Courtesy photo
The winning “Bomber” players and coaches pose with #1 on their minds after winning the 14U baseball championship through the Berthoud Recreation program.

By Brendan Henry
The Surveyor

Recreation teams in any sport typically hold some level of uncertainty when starting a new season. Teams are decided by what days both parents and kids are available for practice and coaches like Bryan Schelle are handed a roster without any scouting or recruiting going on beforehand. Whether it be a growing interest in baseball within the Berthoud community as Schelle attributes or simply luck of the draw, Schelle’s 14U Rivercats (Berthoud Bombers, as the boys named themselves) would go on to have an undefeated season and win the Longmont Baseball League championship.

This is not the first undefeated season or championship for Schelle’s team in his four-year coaching venture. Schelle’s teams have won three championships in the last four years, losing the championship last year as their only loss the entire season.

Taking in a lot of first-years and only a few returners from his previous team, Schelle had a bit of work cut out for him. Many of the boys were infielders by experience and Schelle’s goal was to turn some of them into outfielders and pitchers. Focusing on individual skills for each position’s needs helped Schelle identify that there were not any truly weak links on the team, making his life easier and the players better.

Schelle is a fundamentals coach by nature saying that one needs the fundamentals in order to do anything correctly. To focus on the fundamentals, Schelle brought his sons Grady and Laken along with parent Jonah Beeken to help with the coaching process, giving the team ample attention to hitting, first base fielding and pitching.

“If you ever think you got it right, then you’re wrong. You’re never going to stop learning in baseball. There’s always a way to improve yourself,” Schelle said.

Forming fundamentals was not only important for developing his team but also necessary. The Longmont Baseball League requires that no player sit for more than one inning at a time ensuring that everyone on the team gets consistent playing time. Drilling the fundamentals home for the entire roster was key to the team’s success.

Statistically, the team only allowed 4.5 runs per game where the league average was around 10 to 12. The team excelled at pulling off double plays, a feat that Schelle believes is one of the hardest things to do in baseball.
“The greatest thing about it is, you sit there and you watch them do it and just how fired up and excited they are for pulling off that kind of play. It’s just fun to sit back and watch,” Schelle said.

Schelle believes the name the team gave themselves—Bombers—was well deserved. The team hit multiple in-the-park home runs and grand slams, with one player even hitting around .600 in the tournament.

From Schelle’s perspective, the interest in baseball is growing in Berthoud. This is the second year for Berthoud to have two 14U baseball teams with around 13 to 14 boys on each roster, where it used to be one team with the same number. The doubling of numbers and the generally solid skill the boys have been bringing to the diamond are encouraging to Schelle.

As of now, Schelle is hanging up the coaching spurs, but with retirement coming up in a few years, a return to America’s favorite pastime could be on the table. Until then, he will watch his former players’ progress as they enter high school and possibly beyond and remember the success his teams have had in the past four years.