GREAT FALLS — A new baseball league has hit the Treasure State, as the Montana Club Baseball Conference is in its first year of existence.
In Great Falls, the Outlaws junior varsity team is helping athletes from both Great Falls High and CMR prepare for potential MHSA-sanctioned baseball next spring.
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"We kind of linked up with several cities around the area to be able to push high school baseball essentially," Outlaws head coach Greg Schoby said Saturday. "There's junior varsity, there's varsity levels. Great Falls, because of the late start we had, we decided to just put together a JV squad, which is 16 and under."
A mission of the MCBC is to allow more opportunities for high school athletes to play the sport.
Schoby was a big part in getting the league set up.
"I think this is what helps keep things rolling, keeps kids involved," Schoby said. "Sports are a great thing, and baseball's a pastime that's never going to go away. So it's only time that we make it happen bigger and better."
Incoming juniors Cale Griffin and Deakin Boles are two of the players on the Outlaws. Griffin goes to Great Falls High while Boles is a CMR Rustler.
"It makes me happy," Griffin said of playing in the MCBC. "Getting to play ball, not for high school yet, but just in general with these boys, it's a blast. It's a good learning point for how it's going to be."
"Seeing different competition, there's older boys here playing, there's younger boys playing," Boles said. "It kind of just give us an eye-opening to competition. It also sets us up for high school rules, because it's going off high school rules. So it'll set us up for pitching rules, game rules and all that type of stuff."
Both said they've been playing baseball for a majority of their lives, and they're excited that the sport could be coming to the high schools next spring.
"I plan on trying to play," Griffin said. "I also hope that most the boys on my team, as well, will play because a lot of the boys (go to) CMR, so it'll be a fun rivalry matchup. I'm just really looking forward to it."
"I'm trying to play next year," Boles said. "It'll be a good opportunity. It'll bring a rivalry, but you also have that brotherhood there, just you'll always be friends no matter what."
Last weekend was the first official start to the MCBC season, and while that's the case, Griffin and Boles both said they're already enjoying the experience.
"Honestly, some of the most fun I've ever had this year," Griffin said. "I just love being out on the field. Just swinging a bat, fielding a ground ball, pitching makes me happy."
"It's fun all throughout the entire thing," Boles said. "Those walk-offs or just throwing strikes — or striking people out — it's just a blast."
Baseball is getting bigger throughout Montana, and this league is a prime example of how.
