GREAT FALLS — The Great Falls Chargers AA American Legion baseball team is gearing up for a return back to the state tournament with a current record of 28-17-1 after finishing last in conference last season.
"Everyone wants to be here, everyone wants to compete, be the best in the state," incoming Great Falls High senior Jace Komac said at Don Olson Field during Tuesday's practice. "I think what helps is everyone keeps each other on their toes. Just you never know what's going to come with this team."
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"We're definitely a lot more of a team this year," incoming CMR senior Deuce Nichols said. "We have a lot better relationships, we're a lot more like friends than we are just a team."
Komac and Nichols — a catcher and pitcher, respectively — have been key pieces in the Chargers spark this spring and summer.
A big reason for the significant turnaround thus far, as coach Tony Forster says, is experience that the team has.
"When you see some top arms in the state . . . whether you're young or old or whatever . . . you got to learn to compete right away," Forster said. "That's what these guys did last year, and we kind of just took off. Started the season that way and these guys have been competing ever since."
One of the big accomplishments for the Chargers this season to this point was winning a tournament in Williston, N.D., in early June. That provided a big boost of confidence to the team, Komac and Nichols said.
"We're hitting the ball way harder than we have before," Komac said. "We can definitely improve on our mental mistakes, but we're still a pretty young team. Only two seniors."
"I think we've flung ourselves into one of the best teams," Nichols said. "Well, we're trying to still prove that. But I think we're definitely up there."
The schedule is about to become a conference gauntlet for Great Falls, and with host Medicine Hat already guaranteed a spot in the state tournament at the end of July, the Chargers will have to finish top seven in the conference.
But Forster said he knows the team can get there.
"I have all the confidence in the world, this is a great group," Forster said.
"We've played five conference games already, and the intensity level has been great in those conference games. So we just got to continue to do that and make sure we try to play a clean ball game."
The Electric City is in the works to potentially add high school baseball as an MHSA sanctioned sport to Great Falls High and CMR next spring, which Komac (Great Falls High) and Nichols (CMR) said would mean a lot to be able to finish their high school tenure playing baseball for the Bison and Rustlers.
"Playing a different sport than my family has, and . . . just kind of . . . being myself out there, it kind of gives me purpose to what I want," Komac, who's family is well-known for wrestling, said on possibly being able to represent the Bison on the diamond. "I'm pretty excited for what's to come."
"I'm really excited for that if that does actually end up happening," Nichols said. "That's definitely one of the things that I've really wanted for a long time, and it just seems like it'd be a lot of fun."
Great Falls is back in action Wednesday against the Billings Scarlets on the road, and will remain in Billings for a tournament between Thursday and Sunday.
