Judge, Jauregui lead Wyoming All-Stars to victory

On the game’s biggest stage, the Cheyenne Grizzlies didn’t disappoint.

Tuesday night, the MCBL All-Star Game traveled to Cheyenne for the first time and the Wyoming All-Stars recorded its first victory over Colorado in the midseason classic, 10-3.

Cheyenne’s K.C. Judge, who hit a home run Monday against Fort Collins and participated in the Home Run Derby Monday evening, got the scoring going with a second-inning blast off of Colorado starter Zach McElroy of Fort Collins.

“It definitely meant a lot to get that home run,” Judge said. “I thought about that before the game and how nice it would be to hit a home run in an all-star game because I had never done that. So that was pretty special.”

Later in the game, Judge would double from the left side to bring in his second run of the contest.

Cheyenne’s Jose Jauregui, who leads the team in hits, runs, batting average and stolen bases at the break, stole the show, though, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, three RBI and a run scored.

“I am always looking to have a good approach at the plate, no matter the game,” Jauregui said. “I’m just trying to get on base however I can.”

Jauregui also recorded five assists at shortstop, including a slick 6-4-3 double play to end the fourth inning, leaving two Colorado runners on base.

“You're out here having fun, and when you're having fun and playing with no pressure, you perform better,” Jauregui said. “We're all just loose and enjoying the game. This is really the only opportunity to sit back and enjoy the game. That really helped us out.”

Wyoming benefited from three runs in the fourth, another in the fifth and four in the sixth to blow the game open.

The Wyoming All-Star team had 14 representatives from Cheyenne, including starters Kevin Logan (0-for-2, walk), Jauregui, Mike Domenick (1-2, run), Judge (2-for-2, home run, double, two RBI, run), Jefre Johnson (0-for-2) and Bryce Reid (one inning pitched, one strikeout, one hit allowed), who opened the game on the hill. Also representing the Grizzlies were Mike Lessig (1-for-2, run), Andy Athans (0-for-1, walk), Mike Wido (1-for-1, walk), Ryan Schwenn (one inning pitched, three hits and two runs allowed), Josh Boyer (0-for-1), Ryan Javech (0-for-1, hit by pitch, run), Jack Winters (one inning pitched, retired side in order) and Howard Heinrich (one inning pitched, two walks, zero earned runs).

Boyer, who received a selection to be on the team but couldn’t pitch because he started the day before against Fort Collins, instead got the opportunity to hit for the first time since high school.

“I haven’t had an at-bat in forever, probably not since high school,” he said. “It was fun going up there and swinging; I had a good time.”

Ahead in the count 3-1, it looked like Boyer would walk before working the count full and eventually flying out to center.

“He threw me a 3-2 slider,” Boyer said. “I was scared. I felt pretty good up there, though.”

Wyoming recorded 14 hits on the night, including eight from Cheyenne players.

“It was a real fun night,” Grizzlies head coach Aaron Holley said. “The camaraderie and getting to sit down with some of the coaches you’re competing with all year and now getting to be on the same side, just talking baseball and enjoying the game made it a lot of fun.”

Two professional scouts were on hand Tuesday evening, including one from the Chicago White Sox and another from the National League champion Philadelphia Phillies.

With the win, the Wyoming All-Stars claim bragging rights for the first time in the three-year history of the MCBL All-Star Game

“It was really fun,” Judge said. “I was just happy to be out here. It's kind of an honor to play with all the guys from all over the league.”

Home Run Derby kicks off All-Star Game festivities

The MCBL All-Star Game festivities kicked off Monday evening with the annual Home Run Derby, featuring five Cheyenne Grizzlies.

While, no Grizzly made it to the final round, the event was fun for all, and a great way to get fans excited for the All-Star Game, being played Tuesday night at Pioneer Park.

Mike Domenick put up the best first-round numbers among his teammates, and second overall, with five dingers. That put him in good position heading into Round 2, but Domenick went cold, failing to hit a home run and finishing with a total of five home runs.

The combined five home runs was good for fourth place, but only the top three moved on.

K.C. Judge also put up good numbers, hitting a pair of long balls in the first round to advance to the second round.

Fifteen hitters competed, with the top seven advancing before being cut down to three for the final round. Judge hit two blasts in the second round, but like Domenick, it wasn’t enough to make it to the final round.

He did, however, receive loud support and razzing from his teammates, who kept shouting for him to hit lefty.

Judge, who has been working on his switch hitting, moved to the left side for the final out of both rounds.

