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Three Miners compete in baseball championships

Chandler Anderson makes contact with a pitch in a game earlier this year. Anderson was a member of the U17 Mountain West team. Park Record File Photo
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Three Park City High School baseball players recently got the chance to travel to Arizona to the USA Baseball National Team Championships, where they competed against the best players in the Western United States at their age levels.

Jack Lecher, who just completed his freshman season with the Miners, played with the under-15 Mountain West squad, while soon-to-be seniors Scott Stokes and Chandler Anderson suited up for the U17 team.

While the event was technically a tryout to make their respective USA Junior Olympic teams, Stokes said he was just happy to be down in Arizona participating in the games.

"We went down and played other All-Star teams from other states around the West," he said. "I thought it was a great experience to go down there and face the best from the West. It was great to be around all those great players and see how I fared against them."

Lecher agreed, saying he can’t wait to work on the things he learned over the course of the event.

"It was really fun and it was an honor playing with the best U15 players on the West Coast," he said.

Both Stokes and Lecher added that they had good experiences in Arizona, performing well in their games.

"I did OK," Stokes said. "I pitched well enough to win a game down there."

"I thought I played really well," Lecher added. "I hit a walk-off in one game."

With Stokes and Anderson gearing up for their senior seasons and Lecher hoping to continue his solid play during his sophomore season, the time spent among some of the best players in the country made them recognize areas of their game they need to improve.

"I’ve got to get bigger and stronger," Lecher said. "These kids were all fast, strong, athletic they were great."

"The biggest takeaway was that there are a lot of great players out there," Stokes added. "To separate myself, I need to not just go through the motions at practice. I need to work hard to keep myself competitive."

Lecher said he can’t wait to get back on the field for the summer league in Park City.

"We’ll be playing games and I’ll be lifting and working out at the field," he said. "We’re just trying to get better every day."

However, it might be a week or two before Lecher can get back on the grass or in the weight room.

"I broke my ribs I got hit by the catcher while stealing a base in the last game [in Arizona]," he said. "I’m probably out a week and then we’ll see how it feels. You can’t really do anything for it."


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