THE NEXT STEP

by Brandon Hansen & Sports Editor
| June 7, 2012 9:00 AM

With baseball not being a sanctioned school sport in the state of Montana, talented ballplayers in the area have to overcome more obstacles to get noticed and to move on with their playing careers.

However, several Mission Valley Mariners haven’t just moved on to the next level but are also excelling once they get there. The Legion baseball program has been around for decades and managers Jami Hanson and Chris Brown have given a high level of instruction to prepare their guys for the collegiate level.

With baseball not being a sanctioned school sport in the state of Montana, talented ballplayers in the area have to overcome more obstacles to get noticed and to move on with their playing careers.

Standout Mariners player Erick Locke, a member of the 2007 state championship team, pitched a no-hitter last season for Bellevue University in Nebraska. Kyle Bagnell, a flame-throwing pitcher for Mission Valley, signed to play for Big 12 member Oklahoma State and served as a left handed setup man during the season as a freshman in 2012.

Most recently, Josh Rustad was named the Dawson Community College freshman MVP and threw a no-hitter in April.

“It was a special moment for me,” Rustad said of his no hitter, a victory over Dakota College. “It’s something I will never forget because almost all of us pitchers have thrown a no-no in high school but to throw one at the college level doesn’t happen too often.”

Rustad was the first player that new Dawson Community College head coach Aaron Carroll signed, heralding his competitiveness. It paid off when the former Mariners pitcher delivered the no-no.

“When pitchers tell you they don’t know that they are throwing one, well that’s a lie, because I felt every bit of pressure in those seven innings,” Rustad said. “So much so that my legs couldn’t keep from trembling, but I was very fortunate to have great plays behind me by the defense.”

Rustad said that it was a year of ups and downs as a team, and that the level of competition was definitely a step up with college ball.

“The level of play is unbelievable because in high school you have one or two kids you really need to bare down and focus on when you pitch,” he said. “In college, the whole team is filled with those kids.”

However, he added that his time with the Mariners helped prepare him for the mental grind.

“I’m going to give credit where credit is due because playing for the Mariners helped me a lot in that sense,” he said. “We did play at a high level over there and we were constantly in the championship games of tournaments and contenders for the title. That really prepared me for the mental aspect of the game. I was never nervous because I had been in so many of those big games.”

Rustad is studying to be a high school teacher and hopes to be a P.E. teacher one day.

Going from small town Montana to the world of major collegiate athletics, Polson’s Kyle Bagnell has seen action as a freshman on Oklahoma State’s baseball team, making 11 appearances and striking out three while allowing just two earned runs.

“I have been used as a person to come in and face a left handed hitter,” Bagnell said. “I have not done bad as far as pitching though. I feel I can compete as well as anyone else. I have good teammates to learn from and have plenty of time to work on things I need to get better at.”

Bagnell was no stranger to strikeouts and no-hitters while on the mound for the Mariners and was a member of the 2007 state championship team. Now he finds himself on the road a lot while playing for the Cowboys.

“Playing in the Big 12 has been a great experience,” Bagnell said. “Demanding, but great. One of my buddies and I actually tried figuring out traveling time and just driving to a destination we have spent about 100 hours on the bus. Playing away conference games are my favorite. The fans are brutal at some places, but all conference games are must-wins for both teams.”

Bagnell added that the most intense conference games are the Bedlam Series games against the Oklahoma Sooners. However, despite the demanding schedule and the increased level of talent, the college freshman said it’s a similar experience to Legion baseball.

“Playing games everyday has not changed from when I played with the Mariners,” Bagnell said. “Jami is a great coach and without him I doubt I would be where I am now.”

In 2011, Bagnell served as a coach for the Mariners B team, an experience that he enjoyed and said that it helped him as a player.

“The summer I coached helped me learn about the game,” Bagnell said. “Not being able to suit up was new to me but it was fun.”

Another former coach for the Mariners, Eric Locke, has seen plenty of collegiate success. He played for Northern Oklahoma College - Tonkawa for two years and has put in two more years at Bellevue University. He was a familiar face in the dugout for the Mariners, having helped coach the B team for three seasons.

