COWLEY, Wyo. — The small Wyoming towns of Cowley and Lovell are separated by six miles. Yet, the two communities just teamed up for one magical, unforgettable baseball moment.
The celebration was on just a few days ago after the Lovell Mustangs captured their first-ever American Legion State A baseball title.
“Celebrating was super fun because we didn’t only do it as a team," Mustangs outfielder/pitcher Lafe Files told MTN. "We got to bring the community in on our celebration with the fire trucks going through the two towns that put a large part of this team together."
Watch the Mustangs' celebration and hear player reaction as the team preps for regional play:
Fire trucks and fireworks accompanied the celebration, and while the team is branded as Lovell, games and practices are held on Cowley's field.
Last week's state tournament took place in Sheridan, where the Mustangs iced it with a pop fly caught just inside the third base line. Then the pitcher's mound dog pile was on.
“Some kids got some water bottles, so it got a little wet. But it was pretty fun jumping on everybody in that moment,” said tourney MVP Tucker Jackson, who plays center field and pitches.
"It was awesome. It was just a bunch of emotion and Lafe throwing such a good game, we all just jumped on him," added shortstop/pitcher Alex Hedges.
Files threw 96 pitches for the complete game victory. “It feels better than I imagined, honestly, just because we’ve had great teams and we have a great Little League program,” he said.
Jackson reflected on the journey, saying, “We’ve all been working at this since we were like nine and 10 years old. It’s a great feeling to be able to do it with this group of kids.”
"This group" (31-22 overall) wasn’t favored to win the state tournament but got hot down the stretch, winning eight of their last 10 games. Until their 5-1 victory in the title game, every tournament game felt like it was down to the wire, according to Hedges.
“My heart was just thump, thump, thump the whole time,” he said.
The emotions extended to head coach Michael Jameson who grew up in Lovell, but at a time when the Legion program wasn’t active. So, this was a heartfelt homecoming. “Once I got the ice bath with the cooler on the head, it kind of felt real and they caught me off guard … they got me from behind, so it was worth it,” he said.
The state title marks the first for a team that, off and on, dates back decades. “My dad talked about a time where there were years, they came out wearing blue jeans and white t-shirts,” Jameson continued, reflecting on the legacy of the program.
With sparkling cider bursting, the scene felt akin to the World Series. “It was just a cool experience. I mean, I’ve never been part of a state championship before,” Hedges said.
The Mustangs will next compete in the Northwest Class A Regional Tournament in Burley, Idaho, where they will open against the state champion host team Green Sox, on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m.
“A lot of times our states, Wyoming and Montana, don’t get the respect that I feel like they deserve and I just want these guys to know they can compete,” Jameson said.
