Mariners hope to keep things rolling

Coming off a state title by the Polson Pirates baseball team, it's easy to get excited about Legion Baseball season.

The Mission Valley Mariners, led by Coach Brad Fisher, are gearing up for an action-packed summer with a strong roster and a determined attitude.

"We're going to compete with all the teams in the league," Fisher said.

The Mariners have a core group of players coming off the Polson state championship team and some new faces to bolster depth. Mission Valley will have an A and B team, as 27 players turned out for the squad this year.

"It's a pretty good turnout for us," Fisher said. "We have a younger group of kids who are pretty experiences playing summer ball for Babe Ruth."

State tournament hero Espn Fisher, college-bound Dawson DuMont, and the experienced Cymian Kauley will bring solid leadership and years of Legion experience to the plate.

"Almost every kid that I had that played high school is playing for me now, and I have a couple of home-school kids, the Wadsworths, who add to the roster," Fisher said.

One Polson standout, Jarrett Wilson, will not be participating in the summer league as he focuses on preparing for football for Montana Tech next fall.

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When it comes to pitching, the Mariners have some promising talent.

"We actually have kids that could throw strikes," Fisher said, adding that they'll need to fill out their rotation.

DuMont and Espn Fisher, along with the Wadsworth brothers, Wyatt and Cole, have consistently shown excellent hitting ability.

Last year's team had one of the best middle infields to come through Polson, but in the postseason, the team ended its year in districts. This season, the Glacier Twins pose a challenge as they can recruit from multiple schools. The Bitterroot Bucs, which pull from Hamilton and Corvallis, will also be formidable opponents.

Despite this, the Mariners should be in the scrum of the standings this year. DuMont and Fisher will play vital roles as leaders on the team. Coach Fisher expects them to set the tone with their hitting prowess, and hopes other players will follow suit.

"They're hitting the ball hard, hitting for average and power. Hopefully, the others follow," he said.

Fans can download the GameChanger app on their phone and look up the Mission Valley Mariners updates to follow along this year when they can't make it to games.

Starting the season 5-2, it looks like it will be a fun team to follow, and with one state championship trophy already in the case, Polson is more and more of a focal point for Montana baseball.

"It's exciting to watch them, and they're excited to be out here," Fisher said.