The loudest cheer, though, came when Mike Wido’s name was announced and bat boy Corey came up to the plate. When he made contact on the third pitch, the crowd gave him a standing ovation.

Wido went homerless, as did other Grizzly representatives, Jose Gonzalez and Rory Kolo.

Each hitter was given 10 outs, with any swing not resulting in a home run being considered an out. Hitters were allowed to use metal bats and, for the most part, had their coaches throw to them. Assistant Coach Luke Wetmore threw to the Cheyenne hitters.

Laramie’s Nick Smith was the leader going into the final round, hitting 14 home runs despite sitting down with four outs to go in the second round, saving his strength for the next round. Joining him in the round of three were Fort Collins’ Anthony Guglielmi and James Campbell.

Guglielmi hit one in the last round before Campbell knocked eight out of the park to take the crown over Smith, who cooled off and hit three in the final round. Domenick finished with five total home runs, followed by Judge’s four.

Birth of daughter gives Boyer new perspective on and off the field

Father’s Day was a little bit different for Grizzlies’ starting pitcher Josh Boyer this year.

Instead of spending it like most of his teammates, or how he had in years past, Boyer spent Father’s Day 2010 with his newborn baby girl, Emery Bell.

“It was nice,” Boyer said. “I got a nice Father’s Day card. People were calling me at like 1 in the morning, sending me texts and congratulating me. It was awkward, but I got a good kick out of it."

Boyer and his girlfriend Krista Renneisen gave birth to Emery Bell on May 25, just days before he went on the mound to begin the summer season for the Grizzlies.

“She was there for daddy’s first game,” Boyer said. “I guess you could say I pitched that game and got the win for her.”

Ever since, Boyer has had one extra fan in the stands cheering her dad on.

“She’s been there for pretty much every ballgame and I know deep down she’s cheering for me,” he said. “She comes to my games wearing her Grizzly gear. She has a little Grizzly sock hat with my number on it.”

Boyer gets to spend most afternoons with his daughter before coming to the ballpark, but the biggest change for him has been the added responsibility.

“Doing things like getting up in the middle of the night and changing her diapers,” Boyer said. “Mom takes care of most of that, though. For me, I really need to find a job. I don’t know how it’s so hard, but not a lot of people want to hire for a month and a half during the summer. I’m trying my best.”

Despite the added responsibilities and time, though, Boyer will be back in school in the fall to finish his undergraduate degree at the University of Northern Colorado.

“I had to sit out this past year because I transferred from St. Cloud State in Minnesota,” he said. “It’ll be my last year of eligibility so I’ll definitely be back in Greeley and am looking forward to being on the field and finishing up my schooling.”

He will graduate with a degree in finance this coming May.

Boyer and Renneisen met two years ago when he was in Cheyenne playing his second season with the Grizzlies.

“We met at a Relay for Life event at East High School,” Boyer said. “We dated that summer and then I moved to Minnesota to go to school. In October she moved out there with me.”

When Boyer transferred to UNC, Renneisen came with.

Despite being born for just over a month, Emery Bell has changed her dad, both as a baseball player and as a person.

"I get frustrated less easily when I’m on the mound now,” Boyer said. “Knowing I get to go home and see her puts things in a different perspective.

“As for how she’s changed me as a person, being a dad gives you a different mentality. It’s definitely a life changing experience. Everyone seems to have a lot more respect for me. I get a lot of comments from guys where I feel like they respect me and kind of look up to me. It’s not something I expected to be doing at this age, but now that she’s here I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Boyer’s favorite memory with his daughter so far was his first, but expects many more to come.

“The birth was outrageous,” he said. “It was absolutely mind blowing just being in there and seeing that. She’s only a month old so there’ll be plenty of other great memories to come with her. I can’t wait.”

Professional tryout, game a “life-changing experience” for Grizzly players

CASPER, Wyo.—On Wednesday, Grizzly players got the opportunity to live out life-long dreams.

The full-day event included a morning tryout in front of two Rockies scouts and several team representatives and an evening game against the Rookie-level Casper Ghosts, a minor league affiliate of the Colorado Rockies.

“It was great, you dream about this as a kid,” said pitcher Willie Vizoso. “It was a life-changing experience for me.”

“The whole day was fun,” said outfielder K.C. Judge. “If you don’t get drafted, nobody gets the opportunity to do what we got to do. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I was just happy to be out there. I didn’t really care about the outcome, but just to be out on the field with that caliber of players was awesome.”

The day began at the crack of dawn with the team meeting at Pioneer Park at 5:30 a.m. From there, three vans transported the team north on Interstate-25 177 miles to Mike Lansing Field in Casper.

