Laramie Rangers Are Ready for the State Tournament [VIDEO]

Laramie took second place at the Wyoming American Legion Baseball State Tournament a year ago. The Rangers would love to take it one step further in 2022.

The Class ‘AA’ Wyoming American Legion Baseball State Tournament starts on Monday in Sheridan for Laramie. The Rangers will play Jackson in the first round for the second straight year and the third time in the last four years.

Manager Aaron Lozano said he feels good about his team entering the big week.

“These guys are pretty dialed in right now. I feel like the experience is starting to show.”

Lozano added, “As the season wears on, and guys are getting more tired, they’re able to grit through some games, and I think a lot of that comes from the experience that we have on the roster.”

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The Rangers have won eight of their last 11 coming into the state tournament. That’s a contrast to a year ago when Laramie lost six in a row entering the state tournament.

Senior Diego Medina and Riley Hogsett visited with KOWB’s David Settle at practice last Friday in the video at the top of the story. They discussed the team’s momentum going into the tournament, taking on Jackson again, and their keys to success.

Laramie will take on the Jackson Giants at 1 p.m. from Thorne-Rider Stadium in Sheridan on Monday.

The Rangers went 4-0 in the regular season versus Jackson. That included two ten-run, mercy-rule wins at home last week in Laramie. They also defeated the Giants in two neutral field games early in the season in Casper and Rock Springs, respectively.

Lozano feels the big key for his squad is pitching.

“I think, even when our bats are not top of the line, we can still manufacture runs. We’re good on the base paths. We find other ways to push a run or two across, but sometimes, we do get into those 35 and 40-pitch innings. You just can’t have that at the state tournament. We’re always following pitch count (rules) on our staff, but everybody’s following pitch count at the state tournament, so keeping our pitchers in the dugout more than they are on the mound is a pretty big key.”

KOWB (AM 1290) will air every Laramie Rangers game at the state tournament live on the radio, online, and through our mobile app. Join David Settle, as he calls the action from Sheridan. The broadcast of Laramie versus Jackson will begin at 12:45 p.m. on Monday.