PINEDALE —  The Pinedale Little League Seniors Division is defending its state championship title this week at the state tournament. If the team comes out on top, they’ll head back to Oakland, Calif., to compete for the second time at the West Regional Little League Tournament. Nick Jaquez, President of Pinedale Little League and Seniors Division Manager

Jaquez has been involved with Pinedale Little League since 2011. Back then, there were 60 or so kids involved in Pinedale baseball, he said. This year, 142 kids signed up in Pinedale.

Seniors Division Little League launched a few years ago, offering youth between 13 and 15 years old the opportunity to play traveling baseball. The program has been wildly successful, with the Seniors Division beating out Kemmerer, Laramie, Douglas, Fort Bridger and Rock Springs to win Pinedale’s first-ever state champion title in 2023. From there, the team competed in the West Regional Little League Tournament in Oakland, from July 19-26. The Sublette County community rallied around them, raising more than $14,185 to cover travel-related expenses necessary to get the team to the California tournament.

Of last year’s experience in California, Jaquez said, “It was nerve-wracking for everyone. Some of the kids had never even been out of Wyoming yet alone on a plane or to a big city. The first team we played over there had a couple of kids committed to play Division 1 Baseball.”

Still, the team of 12 is hungry for success and hopes to go back. They’re competing in Mountain View at the Seniors State Tournament against Fort Bridger and Rock Springs July 10-13, “with the goal of winning another championship and going back to Oakland” July 17-23. “With the group of kids that we have, I think that’s fully achievable,” Jaquez said in an interview prior to the tournament. “Our mindset going into it is to go over and win another state championship.”

Although the Seniors Division is relatively new, Pinedale has been building its Little League program, including T-Ball, minors and majors for boys and girls from 5 to 16 years old for more than a decade, Jaquez said. A senior Babe Ruth Team for 16- to 18-year-olds is coming to Pinedale in 2025. “We have skill ranges all across the map from beginner level to advanced. Our teams are evenly picked and are co-ed,” Jaquez said.

Additionally, Pinedale Little League has put in a bid to host the Seniors Little League State Tournament in Sublette County in 2026, said Pinedale Little League Vice President Peter Paulin.

The Pinedale Little League needs volunteers to act as umpires and coaches. For more information about Pinedale Little League, find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pinedalelittleleague/ or email pinedalelittleleague@gmail.com.