Competing in last week’s Wyoming Little League District 1 Tournament, the Powell Minors All-Stars found themselves up against some stiff competition right from the start.

Despite finishing 0-3 for the tournament, however, Powell head coach Jeremy Love said his team enjoyed the experience. The team has a solid foundation, according to Love, and the future looks bright.

“We lost all three games, but the kids played better as the tournament went on,” Love said. “We saw improvement with every single game. I think it was an eye-opening experience for a lot of these kids, because they never played in a tournament setting like that before.”

The Minors All-Stars roster featured Carter Fauskee, Tucker Muecke, Memphis Solberg, Ben Smith, Kaedenze Carter, Knox Johnson, Tag Thompson, Pratt Wambeke, Ryder Stewart, Christian Love, Landon McDonald and Dakota Erickson.

Powell opened the tournament Wednesday against cross-county rival and eventual District 1 champion Cody, losing 15-0. That was followed Thursday by a 16-1 loss to Rock Springs, the eventual tournament runner-up.

“The first two teams we lost to are the two teams that are going to state,” coach Love said. “We played really good teams right off the bat.”

Powell closed out the tournament with a 11-1 loss to Riverton American, ending the team’s season. Love said losses are always difficult, but the kids were in good spirits, and for the most part, enjoyed the experience.

“You could tell after every game they were upset, but I think they all enjoyed themselves,” he said. “I think they had a good time, and it was a learning experience for them, big time.”

The tournament was not without a few bright spots on the field. Coach Love said that, much like their Major All-Stars counterparts, the Minors were tentative at the plate to start the tournament. The at-bats improved over the course of the tournament as players became more aggressive at the plate; so did the play in the field.

“By that third game against Riverton, we were swinging the bat well and playing defense well,” he said. “But every team we played just hit the ball. We played well all weekend, the other teams just kept finding spots. We ran into buzzsaws every single time.”

Once the tournament was over, Love said the coaches told the kids to keep their heads up, because they played well. And should the players stick with baseball moving forward, this group will have played a lot of ball together when the dust settles on their baseball careers.

“This group right here is the future of Powell baseball,” he said. “If this same group of kids sticks with it, everything will stay the same for the next five years. These kids all got a lot of baseball in over the season, and I would say for the most part, they’re all excited to play next year.”