(Lander, WY) – 17-year-old Connor “Higgy” Higginbotham and 18-year-old Evan Stephenson from the Lander Lobos were asked to join the Casper Valor team in Calgary this coming week for the Pacific Northwest Regional Baseball Tournament.
Both Higgy and Evan are excited to participate in the tournament. They shared they can’t wait to meet new people, travel to Canada, and play at the next level.
When it came to their selection, Higgy’s mom, Danielle, noted the Casper Valor were “watching the whole state tournament and just watching all the players on the teams and decided that Connor and Evan showed good sportsmanship. They fought hard, and they were the kind of players that they wanted to take to Calgary.”
The two have played for the Lobos for the past five years. Evan plays catcher, pitcher and shortstop, while Higgy plays first base and also pitches.
“I think my favorite part has just been getting closer with my friends,” Higgy said about playing for the Lobos. “We’ve almost become brothers in a sense. And just getting to be close with them and getting to have like a second family on the field.”
The Pacific Northwest Regional Baseball Tournament is an exclusive tournament with only 12 teams invited to compete, according to Danielle. Teams are from British Columbia, Alberta, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. They begin playing on July 25.
“They love baseball,” Danielle said about Higgy and Evan. “I mean, they eat, sleep, and breathe it. They go out every time and fight hard and leave it all on the field.”
She also shared that the tournament will be live streamed on YouTube. You can find it by searching PNW Regional Baseball between July 25-29.
They are fundraising to help offset the costs of travel, which for them begins on July 23. Click here to donate to their GoFundMe.