BIGFORK — In their third season of existence, the Bigfork Vikings took home the first Class A/B baseball championship in state history.
The path to this achievement was not an easy one, as Bigfork had to win a play-in game and beat three top-seeded teams, including reigning all-class state champion Billings Central, to take home the trophy.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
Bigfork pitcher Hayden Mayer said the team embraced the underdog mentality.
“People were underestimating us from the start,” Mayer said. “Billings Central, nobody thought we could win. When we did win, Frenchtown was cheering so they didn't have to play Billings Central, but it was just all a mistake for them. We're the team to beat.”
Bigfork’s goal to become one of the premier baseball programs in the state started a few years back when the community raised funds and built the facility the Vikings call home.
Coach Dave Romano believes the championship was made possible by all the people who supported the team.
“A lot of pride, so much community involvement to get that field put in place and to keep it in the condition it is,” Romano said. “It's just a lot of hard work, a lot of hard work from a lot of people, so it's been a journey.”
That support has been noticed by players like senior Grady Campbell, who played high school baseball because of the town’s generosity.
“It's been such an awesome experience to see our community come together to support a new program,” Campbell said. “The whole community of Bigfork has really rallied together and made a huge, huge difference for our season, for the players, for everything.”
That difference ended up culminating in a state championship that Campbell and the other three seniors on the team had worked their whole lives for.
“Baseball's been my sport since I was 6 years old,” Campbell said. “For it to come full circle and to be able to get a state championship my senior year means the world to me.”
