Babe Ruth ball program still competitive

Bob Bonnar
NLJ Publisher
 
Although they didn’t compete in a state tournament this year after claiming a string of Wyoming championships to close out the previous decade, Newcastle’s Babe Ruth baseball program continues to be one of the most competitive in both the Black Hills and Wyoming.
But like Newcastle, perched as it is along the borders of both the Black Hills and Wyoming, Weston County’s teen baseball program has access to the best of both worlds and that actually makes it hard to commit to a league or affiliation that produces a meaningful postseason.
“We stuck with Babe Ruth this last year, but decided not to go to the state tournament,” coach Justin Tystad said at the conclusion of the summer season. “We just decided to go play some good baseball instead of worrying about that.”
The 2021 Wyoming State Tournament for Senior Babe Ruth was held in June, and that would have shortened the season considerably for Newcastle’s boys of summer, who traditionally have trouble starting the season too early in the spring because of the unpredictable nature of the weather in northeast Wyoming.
In addition to allowing the teams to extend their season a bit, the decision to opt out of state tournament play also presented opportunities for the Newcastle squads to compete against a slew of solid teams much closer to home, but just across the border in South Dakota or Nebraska.
“The goal was to get them as good a quality of baseball as we can, and be competitive,” Tystad explained. “We had the freedom to go to Rapid City and Spearfish for tournaments, and other places that were close, like Gillette and Chadron. We also played Billings and Casper, and some of their Post (Legion) teams, as well as independent teams from Cheyenne and Billings. We played against some JV teams and participated in U-16 stuff when it fit. We just kind of combined all of that together, and we never played a team from a town smaller than us — ever. Chadron was one of the closest, and they are about double our size.”
A total of 28 ballplayers made up the rosters of the junior and senior Babe Ruth teams, which finished with a combined record of 32-30-1 to end the season. The junior squad, coached by Phil Lipp and Neil Schiller and called the Stampede, rolled to an impressive 10-5 record, with many of its wins coming in a competitive Gillette league. 
The seniors, dubbed the Longhorns, finished the year 22-25-1, with the tie coming as a result of a lightning-shortened affair, and wrapped up the campaign with a three-state winning streak, symbolic of a season in which they sacrificed a league identity for the benefit of more — and better — competition.
“We finished the season beating Belle Fourche, Chadron and Douglas, and we didn’t play a lot of small towns,” reflected Tystad, who was assisted by alums Peyton Tystad and Isaac Prell. “That’s not bad for little ol’ Newcastle.”
The team’s showing is all the more encouraging because the vast majority of the players will return to the diamond next year in Newcastle.
“We only lose two kids going into next year, and we will actually get some kids back from injuries and stuff, so we should really be in pretty good shape,” Tystad said.
He also reported that the program is on solid footing due to consistent participation numbers and continued support from businesses and individuals in the community.
“We had really good support from the community in the way of sponsorship and resources,” Tystad said. “We were even able to get new uniforms for the first time in eight or 10 years.”
If there was a downside to the summer of 2021, it was a shortage of home contests. Tystad indicated that was partly because the teams were presented with opportunities to play a wider variety and higher quality of teams, and they took advantage of them. The weather also interfered with a couple of planned home dates, and the coach hopes that loyal fans will be treated to a little more baseball in Weston County in 2022.
“Our support was good, and we really had a pretty decent crowd for the Chadron game, but we didn’t have a ton of home games this year because I tried to kick up the competition a bit,” Tystad stated. “We also had a few games canceled that we were hoping to have at home, and next year we hope to play more games here for our fans.”
He said that the league would explore all of its options for affiliations and competition in the 2022 season over the winter, and he expressed confidence that the program would be waiting as the school year winds down to offer a quality baseball experience to local youth.
“We’re excited for the coming year, but right now I’m excited to see them play their other sports. We will be ready to welcome them back in the spring,” Tystad concluded.