.
“Our focus this year will be on developing our pitchers.”
Pitchers returning from last year’s Legion squad include Cameron Benson, Finn Isaacson, Nickolaus Brunker and Alec Nordsieck. Seamons said he’s hopeful that Tim Boyle, a star on this year’s Wood River High School team, will come out and play games this year.
Other players include Ben Williams, Will Long, Armando Gomez, Brandon Benson, Adrian Rojas, Wayne Felger, Dylan Broman, Gunner Gibson, Mikey Levy, Junior Solis and Vrej Velazquez.
Third-year coach Seamons took over the Legion coaching in 2011 for Matt Nelson, who compiled a 141-110 record in six Legion campaigns and last took Wood River to the district tournament during an 18-22 season in the summer of 2010.
Seamons, 23, who played outfield and pitched for the Wood River Legion and high school teams, just finished up a 46-game season playing for the Idaho State University Bengals club baseball team (36-10) that lost in the National Club Baseball Association (NCBA) regional championship game at LaGrande, Ore. in May.
Prior to that, Seamons played two seasons for the Campbellsville University Tigers in Kentucky, a NAIA (National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics) college program. He started his college baseball career playing for Oregon's Treasure Valley Community College.
Seamons hopes to go into college baseball coaching after finishing his ISU degree in Sports Management next year.
2013 WR Wranglers American Legion Baseball
This year’s schedule for the 2013 Wood River American Legion Wranglers “A” baseball program (30 regular-season games—8 home and 22 away). All home games at Founders Field in Hailey. This year’s Area C “A” Senior League is for 19-and-under ballplayers. Both games count in the league standings for each doubleheader. Home games in bold. West Division league games shown with an asterisk. Head coach is Trent Seamons, assisted by Tyler Israel and Greg Wakefield.
| DATE, DAY |
OPPONENT |
LOCATION |
| June 10, Monday |
Kimberly Astros* |
Home, 3/5 |
| June 13, Thursday |
Father’s Day Wood Bat Classic |
Nampa |
| June 14, Friday |
Father’s Day Wood Bat Classic |
Nampa |
| June 15, Saturday |
Father’s Day Wood Bat Classic |
Nampa |
| June 18, Tuesday |
Buhl Tribe* |
Home, 3/5 |
| June 24, Monday |
Twin Falls Cowboys* |
Away, 4/6 |
| June 25, Tuesday |
Blackfoot Broncos* |
Away, 4/6 |
| July 1, Monday |
Sugar-Salem |
Sugar City, 4/6 |
| July 2, Tuesday |
Idaho Falls Bees |
Bonneville HS, 11/1 |
| July 3, Wednesday |
Rigby |
Away, 11/1 |
| July 8, Monday |
Upper Valley Cats |
Rexburg, 3/5 |
| July 9, Tuesday |
Pocatello Razorbacks* |
Halliwell Field, 5/7 |
| July 10, Wednesday |
Bear Lake Bears* |
Away, 11/1 |
| July 15, Monday |
Burley Green Sox* |
Home, 3/5 |
| July 19, Friday |
TF Hawks (Canyon Ridge)* |
Twin Falls, 6/8 |
| July 20, Saturday |
Shelley |
Home, 3/5 |
| July 25, Thursday |
Area C “A” tournament |
Halliwell Park, Pocatello |
| August 1, Thursday |
State “A” tournament |
Melaleuca Field, Idaho Falls |
| August 8, Thursday |
Regional “A” tournament |
Wheatland, Wyo. |
NOTES—This year’s Area C “A” league is made up of 19 teams, 9 in the West Division and 10 in the East Division. The West teams are Burley, Wood River, Buhl, Kimberly, both Twin Falls teams, Bear Lake, Pocatello Razorbacks and Blackfoot Broncos. Each West team must play 2 games apiece against each other West team, and pick up whatever other games it can against the East Division. Based on regular-season standings, the top 6 teams in the West and the top 6 teams in the East qualify for the 12-team Area C “A” district tournament starting July 25 at Halliwell Park in Pocatello. The top 2 teams in the West and East receive first-round byes in the tournament…….From the 12-team district tournament, the top 2 teams plus the Idaho Falls Bees (as state host team) qualify for the State “A” tournament Aug. 1 at Melaleuca Field in Idaho Falls. That state tournament will feature 8 teams—3 from Area C, 3 from the Boise area and 2 from northern Idaho.
