POCATELLO — Baseball fields in Pocatello, Blackfoot and American Falls were full Friday and Saturday when 154 teams — members of the Rocky Mountain School of Baseball — came to Southeast Idaho for the season’s first league tournament.

    Nate Jones was in the Gate City with his son, Trevor Jones, who played for the Salt Lake Sluggers during the tournament Saturday.

    “(Trevor) plays all positions, they all do,” Nate said. “It’s 12-year-old baseball.”

    Trevor was on first base against the Idaho Scrappers Saturday. His dad said Trevor was serious about baseball and the RMSB league was a good way for him to hone his skills.

    The family lives in Salt Lake City and got involved in the league when their older son played ball. He and his wife, Sue Ann, split the out-of-town games to support Trevor’s interest.

    “Divide and conquer,” said Dave Koelliker, also from Salt Lake City.

    Koelliker and Jones found a shady spot under a tree to watch the first game Saturday. Koelliker’s son, William, also played for the Sluggers. He covered center field and wore No. 22, the number his dad wore when he played for Snow College in Utah.

    “(William) learns a lot of good skills and he has a lot of camaraderie with kids his age,” Koelliker said.

    Koelliker travels to all of the RMSB tournaments and said he’s made some good friends through the league.

    “You do see the same people at each event and we’re all good friends,” Koelliker said.

    Coach Casey Standley, of the Idaho Scrappers from Pocatello, said local businesses sponsor the 11-member team. P&R Auto sales buys the team jerseys and Ferguson Enterprises pays for hats. The hometown team lost its first game Friday to Papa Murphy’s Heaters of Boise.

    “They’re an outlaw team. They put together a hand-picked team for the tournament,” Standley said.

    Standley said teams played two games each day in two separate pods and the best two teams out of each pod played for the championship Saturday.

    The team members ranged in age from 8 to 12 years.

    Elisha Sutton said the baseball tournaments are more like a family reunion. Her uncle, Shane Munt, is a coach for the Sluggers. And son Jacob, 11, nephew Britton Munt and cousin Stockton Christensen all play for the team.

    “It’s a big family event and it’s nice to spend some time together,” she said.

    Director Justin Jensen said the RMSB had teams from Montana and Salt Lake City, Utah, that traveled to Pocatello for Saturday’s double-header tournament.

    Samuel Brunson, 16, and Cal Norby, 15, both students at Highland High School, served as umpires during the two-day tournament.

    Celebrating its 20th year, RMSB President Dennis Udy said the  Logan, Utah-based league currently has 400 teams. League teams paid $225 to play in the Pocatello tournament and non-league teams paid $325.

    Udy said money raised from the fees help support baseball camps, maintenance of fields, insurance and pay for trophies.

    “We don’t make any money,” Udy said. “That’s not what we’re about — we’re here to provide kids the opportunity to play baseball.”

    To learn more about the Rocky Mountain School of Baseball, go to www.rmsb.com.