Glacier 15Us nab state crown, heading to regionals
The state champion Glacier 15U baseball team, front row, from left, Tanner Gove, Colton McPhee, Jack Eisenbarth, Coby Clark-Dickenson, Lane Sapa, Billy Barrett Jr. (not pictured Drew Morgan); second row, coach Mike McPhee, Austin Varner, Forrest Kobelt, Jack Schwaiger, Lee Walburn, Mark Anderson, coach Bill Sapa, coach Jason Schwaiger.
The Glacier 15U Babe Ruth baseball team steamrolled the competition en route to state a title July 17 in Miles City.
The boys opened with a 19-2 drubbing of Glendive, then beat Havre 21-1, beat Glendive again 9-4, Miles City 11-1 and then dropped Kalispell in the championship 14-0.
Coby Clark-Dickenson pitched the shutdown in the championship victory. Dickenson also pitched a no-hitter in the tourney, as did Colton McPhee.
The team will head into the regional tourney in Camas, Washington with an overall record of 23-2, said coach Mike McPhee. This group of boys — five from Columbia Falls, five from Whitefish and one from Bigfork, have won three state championships together now. They won as 13Us, 14Us, and now 15Us. Their two losses this season came to legion baseball teams — West Valley of Yakima, Washington and the Glacier Twins B squad.
McPhee said he has a lot of confidence in this squad heading into regionals.
“Ten of the 11 can pitch,” he said. They’ve also hit the ball well, with eight home runs this season. McPhee has been coaching the Columbia Falls boys since they were 7. They’re a young squad, too. True 15 year olds, most of them.
“It’s a pretty good group of kids,” McPhee said.
The team leaves Sunday and has its first game Tuesday. The tourney runs through Saturday. The squad had several car washes to help pay expenses, but could use more help. The rooms alone cost $8,000 for the team, McPhee noted.