Laramie Rangers Host Dooley Oil Classic Baseball Tournament This Weekend
The 14th edition of the Dooley Oil Classic baseball tournament hosted by the Laramie Rangers is Thursday through Sunday at Cowboy Field.
Laramie welcomes three other teams from Wyoming, one from Nebraska, and three from Colorado for weekend action.
Pool A will feature the Rangers, the Rock Springs Stallions, the Revolution from Castle Rock, CO, and Jefferson Academy from Broomfield, CO. Pool B has the Douglas Cats, Sheridan Troopers, Canon City, CO, and the Westco Zephyrs from Scottsbluff, NE.
After a two-year hiatus, the Dooley Oil Classic returned in 2022. The Rangers are the defending champs, as they went 4-0 in this tournament a year ago.
Laramie manager Aaron Lozano is looking for his team to play competitive baseball this weekend.
“We’ve got a few new teams coming out this year that we’re really excited to have. Post-1187 out of Castle Rock, CO, the Revolution, they’re coming up, and then we’ve got Canon City (CO), who was up in Rapid (City, SD) last weekend, as well, so a couple of new teams, there. Sheridan (Troopers), I don’t know if they’ve ever been at the Dooley, so it’s pretty exciting to have Coach Cowen and those guys down here.”
The Rangers are 10-16 in the 2023 season. They are coming off a 1-4 weekend in Rapid City, SD, at the Black Hills Veterans Classic. Laramie lost to Mitchell, SD (10-0), Lincoln, NE South (20-0), Rapid City Post 22 (4-0), and Huron, SD (7-2). Their lone victory last weekend was an 11-0 win over Colorado Rogue Baseball Academy.
Lozano said, “I think we definitely came up short of our expectations, especially on the offensive side of the ball; just not a lot going there. I think, maybe, one or two guys had multiple hits over the course of that weekend, and that was about it, so, definitely felt like we could have given more support to our pitchers.”
Laramie managed just two hits in two of those losses and was held to one hit in another.
KOWB's David Settle spoke to Rangers seniors Griffin Webb and Aidan Buchanan about the tournament, how the team is playing, and the keys for the weekend in the video above.
Lozano added, “This weekend leads into conference games up in Jackson next week, so we’ve really got to right the ship.”
As for expectations this weekend in the Dooley Oil Classic, Lozano said, “It’s being aggressive at the plate. I feel like we’re waiting for perfect pitches. We don’t have very good two-strike at-bats or two-strike approaches, and we do a lot of striking out looking or just not putting the ball in play. You put the ball in play, good things happen.”
Laramie will take on Rock Springs at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Cowboy Field. They will play the Revolution from Castle Rock, CO, on Friday at 7 p.m., and Jefferson Academy at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Sunday’s game will be determined by where you finish in pool play.
KOWB radio will broadcast all of the Laramie games live this weekend. Coverage starts 15 minutes before the first pitch. You can listen on the radio at AM 1290, through the KOWB app, online, and through smart speakers.
Full 2023 Dooley Oil Classic Tournament Schedule