Dehler Park will again play host to the American Legion Northwest regional baseball tournament beginning next week.
The Billings Royals are the host team and will play regardless of the result at this weekend’s Class AA state tournament in Medicine Hat, Alberta, but that hasn’t changed their goals.
“If anything we'll probably play a little bit freer the next weekend," Royals head coach David Swecker said. "We're treating it as a state championship-only is what we're competing for. We're going to hope to play loose, but that's the goal, to win state."
"The state tournament, we really want to get that. We're going to focus state-tournament first, then after that is regionals. But we're going to be focused on the state tournament first," senior Anthony Williams said.
The Royals enter the state tournament as the No. 4 seed but have been playing some of their best baseball over the course of July as they begin to peak at the right time.
“I think the biggest strength right now is our lineup. The more at-bats, the more arms you see and the more comfortable you get at the plate," Swecker said. "I think that's helping us out down the stretch. We're swinging a little better. It takes a lot of pressure off our defense and our pitching when we can get out to a lead and manage the game from there."
"I think it's just playing baseball. Baseball is a sport that goes up and down," Ryder Murdock said. "Hopefully we can stay consistent in the field and keep our bats hot and be up at the right time."
For guys like Murdock and Williams, who are in their final run with the Royals, the upcoming tournaments represent a culmination of years of hard work.
“They mean the world to me. It's been so fun to play with them and so fun to wear this Royals uniform," Murdock said. "Definitely sad it's coming to an end, but just trying to enjoy every moment and have fun with these boys and go get some wins."
The state tournament begins Wednesday in Medicine Hat, with the Royals taking on Bozeman in the first round at 1 p.m. The Northwest regional fires up on Aug. 6 in Billings at Dehler Park.