Upon arriving, the players registered and checked in before proceeding to the field to get warmed up. In all, there were 56 players trying out from Colorado and its surrounding states.

“This is the second year they’ve run the open tryout here in Wyoming,” said Chris Maxwell, assistant general manager of the Ghosts. “We get people from all over who come to this tryout. The odds are long but it’s good for everybody—it gives players a chance to be seen and gives the Rockies a chance to see players that might have been overlooked originally.”

The History:
The tryout and game between the Ghosts and Grizzlies began in 2009, and, due to success, was brought back this summer.

“At the baseball winter meetings in December, the general manager, myself and the director of player personnel sat down and we talked about things for the upcoming year,” Maxwell said. “One of the things we discussed is if we could do an open tryout. Obviously, it’s great for us because it’s good publicity, our name is out there and a lot of people come into town for a few days.”

The Ghosts’ responsibility is to notify the Rocky Mountain region of the tryout through press releases and on their Web site.


“We have people call here and we book them if we believe they’re legitimate prospects and then set them up for coming in,” Maxwell said. “The Rockies bring in coaching staffs for the Ghosts, professional scouts and, today, we had the assistant director of player personnel to evaluate the talent.”

The combination of the tryout and the game is a good opportunity for both sides, with the Ghosts receiving some similar competition before their first game on June 21.

“Being a wood-bat league, it gives us (Ghosts) good competition for a preseason game,” Maxwell said. “It gives us a team to play with a similar age range and it also gives the Grizzlies a chance to judge their competition versus guys that have been drafted. It gives them a chance to see how close they are and what they have to do in order to get to this next level.”

The Tryout:
The players were split up into three groups (pitchers, infielders and outfielders) and the tryout was divided into three sections (running, fielding/pitching and hitting).

“It’s not that we don’t have enough players in the organization,” said Butch Hughes, one of the Rockies scouts on hand. “We’re just always looking to upgrade. The things you look for in these tryouts are how fast the young man can run and we look at his arm and we look for power. Those are the tools that we look for.”

Part 1: Each player was timed running the 60-yard dash. They lined up with their right foot on the left-field foul line in the outfield grass and took off when the scout waved his hat down.

Part 2: Outfielders went first, being placed in right-field and given the chance to showcase their fielding and arm strength. One of the scouts would hit three balls, the first a fly ball, the second a roller and the third a ball the fielder had to chase down in the right-center gap. Outfielders were instructed to throw to third base, allowing the scouts to see throws across the entire field.

The tasks performed by the infielders were similar. The players stood at shortstop and received four groundballs.

“One was a grounder to you, one was to your forehand side, another to your backhand and the last a slow roller you had to run in on and throw to first off-balanced,” infielder Taylor Fallon said. “I felt pretty good about how I did; I felt like I was chucking my throws over to first base pretty hard.”

The pitchers were given a chance to warm up and throw pitches on the visitor’s bullpen before moving to the Casper bullpen to get clocked and critiqued. They were told beforehand that what the scouts are looking for is speed and off-speed pitches.

“I felt like I threw well,” reliever Chad Correa said, “but I don’t throw 90 mph or anything, so I’m not sure what their take was. I threw strikes and had good movement, though.”

Part 3: Hitters saw around 10 pitches, depending on what the scouts were seeing and how long they wanted them swinging. The pitches came from a pitching machine.

“Usually at every ballpark, we allow a tryout like this,” Hughes said. “We have six minor league teams and we either have a tryout at spring training, which is usually limited to invitation only, or throughout the year like this. And usually, we sign two or three guys at our tryouts throughout the year. You never know where you can find somebody. We have a philosophy of bringing kids in and seeing how they can do.

“There’s a kid right now in AAA, his name is (Nick) Bierbrodt, and we signed him out of our tryout during spring training. I expect him to get to the big leagues.”

Once the tryout was complete, the team got the afternoon to relax, spending several hours at a local restaurant, Sidelines, and several hours hanging out in the clubhouse or watching the Ghosts take early batting practice.

“It was a great opportunity to get out there and get noticed,” said pitcher Ryan Schwenn. “I enjoyed watching them (Ghosts) practice before the game and see the similarities and differences between how we do things.”


The Game:
The game gave Casper’s Legion seniors a chance to face minor leaguers with the first five batters being from the Legion team. They also played in the field for the first inning. After the first five batters, though, it was purely Grizzlies vs. Ghosts. And while Cheyenne fell 6-1, each player saw action in the game and all saw it as a valuable experience.