“Coaching for the Mariners gave me a whole different perspective for the game of baseball,” Locke said. “As a player, I never realized what exactly goes into putting together a successful practice and keeping a team on track for such a long season like Jami and my dad Joe Locke did when I was still playing.”

Locke said that coaching and getting to know all the players on and off the field were some of the best times he has had. As well as he did in the dugout, Locke has a knack for being out on the mound. Last season, Locke threw a no-hitter for the Bruins.

“Throwing the no-hitter last year was pretty awesome - one of the best feelings I was fortunate enough to have experienced,” Locke said. “The feeling of the game was pretty calming and relaxing. My teammates didn’t really change from how they usually went about things in the dugout; I didn’t know I had a no-hitter until after the game, which I feel is what helped me to be able to achieve it.”

Locke said that the transition from Legion baseball to college can be tough, but said his support net of family and friends really helped him make the necessary adjustments.

“It’s more of a job-like atmosphere in college than it is in Legion,” Locke said. “They need to be able to hear that they aren’t good enough and want to prove each of them wrong. I went through a few different instances that could have easily ruined things for me but having my family and Legion coach Jami Hanson to turn to and talk about everything really helped me get through each year.”

Locke is roommates with fellow player and former Mission Valley Mariner, Brandon Thompson. Thompson, originally from Plains, was affectionately called “Moose” during his Mariners’ playing days because of his 6’ 7” frame.

“I’m happy to be able to say that Brandon and I have proudly been repping the Mission Valley Mariners every place we have played and visited since playing here at Bellevue University,” Locke said.

All three of these standout Mariners players had to overcome the recruitment problem of not playing high school baseball. Since the Legion season is later than the high school season, many Montana kids are left out as coaches have already handed out scholarships by the time the Legion season gets into full swing. Bagnell said that Montana baseball won’t be on the map for recruitment until the state gets it as a high school sport. Locke and Rustad said they had to overcome similar obstacles.

“The recruitment process was word of mouth for the most part,” Locke said. “I heard of Northern Oklahoma College Tonkawa from my roommate and former Mariners teammate, John Rausch.”

Locke’s position is a bit unique since he’s now played for two colleges.

“The recruitment to Bellevue University after my two years at NOC came from an inner conference rival Western Oklahoma State College’s head baseball coach putting in a good word for me after my outing against them that year,” Locke said.

Rustad signed with Dawson, and hopes to transfer and pitch on the NCAA Division I level.

“It definitely made things difficult, but I credit my mom a lot for doing most of my recruiting and getting in contact with Coach Carroll,” Rustad said. “I chose Dawson because Coach Carroll was a former D1 coach that said I will play at the next level and believed I can play at the D1 level if I let him refine my skills. I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity at a two-year program, and I’d say it was a great choice thinking back on it.”

Rustad still looks back fondly on his Mariner days. He last put on a Mission Valley jersey during the 2011 Class A State Tournament, pitching a gem against the Libby Loggers to put the Mariners in the state championship game against Laurel.

“Making it to that state championship will always be my favorite,” Rustad said. “Because earlier in that season, we had critics say we wouldn’t compete because we lost so many players the year before. I think that senior class stepped up and led us to a place we have only been once before in team history.”

Locke said his favorite memory was playing on the 2007 state championship team. That year, the Mariners won over 50 games and Locke set a team record for doubles.

“That team was the best team I have ever and will be a part of, we had an amazing season that really didn’t have many downs to it,” Locke said. “We were a family and everybody had one goal and that was to win the state tournament and go to regionals in Anchorage, Alaska, which we accomplished. The memories and times that I took away from that summer are still times I talk about today.”

His teammate, Bagnell, also has those same feelings.

“The best Mariner moment was winning state in 2007,” Bagnell said. “It was all about the team. Stats didn’t mean anything to that team... well except Eric’s doubles record. It was a great group of guys.”

Great group of guys? Sounds like a recurring theme for the Mission Valley Mariners.