Powell, Wyoming’s local baseball team, the Powell Pioneers, became state champions for the second year in a row after dominating the last week of July. The final game of the tournament had the Pioneers overcome the Cody Cubs 5-4 to bring home gold.

“[Winning state] didn’t really feel real right away,” junior baseball player Trevion Solberg said. “It was a really intense game, especially against a rival like Cody.”

The championship game came down to the wire. Senior Trey Stenerson nailed a double that would ultimately give fellow senior Ethan Welch a run into home. That score gave Powell the lead before another senior, Brock Johnson, struck out the final Cody batter to seal the win.

Although two straight state titles are uncommon, expectations were high that the Pioneers would achieve the accomplishment well before the season started.

“A majority of our team came back from last year,” Solberg said. “We were very confident in our ability to win games. We also won districts, which was a big confidence boost after splitting with Cody in our last double header.” 

Powell had lost only a few players from the year prior. They returned nine seniors, two of which signed to play baseball at the collegiate level. Winning state wasn’t impossible, but it was not an easy task.

“The journey to [becoming champions] was fun but difficult,” senior and Central Arizona College baseball commit Brock Johnson said. “We had lots of injuries, and it was just good to have everyone healthy and win it.”

The Pioneers beat the Gillette Rustlers 10-4 on July 28 to begin their outstanding run. They would go on to defeat the Lovell Mustangs 8-4 the next day. The following day they overthrew Cody 17-2 for the first of their two victories against the Cubs. To punch their ticket into the State Championship game, Powell managed to beat the Casper Drillers 10-0 in five innings with the Ten Run Rule.

Even with those impressive numbers, some see baseball as just another sport for anyone of interest. However, others find it to be more impactful.

“The game of baseball is so much more than just a game,” Johnson said. “It’s a lifestyle, and it means everything to me.”

Powell will be losing many key players for next year. The assumption of someone needing to take the next step is not a reliable solution in a team sport.

“The team’s going to be a lot different because we’re losing nine seniors,” Solberg said. “I think the team as a whole needs to step up because we’re a little inexperienced.”

Although a considerable amount of talent is moving on, the Pioneers will look to their B team who took 2nd place in their own tournament in Torrington, Wyoming, an outcome some of the players didn’t even expect.

“Going into the season I honestly thought we were going to be one of the worst B teams in the state,” sophomore B team player Ryan Barrus said. “All the boys worked hard and put the time in to make it so we’re one of the best.”

The B team would lose their second game of the tournament forcing them into the loser’s bracket. Fortunately, they were able to battle back and get themselves into title contention once again. They saw their season come to an end after losing to Casper.

“Even though we didn’t get first, we battled back from the loser’s bracket to make it to the championship,” Barrus said. “[We] still battled with Casper until the sixth inning. I’m proud of the drive and battle the boys have.”

Now with more spots opened up in the varsity roster, the younger guys will keep the drive alive in them to fight for those spots.

“We are all going to hit the gym in the off-season and put in work,” Barrus said. “We look to be on top and keep the streak going.”