GREAT FALLS — It’s been 44 years since the Great Falls Chargers won a Class AA state championship in baseball, but after four straight wins to end their regular season and a fifth seed in the tournament, the team feels good ahead of their Wednesday first-round match-up with the Missoula Mavericks.
Pair that with their win streak and the fact that earlier in the season, specifically at the end of June, the team was not playing up to par but still managed to pull out wins, but the team smells blood in the water.
“I think the biggest thing is we weren't playing our best baseball there for a little bit, but we were still able to grind out some wins and and still compete and still be in ballgames,” head coach Tony Forster said. “ I think that's going to be a big thing for us going in the state tournament.”
The strength and depth at pitching is one of the Chargers greatest strengths which will be crucial for the upcoming state tournament. The mental ease to know there’s multiple pitchers to get the job done when things go south has been a defensive comfort for the team this season.
With all weapons firing on all cylinders at the perfect time for this team, catcher and leader Tyler Marr, who is finishing up his final season with the Chargers, knows that this team, despite their seeding, is a dangerous team to face in the state tournament.
“I don't think teams really want to play in the state tournament when we're hot, when everybody when the pitching staff doing great, when the bats are rolling," Marr said. "I think we're a tough team to beat.”
First-round action takes place in Billings, July 27, at 10 a.m. where they’ll square off against the fourth-seeded Missoula Mavericks.
