The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“I’m excited about this team”
With a brand new home field close to completion and a roster of 16 players, things are looking good for the Crested Butte Blue Jackets this season.
The Blue Jackets are the local 13-to-15-year-old Babe Ruth league team and often the roster is teetering in the neighborhood of 10 to 11 players at the start of the season.
This year though, coach Dave McGuire has a full roster, complete with some seasoned Babe Ruth veterans and an influx of young talent.
“We’ve got a pretty good group of older kids and a good little group of rookies,” says McGuire.
The returners include the Blunck brothers Aaron and Nolan, Ryan Costello, Troy Pike, Ian Kelly and Peter Bright.
As is often the case, the team’s workouts have been scattered throughout the valley, starting in Crested Butte South and working their way up-valley to Gothic Field as the weather and snow subsided.
“It’s been all right as far as getting them out there and doing stuff,” says McGuire.
McGuire has the advantage of a solid returning pitching rotation anchored by Pike and Costello with Bright and Aaron behind the plate.
The team plays in the Tri County League rife with up and coming talent who are fresh off their season of playing high school baseball throughout the Western Slope.
As a result, the Blue Jackets start is typically slow and it takes the second half of the season for them to battle for a favorable postseason seed.
This year, McGuire feels they have a shot at shocking the league.
“They could really put some damage into the league this year,” says McGuire. “It’s looking like a pretty good team.”
The Blue Jackets hope to start working out on the new Tommy V Field in the next week and will host their first home game on Wednesday, June 2.
“The exciting thing is being able to get over and play on the new Tommy V Field,” says McGuire. “That will be a fun little park.”
The official grand opening of Tommy V Field will be on Saturday, June 12, complete with a double header against Cedaredge.
The Blue Jackets open the season on the road when they head down-valley to play Gunnison on Friday, May 28 at 6 p.m.
