Worland Majors and Minors Little League programs compete at district tournament

Competing in the Little League District tournament for the first time in over 30 years, the Worland Major and Minor Little League teams took a big step forward for their programs.

The District 1 tournament for the Majors (12U) and Minors (10U) was held in Riverton on July 12-13. Playing in pool play on Day 1 and bracket play on Day 2, both Worland teams went 0-3.

The Worland Majors lost to Lander 11-3 and Cody 14-1 in pool play, and 15-3 to Bridger Valley in bracket play.

The Worland Minors lost to Powell 12-5 and Bridger Balley 9-2 in pool play and 10-6 to Green River in bracket play.

Both rosters were the all-stars from the Worland Major and Minor leagues. On the Major team were Jarrett Cornella, Brooks Barthelmess, Lincoln Martinson, Isaiah Thatcher, Dallon Lara, Brylon Kidgell, Mason Tigner, Blake Hellyer, Charlie Turner, Parker Whitehead, Beau Dafoe and Raiden Moreno.

On the Minors were Tallon Diede, Ryker Morado, Connor Hansen, Aiden Clayborne, Brenner Barthelmess, Ezra Peck, Cade Clark, Brogan Tideman, Maddux Johnston, Rylan Malkovich, Sam Lombard and Riley Dworshak.

Despite not winning a game, the benefit of competing at the district tournament was immense for both teams.

For the Minors, experiencing all that tournament baseball offered and seeing that they could compete with some of the best was well worth it.

"When we started teaching the boys something, they got better every practice, which was really fun," said Minors head coach Bryan Barthelmess. "I didn't know what to expect when we went to Riverton. Man, our kids played. They were a little nervous to start, and getting our feet underneath us took us an inning or so.

"We left eight or nine guys on base in that first game and lost by seven. The team and the program here in Worland showed really well. Not just with the Minors but the Majors too. We definitely didn't look like we were fish out of water. We looked like we belonged in that tournament and playing against that type of competition. We've got some improvements to make, but we didn't look out of place."

Added Barthelmess, "The results weren't what we wanted them to be, honestly. We lost each of those three games, but I'll tell you what, those kids lost with integrity and handled things really well. Which, like I said, I'm way prouder of that than I am concerned about winning games."

Being one of the first Worland teams to compete at the district tournament in over 30 years was something that Barthelmess played on as well. He wanted his players to be excited about that, hoping to make it commonplace for the programs.

"We kind of played on that as coaches," said Barthelmess. "I wanted them to understand what this means but not so much that it put pressure on them. But I wanted them to understand this is a big deal.

"Also, a big deal for me as a coach is character. If all I teach is baseball, I feel like I failed them. We talked to them about how to conduct themselves while they're at a tournament. We're not running around being impolite and being rude, those kinds of things. We're being super respectful. We're handling ourselves in a way that's high character and represents Worland well. They did a great job. They were so respectful and coachable."

After the tournament, Barthelmess had players tell him they would keep working on their skills and be even better for next season.

"I had kids tell me that they're going to work on this or that for next year. We're actually tossing around the idea of getting them together, whether it's a Sunday afternoon through the winter or something. Just to get a baseball in kids' hands so that the next time they touch it, it isn't the first day of practice next year. That's how you ingrain good fundamentals and those kinds of things," said Barthelmess.

Whether it was the regular season or all-stars competing at the district tournament, the Worland players were committed and passionate about being better baseball players.

That's what made this season a great experience for Barthelmess, capped off with the tournament in Riverton. There's still work to do, but the coaches and players in both programs are committed to putting Worland back on the Little League baseball map in Wyoming.

"The biggest thing I'm going to remember is how much fun we had. They were present. They wanted to be on the baseball field and wanted to learn and wanted to get better. It's a group of kids that that I had a blast with just because of that. When they stepped on the practice field, you could tell they wanted to get better. It wasn't something that their parents were forcing them to do or something like that," said Barthelmess. "It was so much fun."