POCATELLO — The Pocatello Runnin’ Rebels’ mission is clear: State title or bust.
The Double-A Legion team begins the district tournament as the No. 1 seed Wednesday against Madison. The road to a championship begins with Chase Teter and Kade Hall.
The two Treasure Valley freshmen returned to their home town for the summer and have been big time contributors, a major reason why the Runnin’ Rebels are in position to make their first trip to state in four years.
Teter is a shortstop who’s been dynamite on the mound, helping fill the void left by Highland senior Mason Foltz. Hall is a brick wall behind the plate and takes the spot of Highland grad Cory Meyer. Foltz and Meyer were integral parts of last summer’s Single-A Razorbacks team that went 57-1 and both elected to play Legion ball in Boise this summer.
“I don’t know where we’d be without those two,” said Runnin’ Rebels coach Dan McCaskill of Hall and Teter.
Hall leads the club in every offensive statistic other than walks. He’s hitting .538 with 71 hits in 42 games. He raked in 55 RBIs and has almost as many extra-base hits (31) as singles (40). In six games on the mound he’s 4-0, and behind the dish Hall’s thrown out 12 of 20 would-be base stealers.
“He’s been our MVP all year,” McCaskill said.
Teter, an infielder by nature, has been one of Pocatello’s most reliable pitchers. The righty has a 1.30 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 27 innings. He’s also batting .360 with 21 RBIs and 11 steals.
“Chase is one of the best fielding infielders I’ve ever seen,” McCaskill said. “How quick his hands are and just the way he turns the ball at second, turns a double play. He’s just amazing.”
The secret to their success?
“Having fun,” Teter said. “It’s kind of reminded me of my Little League days, where it was stress free and it was just fun, and everyone’s out to have a good time.”
After a 50 game college schedule with more on the line than team success (earning a full scholarship, drawing notice of pro scouts and bigger schools), Teter and Hall are aged veterans with a full year of collegiate ball under their belts instead of ungroomed incoming freshmen. It’s refreshing and alleviates the pressure.
“You’ve just got to go out and play,” Hall said. “There shouldn’t be any pressure to come back and play here in the summer.”
Teter hit .242 with 21 errors this past season for TVCC and Hall hit .184 in limited playing time. But now they’re the stars of the show and hope to return to school with a rejuvenated even keel — taking the game as it comes and enjoying it rather than treating it like a job. They’re passing that mentality onto their young teammates, too.
“Not getting too high, not getting too low. Just staying on a steady plane,” said Runnin’ Rebels infielder and future Treasure Valley teammate Dylan Mansanarez. “To just go out there and keep competing, not have a 3-for-3 day and feel great or go 0 for 3 and say you hate baseball.”
Can Hall and Teter stay hot, and cool, and carry the Runnin’ Rebels to a district championship, the state tournament and beyond? It won’t be easy, but that’s the expectation.
“We’re all on board and we think we can do it,” Teter said. “Anything short of a state title is a bust for us.”