“It was definitely an experience I will cherish and be able to look back on and say I played against professionals,” Schwenn said.

“I’ll take that any day,” said Stephon Parker, who recorded the Grizzlies’ only RBI. “It was great.”

The game was especially moving for pitcher Willie Vizoso.

Vizoso was brought in to face one batter in the seventh. The one batter happened to be former University of Miami star, David DiNatale.

“He went to Miami and I’m from Miami,” Vizoso said. “I went to all of his games when he played. Me and him had a neat conversation before the game.”

Vizoso struck out DiNatale, leaving him with a lifelong memory.

“I’ll remember that moment forever,” he said. “Somebody that I had seen so much, to actually get to do that and strike him out. It was awesome.”

The Waiting Game:
“A misconception I think a lot of players have is that they will walk out of the tryout and be handed a contract,” Hughes said. “It’s more of a chance for scouts to see the players, and if they like what they see, get them on the radar and make sure a scout is out there evaluating them.”

For many, the likelihood of getting a call back is slim, but the opportunity that the tryout presented is getting them on the right track.

“For me, I was able to see what the scouts like and what they are looking for,” Vizoso said. “Right now, unfortunately, I’m not there, but I’m going to keep working at it to hopefully be at that point sometime soon.”

Grizzlies’ head coach Aaron Holley also saw the tryout as a learning experience for his players.

“A lot of our guys are younger so they still have a few years of school ball left,” he said. “It’s good to go out and see what’s expected of you at the next level. It allows you to put in perspective what you’re playing for or what you might be playing for in the future. It gives them a good grasp of what they need to work on or what they need to do in order to make it to the next level.”

Baseball at altitude:
The Casper Ghosts, then the Casper Rockies, were formed in 2001, and to this day, remain the only current professional sports team in the state of Wyoming.

“We’re the only affiliated team,” Maxwell said. “Minor league baseball fits in perfectly here; it’s great for the state. One of the great things is we’re a Rockies affiliate. We could be, if fate were different, a Yankees affiliate or a Florida Marlins affiliate. But we’re lucky that this is Colorado Rockies territory and we’re a Rockies affiliate and I think that is a big part of our success.

“We have a great thing going here and I think it’s in the spirit of all of us to promote baseball in Wyoming.”


For more on the tryout, look for the second installment of the Nic Knows series, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at different aspects of the Grizzlies organization, set to be published on Friday, June 25.

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Opening Day fills fans with euphoric emotions: Baseball is back

Baseball fans have experience nearly 10 months of withdrawal since the Cheyenne Grizzlies last stepped foot inside Pioneer Park.

That ends tonight at 6:30 p.m. MT when the Grizzlies clash with the Laramie Colts.

Baseball is back.

Magic begins. Miracles happen.

The sound of the wood bat striking a 95 mile per hour fastball. The feel of your hand inside a freshly oiled glove.

The days start getting a little longer, the weather a little warmer. Summer is here.

A full roster, coaching staff and an entire stadium full of fans pulling together.

Baseball is America’s sport. America’s pastime.

There’s a feeling of optimism within all four teams today.

A fresh start. A new chance.

An opportunity to prove that they are the best team in the Mountain Collegiate Baseball League.

The dirt has been watered. The lines are chalked. The smell of the freshly cut grass lingers in the air. Pine tar is spread up the first 17 inches of the bats.

Rosters are finalized, lineups are penciled in but the road to the MCBL championship is anything but certain.

Summer nights will soon settle in where there is no better place to be than at the ballpark.

The boys of summer.

Hot dogs, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and cracker jacks.

A towering home run. Hustling around first base and sliding into second for a double down the line. Taking one step too many and getting caught in a pickle. A 6-4-3 double play.

Stains on the jersey from a diving catch deep in the outfield. A collision at the plate.

Infuriated managers. Ejections.

Catchers giving pitchers signs. Pitchers shaking off the catchers' signs.

A suicide bunt to score the tying run. A grand slam. Hitting for the cycle.

Extra innings. Game-winning walk-off hits. Excitement. Celebrations.

Grown men dog-piling on top of each other.

Pure joy.

Baseball brings euphoric emotions to each of its fans.

Dreams begin for children today—dreams of playing someday.

Dreams for adults—this game allows them to become kids.

We witnessed extraordinary events in 2009: the team’s first triple play, grand slam, a regular-season title.

What will be in store for 2010?

Button up your jersey. Tighten your newly polished cleats. Adjust your cap and get ready. The boys are back in town, ready for the chance to be crowned the MCBL’s greatest.

