July 27th, 2023 |
Photo – Rawlins Renegades Logo – Courtesy Rawlins Senior League Facebook
Rawlins will soon be home to a new youth baseball team, the Renegades.
Children age out of the Little League senior division when they reach 16 years old. If kids wanted to continue playing baseball in Rawlins, they would need to join the Rawlins Generals and play in the American Legion League. Little League Head Coach Brandon Snyder said his kids wanted to stay together so he is forming a new baseball team: The Rawlins Renegades.
Snyder coaches Little League teams. He said the Renegades will participate in the Babe Ruth League. Snyder said the Babe Ruth League is essentially a rival to the Little League, but Babe Ruth allows kids to play until they’re 18 years old. The Babe Ruth League also plays on standard sized fields and uses official baseball rules.
Snyder said he chose to form the Rawlins Renegades in the Babe Ruth League because he felt his kids could compete in that level of play. Synder also said participating in the Babe Ruth League can be a steppingstone to playing college baseball.
Snyder said he has experience starting baseball teams. He said he helped create the Rawlins Senior League team two years ago. Snyder said when his son aged out of the American Legion League, he didn’t have a place to continue playing baseball. Snyder said he worked with the Little League to create the Rawlins Senior League team. The head coach said it wasn’t easy to start a brand-new team, but he got it done.
Snyder said getting equipment will not be difficult. He said the older kids can use most of the same gear as the Rawlins Senior League team. The head coach said he’ll have the two teams practice against each another.
Snyder said the hardest part about starting a new baseball team is finding players. However, the head coach said he isn’t worried about finding kids to play. He said he has several Senior League kids ready to move into the Babe Ruth League. Snyder also said the Babe Ruth League allows younger players to fill any gaps in the roster during non-tournament games.
Snyder said the Babe Ruth League season culminates in a state-wide tournament. The winners from each state go on to compete in a national championship, held this year in Canada.
Snyder said the Rawlins Renegades will officially join the Babe Ruth League later this year. Until then, Snyder said he will be busy doing the legwork required to create a team from scratch. He said it won’t be an easy process.
The Facebook announcement of the Rawlins Renegades garnered mixed reactions from residents. Some questioned the need for a team that would compete for players with the American Legion Generals. Others thought that Snyder was providing an additional positive activity for the youth of the city. Snyder asked anyone with questions about the Rawlins Renegades to call him at 307-321-5680.
