BILLINGS — When the 208 area code popped up on his cell phone as he was driving through Dillon last Saturday, Breighton Malarchick figured the upcoming conversation could go one of two ways.
Pure joy or plain disappointment.
Malarchick, one of three coaches for the Glendive 16U Babe Ruth All-Star baseball team, was driving home from the Pacific Northwest regional tournament in Meridian, Idaho, with player Alex Peratt when the call came to tell them their future.
About six hours before, Glendive had lost the regional championship to the hometown Meridian team 20-10 after previously beating that same team 14-12 the day before.
But Meridian’s timing was better, and with only the regional winner allowed to qualify for the Babe Ruth World Series, the Glendive contingent had to settle for second-place rings, which most of the players would later proudly wear on chains around their necks.
Going into that championship game, the Meridian coach had tipped off Malarchick and the other Glendive coaches that even if the Idaho team won, there was a chance they couldn’t make it to the World Series. The Meridian team was banged up, and with high school fall sports around the corner, there was a chance they couldn’t field a team for the Aug. 8-16 World Series in Branson, Mo.
If that were the case, the Meridian coach said, he would recommend that Glendive take his team’s spot at the World Series. But by the time Glendive needed to start the long drive back to eastern Montana after the championship loss to Meridian, the Idaho squad still hadn’t made the decision if it would accept the World Series berth it had earned.
Glendive was still in the dark when Malarchick’s phone lit up, and when it did, the 30-year-old figured his team’s fate was sealed, one way or another. Malarchick has acquaintances in Idaho and recognized the 208 area code right away.
“I was like, OK, is this him calling me to tell me that they're forfeiting their bid or is he calling me as a gentleman to tell me that they accepted their bid just so that I'm not hanging on the end of my seat for the rest of the drive home?” Malarchick recalled.
The Glendive coaches and players have been hanging on the edge of their seats since. The Idaho coach told Malarchick that they were indeed opting out of the tournament, and that he felt Glendive was an ideal representative for the Pacific Northwest region.
With other members of the Glendive contingent traveling in various vehicles, player Peratt was champing at the bit to tell everyone one else the good news. But until official notification came, Malarchick and Peratt had to keep things under wraps.
Once official word came that Glendive was being welcomed into the World Series, digital bedlam ensued.
“Finally, me and Jeff (Unterseher), one of the other coaches, we talked about it, and we said, ‘Let's go ahead and tell them,’“ Malarchick said. “We texted it out on the group chat, and then it just went crazy.”
Glendive’s “Cinderella story,” as Malarchick calls it, has been just a month in the making. The city league season ended June 29, and the all-star team began practicing shortly after that. Through the state tournament and the regional tournament, the team has played just 12 games together.
Glendive is a town of “7,000 people on a good day,” Marlachick joked. But that means the players all know each other, they play other sports together and they’ve bonded quickly.
“They’re one,” said Malarchick, who doubles as the Glendive Babe Ruth president. “They’re solidifying themselves as a unit, which is exactly what we need before we go and step on this stage. It’s enjoyable to watch, that’s for sure.”
And it is a big stage. Twenty teams from far-flung places like New Zealand and Australia and from baseball hot beds like Panama and Puerto Rico will be competing. For this group of all-stars, they are the first-ever to represent Glendive, and according to the best research Malarchick can find, the first to represent Montana since a team from Kalispell competed in the 13U Babe Ruth World Series in 1985.
Malarchick has a simple message for his players, and everyone involved, really. A framed team photo will hang in the concession stand at Glendive’s iconic Whipkey Field where the Babe Ruth teams play, and Malarchick wants all to understand the photo represents a “one of one.”
“This has never happened before (in Glendive) and it will take a lot to happen again,” Malarchick said. “So, they’re going to be one of one when they come back. I just want them to make sure that while they’re down there they get to take in the feeling of being on that stage.”
Malarchick said the Glendive program is thankful for the support it’s received from the community in such a short time. Just days within knowing they’d be traveling to Missouri, the team reached its financial goal to offset the costs of the lengthy stay through a gofundme page, which has already been deactivated, and other fundraiser activities.
And the support stretches all the way back to Meridian, Idaho.
“Once we left (Idaho), we started getting support from the Meridian team, not just their coach,” Malarchick said. “I've had families reach out through the coach, they've told us that their families are rooting for us and they want us to take a picture in front of the World Series sign and send it to the coach so they can, you know, share with their families. I mean, it's just such a big deal for us.”
Sounds a bit like the Glendive All-Stars won’t be playing just for themselves.
Babe Ruth 16U World Series
Number of teams: 20
Format: Four pools of five teams each. Top three teams in pool play advance to World Series Championship Bracket. The number four and five teams from each pool play in the consolation Diamond Bracket.
Glendive pool: Glendive’s pool includes the Ohio Valley Champion from Chicago; New Zealand; Mexico and the London Archers representing Europe.
Glendive pool games: Aug. 8, 1:30 p.m., vs. Mexico; Aug 8, 4 p.m., vs. Ohio Valley Champion; Aug. 10, 1 p.m. vs. New Zealand; Aug. 11, 1 p.m., vs. Europe.
Follow along: Visit the Babe Ruth World Series website Babe Ruth World Series or on the GameChanger app search for Glendive All-Stars 16U or Glendive MT 16U Fall 2025.
Glendive players: Josh Barnick, Cy Eaton, Isaac Eaton, Colson Hatfield, Thayden Hatfield, Rylan Lynn, Sean Ochs, Alex Peratt, Kavin Thoeny, Barrett Unterseher, Skye Vester.
Glendive coaches: Jeff Unterseher, Bode Unterseher, Breighton Malarchick (Dillon Mitchell and Kyle Hinebaugh coached during the state tournament).
