The youngest group of Powell Pioneers wrapped up its season on July 9,  as the C team walked away with an improved skill set and an increased love for the game after finishing with a 10-17 record.

Throughout the season, the C team had a series of highs and lows, holding several winning and losing streaks that allowed members of the team to learn from each game.

Leading the way for the Pioneers behind the plate was Ben Ostermiller, who was able to keep the ball in front in order to help keep Powell in games.

“It is always nice to have a catcher willing to put his body on the line to block balls, and the kid has an amazing arm behind the plate too, throwing out 14 kids,” Pioneers C Manager Keegan Brown said.

On the mound, the Pioneers had a multitude of pitchers, but Kolby Gates led the way for the team this season.

He pitched 38.2 innings over the course of the season and finished with 41 strikeouts.

“You knew what you were going to get when he was on the mound,” Brown said. “Kolby [Gates] did an amazing job this year.”

In the field, Ryan Barrus helped shore up third base for the Pioneers and was one of the top hitters for the Pioneers alongside Ostermiller and Rowan Diaz.

Brown said Diaz worked his way around the lineup for Powell and called him the “Swiss Army Knife” for the team.

“He [Diaz] played wherever I asked and was more than willing to play somewhere uncomfortable for him, which shows what he would do for the team,” Brown said.

On top of these players, Brown said he had one player who was the team leader each day: Talon Nuss.

Nuss played shortstop for the Pioneers and continued to be a leader throughout the season.

“Even when his bat was cold, he would still be in the game talking to his teammates on every pitch knowing what to do,” Brown said. “It was incredible to watch him mature and become an amazing teammate.”

Despite finishing with a losing record, the Pioneers came away with an undefeated record against their Park County rivals.

Powell walked away with a 6-0 record against Cody this season, winning 17-13, 6-5, 16-6, 7-6, 12-3 and 15-8 over the course of the two-month season.

The Pioneers were unable to advance to the state tournament, which took place this past week in Cheyenne, where Lovell represented the northwest quadrant.

Brown said the team came to practice every day willing to learn and put in a lot of effort into improving throughout the summer.

“I thought the team worked hard all season, every kid came to practice with a great attitude,” he said. “They were very coachable kids, and it was amazing to see that.”

He said that being around such a strong group of kids made the summer a blast as the Pioneers C schedule came to a close.