Laramie’s 2021 Season Moves the Rangers in the Right Direction [VIDEO]

The 2021 American Legion baseball season turned out to be a pretty special one for the Laramie Rangers.

Laramie hosted its first state tournament since 2014, and first one at the ‘AA’ level since 2004. The Rangers didn’t disappoint with a runner-up finish.

A year ago, Laramie went 0-2 at the Wyoming Legion Baseball ‘AA’ State Championship in Rock Springs. Neither players nor the coaches were too happy with how 2020 ended.

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Laramie (41-25) went to work in the off-season and turned 2021 into one to remember.

The 41 victories for the Rangers this year are the most since 46 in 2005. Ironically, Laramie also lost to Cheyenne in the state championship game that year. The last time the Gem City hosted the ‘AA’ state championship tournament, the Rangers also fell short to the Sixers that year.

How about the accomplishments?

Laramie was the only in-state team to beat Cheyenne twice this season. They didn’t on May 18 at Cowboy Field, 7-6, and again on June 8, in Cheyenne at Powers Field, 11-2.

The Rangers went 4-1 at the Veteran’s Classic in Rapid City, SD. They were runner-up at the Gering PVC tournament over the Memorial Day weekend. They took second at the Dickinson Roughriders tournament in North Dakota on July 9-11.

There are 9-game and 6-game winning streaks at different points of the season.

Laramie might have saved their best for the final week of the year. They rallied twice at the state tournament and got to the championship game. Even though they fell short to Cheyenne, who set a team record for wins in a season this year, the Rangers still had many things to smile about.

KOWB’s David Settle, the voice of the Rangers for 21 years, visited with head coach Aaron Lozano to recap his third season at the helm. They talked about the team’s finish, the players, the total number of wins, and more in the video at the top of this story.

Laramie loses three seniors. Ryan Chamberlain and Aidan Morris, two first-team all-state selections, are finished with their Rangers careers. The third senior, Garrett Dodd, who was also a first-team all-state pick, does have the option to return as an eligible 19-year-old next year. Besides that, Laramie will have 12 of its 15 players back for 2022. That includes unanimous first-team all-state choice Brandon Chavez, and second-team all-state pick Ben Ruckman, who missed three-quarters of the season due to an injury.

If things stay on course, the future of Laramie Legion baseball looks very bright.