Baseball is back.

Hosting players provides memories, lifelong friends

Bryce Reid lives in Lake Elsinore, Calif., while Jack Winters is from Oradell, N.J. Combined, they live 2,845 miles away from Cheyenne, where they will be playing baseball this summer. For Reid, Winters and the rest of the Cheyenne Grizzlies baseball team, their focus this summer is furthering their baseball skills, not worrying about where to live.

This is entirely because of their host families, who play an intricate role in the success of the ballclub each summer.

Host families are synonymous with their name, hosting a player during the two-month season and playing the role of the player’s family while they are away from home.

While the only requirement for a host family is to provide housing for the player they are paired up with, many families take their role to another level.

“They treated me like their own children,” Reid said of his host family from last summer, Doreen and Chuck Farmer. “Not only did they have a room for me to stay but when I was home we’d eat meals together, too. We’d do things like play card games, play Scrabble and cook together. Since I was gone around dinnertime for games most nights, whatever they were cooking for dinner, they’d make it early so I could have it for lunch before I left.”

Added Chuck, “we didn’t have to go out of our way, we just would go about our day and he would join us. And it turns out Bryce is also an expert cook, often times preparing meals for us.”

The experience for Reid was so positive that he will be staying with the Farmers again this summer.

“It (living with the Farmers) was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my entire life,” Reid said. “They’re one of the main reasons why I’m coming back again this season.”

For Winters, the experience was similar.

“The whole reason I wanted to go to Cheyenne to play in a collegiate league was to see baseball in a different part of the country,” Winters said. “I lived with Brian and Sheri Belmonte. They were very friendly and provided great Western hospitality.”

Coming from New Jersey, Winters wasn’t sure what to expect, but having a room ready for him and a family to take care of him made him feel more comfortable.

“On my birthday they made me a birthday cake and sang me happy birthday,” he said. “They took away the stresses of being away from home and we got along real well.

“Brian, he’s a practical joker. Me and the other player staying with the Belmontes were New York City sports fans but Brian’s a Phillies fan. When the Phillies beat the Yankees he cut the newspaper clipping out and hung it on the refridgerator to make sure we knew the Phillies beat up on the Yankees. We got him back on his 50th birthday, though, buying him sarcastic cards to make him feel old.”

The positive experiences were mutual, as the Farmers said hosting was something they “thouroughly enjoyed.”

“It was a very positive arrangement,” Chuck said. “We didn’t know what we were getting into; he (Reid) didn’t, either. We’re excited to follow up with him and see how he’s been doing and learn more about his aspirations.”

Before Reid, who had never traveled east of the Rocky Mountains, went home after the season he and Chuck were able to go on a road trip throughout Wyoming and South Dakota.

I took him through the Black Hills and to Mount Rushmore,” Chuck said. “He got to experience some history of a new side of the country and we got to spend some time together on a more personal level.”

Mary Chris and Mikey Farr, who will be hosting for the fourth season this summer, say the greatest reward is the relationships built.

“You meet lifelong friends,” Mary Chris said. “As you get to know them they practically become your own kids.”

The Farrs still keep in touch with each player they have hosted through the years and recently returned from one’s college graduation.

“Hosting builds a lot of great memories,” Mikey said. “For families with small children, these kids are like role models moving into their house. Their kids look up to the players like Major League Baseball stars. For parents without children or children who have moved out of the house, it’s a neat experience opening up your home to, at the time, complete strangers, and by the end of the summer having relationships for life.”

The Grizzlies are still looking for host families to house players for this season. In return for your commitment for the months of June and July, host families will receive $500 worth of season tickets to Grizzlies games to either attend or sell.

“I have no negative remarks about the experience,” Chuck said. “I’d recommend it to anybody, anybody at all. They are all nice young men who are looking to keep in tune with baseball as they go through school. It’s a great program and a really good experience.”

Contact general manager Ron Kailey at (307) 631-7337 for more information.

About the Grizzlies

The Cheyenne Grizzlies are one of four teams in the Mountain Collegiate Baseball League, a summer collegiate baseball league with teams in Colorado and Wyoming. Each team features top collegiate baseball players from around the country --- many who will go on to careers in professional baseball. Teams are operated on a for-profit basis like a professional Minor League Baseball team, providing players an opportunity to play under professional conditions: using wooden bats and playing before numerous fans and pro scouts in quality facilities, all in the beautiful Rocky Mountain region!

The Grizzlies play all home games at historic Pioneer Park.