LAUREL — Now in its third season, high school baseball in Montana has 35 teams spread across the state.
One of the schools in its debut season is Laurel, and kids feel a sense of pride wearing the purple and yellow Locomotive gear.
"So far it's been great. Our administration has been awesome. Our community has been great about supporting this," Laurel head coach Matt Kimmet said. "We were able to get into the gym this winter and start working with some portable mounds and we have a cage in there just starting to get ready."
"I'm super excited it's through the high school now. I love playing baseball, so I'm glad to have a little bit longer season now," Laurel senior Parker Knaub said.
Laurel has a successful American Legion program in the Dodgers, but just three of those players are suiting up for the Locomotives this spring.
"Anytime you have Legion guys on your team it's a good thing. Guys that have competed for a full summer like that," Kimmet said. "Moving forward I hope we have more and more guys that play Legion ball."
It will likely be a roller coaster season for Laurel, but there's hope among the upperclassmen to build a foundation for future success.
"We have four seniors, three juniors, so there are a lot of young kids in here right now just working to get better, learning the terminology and the culture we're trying to build," Kimmet said. "The older guys have done a good job of starting to establish that but we're still working on it."
"I think we'll be able to grow more once we get things figured out a little more," senior Eric Haus said. "Now that we're outside more we can get stuff done, do more drills. We've only been practicing for two and a half weeks. Teams don't build overnight."
The Locomotives are 1-1 so far and were scheduled to be in action Tuesday against Columbus.
