The road to Casper is considered one of the longest in the state once you leave Shoshoni. Riverton’s Hunter Hauck found that out firsthand this summer while playing for the Casper Oilers in AA American Legion baseball.
Hauck was a starter for the Riverton Raiders last season, but a shakeup in the then Class A program moved the Raiders to AA, and a lack of older players had the team competing at the “Class B” level where only 16-year old or younger players can participate.
That left Hauck with a 240-mile drive many days just to play baseball.
“At times I would stay in Casper for a couple of days, I’d stay with my aunt and uncle,” Hauck said. “Some days I’d drive over just for practice.”
That meant a two-hour drive, an hour-and-a-half practice, grabbing something to eat, and another two-hour drive home.
“I played fall ball with most of the guys last year,” Hauck said, “Nate (Hutchison) and Chris (Reinig) played with me during the fall. “
Stepping into a varsity level program as a kid from out-of-town has its challenges.
“Once the season actually started these boys were great, they accepted me and there was no hassle,” Hauck said. “They treated me really well and I’m grateful for that.”
Hauck treated them well too, earning a first-team all-state position as a third and first baseman for the Oilers.
“I played the corners, and occasionally in the outfield depending on the lineup and who was pitching,” Hauck said. “We had a lot of injuries so there was a lot of moving around.”
Hauck’s team was scheduled to meet the powerhouse Post 6 team from Casper in state semi-final action in Jackson Hole on Friday.
“We beat Laramie 8-3, yesterday,” Hauck said. “In one of the closest games I’ve played, we beat Sheridan 3-2, in eight innings. We strung a hit, a walk, and a bunt together, and ended on a really cool double play.”
If Riverton moves to the AA Legion “A” level next season Hauck has some decisions to make, and may not have a choice except to play in Natrona County.
“Technically I’m a resident of Casper now in baseball terms,” he said.
Moving from A to AA and facing teams like Sheridan, Gillette, and Cheyenne instead of Wheatland, Lovell, and Rawlins was not that big a step for Hauck.
“The only thing that was really different was the pitching. It wasn’t better, it was just more consistent. Every day you faced good pitching. The walks you saw in single A disappeared in AA,” Hauck said. “Defensively it’s not that much of a difference, occasionally you get a harder hit ball but that’s about it.”