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Bonners Ferry 'Border Patrol' adds depth to
Logger roster |
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June 23, 2016 |
Editor's Note:
After a successful undefeated regular season
with the Bonners Ferry High School baseball
team, winning the District championship, and
making a run at the State Tournament, some of
the players on Bonners Ferry's championship
baseball team have continued to work on their
skills during the summer by joining Libby,
Montana's American Legion Baseball team.
They have already had an impact, helping the
Libby squad to defeat larger city Kalispell's
team this past Monday.
This story appeared
in the Libby, Montana Western News,
and is re-published here with their permission.
Thanks, Western News!
By SEABORN LARSON/The
Western News
The Libby Loggers have a few fresh arms on the
team this year, drawing on talent from over the
Idaho state line.
Brady and Seth Bateman, along with Shayne Walker
make up the “Border Patrol,” three Bonners Ferry
players who have joined the Libby Logger squad.
Seth plays second base, Brady is at catcher and
Walker plays in the infield. Both Brady and
Walker have also been added to the pitching
lineup.
Brady said he and the Border Patrol made the
move over to Northwest Montana after the Bonners
Ferry American Legion team fell short of a full
roster this summer. Last summer the Bandits took
second in the American Legion Baseball League
conference behind one of the Bitterroot teams.
Walker and the Bateman brothers intended to take
the summer to improve on their game and Brady
said they’re happy to execute that plan in
Libby.
 “First
of all, this field is way better than our
field,” Brady said. “I love playing here. We
just want to keep getting more at-bats, keep
improving and also come over here and help Libby
and just have some fun,” Brady said.
It’s about an hour drive to practice in Libby
two or three times a week. Walker, who played
against Libby last year while on the Bonners
Ferry team, said he’s enjoyed the season so far
with the new squad.
“We feel right at home here, definitely,” Walker
said. “They’ve welcomed us with open arms and it
feels like we fit right in.”
Libby Loggers skipper Kelly Morford said the
Border Patrol has given the squad depth in a
time where numbers are dwindling.
“Numbers have been a struggle for us the last
few years,” he said. “Strictly number-wise, to
pick a few more up, it’s nice to be more
comfortable in that area.
“They’ve always had a good group of players over
there in Bonners Ferry so we’re happy to get
some
 quality
players like that on our team.”
Cal Bateman, Brady and Seth’s father, and the
former head coach of the Bonners Ferry Legion
team, said the Bonners Ferry High School team
finished the 2016 season with success, finishing
third in the state. But the excitement from the
high school team didn’t transition to the summer
league he said, leaving Brady and Seth with few
options. Bateman had previously been in contact
with Morford about the chance to play in Libby
and said the time was right to bridge the
programs.
“I just called Kelly to see if that was still an
option and that’s how it went,” he said. “I’ve
been very impressed with Kelly, not just what he
knows but his demeanor and how he coaches.”
Traveling to play ball isn’t new for the Bateman
family, who spent years traveling Texas with
little league teams, building experience and
confidence on the diamond at all levels of play.
Bateman said Walker, who moved from Creston,
British Columbia in Canada to play high school ball in Idaho, has
also shown the ability to play on the road with
success.
“This is going to be a great summer for Shayne,”
Bateman said. “This is a different level. He’s
really going to benefit our high school team
next year,” Bateman said.
 Morford
said the Bonners Ferry boys have provided more
depth on the mound and at the plate. In Friday’s
double-header against the Bitterroot Bucs, the
Bateman brothers scored three of the Loggers
four runs in the second game; Brady led the
Loggers on 3-for-4 batting with two RBIs and 2
runs in the first game.
Morford said with the numbers they’ve already
put up in the first half of their first season
with the Loggers, he’s hoping the Border Patrol
will be around for years ahead.
“Offensively, they give us a little more pop in
our lineup and it’s nice to have those extra
arms on the mound,” Morford said. “Shane and
Brady are sophomores and Seth is a freshman, so
the prospect of having them around was a big
part of taking them on the club.”
Brady said in his time so far in Montana, he’s
seen his own game grow under Morford’s guidance.
To the Border Patrol, that means learning more
about visualizing the play ahead; getting good
jumps and good leads on the opposing club.
“We’ve learned a lot of philosophy. Coach is
good about teaching us as we pick up more and
more stuff and different opinions,” Brady said.
The Loggers, 2-16 overall, have had a rough
first half to the season, but Brady said the key
to moving forward will be getting into rhythm
and eluding the errors that have plagued the
Libby squad all season.
“We just need to keep on improving, especially
in the pitching department,” he said. “We’ve
just got to stay healthy and keep our arms
healthy. Physical errors will happen, but mental
errors are unacceptable. If we keep those on a
low, we could have a good streak.”
The Loggers have a chance to start a new streak
this weekend with the Big Bucks Tournament,
which runs Thursday through Sunday at Lee
Gehring Field.
Reporter Seaborn Larson may be reached at
758-4441 or by email at
slarson@dailyinterlake.com
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