Submitted Photos

Logan Garner for Burns Times-Herald

The Harney and Grant County baseball communities are buzzing with excitement as the inaugural season of the newly formed Devine Canyon Crawdads has come to a thrilling close. The organization, which was founded by Cam Hueckman, was established to address a glaring need to create an opportunity for middle school age baseball players to compete at a high level. 

Devine Canyon baseball saw a total of 27 middle school aged players from Harney and Grant County come out to play this spring. With the help of an amazing coaching staff (Logan Garner, Drew Heinz, Tyler Hill, Taylor Kness, Cade Tiller, Adam White, Zane Bailey, Nolan Stampke, and Kyle Myers), Hueckman and the Crawdads were able to form a competitive division team, as well as a developmental division team that competed in a total of 26 games throughout the spring season.

On Saturday, May 4, the competitive team (Devine Canyon Gold) finished their league season strong with a second place finish at the league tournament. After finishing the regular season with the second best record (7-3), the Crawdads earned themselves a semifinal matchup with Baker. After falling behind 0-2, the Devine Canyon bats came alive in the bottom of the second inning to take a 5-2 lead. Baker fought back to score three runs in the fourth to tie the game at 5-5. The Crawdads didn’t flinch though as they answered with another run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Behind some strong pitching and clutch defense, this would prove to be enough offense as Devine Canyon took care of Baker by a final score of 6-5.

With this thrilling win, the Crawdads earned themselves a spot in the league championship game against Vale. With revenge on the mind, Devine Canyon came out ready for a battle. After a hard fought first two innings, the Crawdads found themselves down 0-1 going into the third. Vale would tack on six more runs throughout the remainder of the game. Though they continued to battle, ultimately the Crawdads would fall 0-7 to Vale in the league championship game for a second place finish. 

“We have absolutely nothing to hang our heads over,” coach Hueckman said after the championship game loss. “The strides this team and organization have made over the past four months is nothing short of incredible. Of course, you are never happy with second place, but given the fact that we started this program from scratch four months ago… I couldn’t be prouder of our players and coaches.” 

“Our goal coming for this season was to create an atmosphere in which players could learn” Hueckman later added. “People tend to take their frustrations with youth out on the kids and say things like, ‘kids these days just aren’t the same as they used to be’. I think what we have proved with this organization is that the kids are just as eager to compete and learn as ever. If you provide them with an organized establishment that holds them accountable you will be very surprised of what ‘kids these days’. can accomplish”.

Going into the summer, Devine Canyon will continue their momentum as they will have 14U and 16U travel summer ball teams made up of middle school and high school players from Harney and Grant County. These teams will continue to practice and play competitive games throughout the summer with one goal in mind… get better! 

“Baseball is a sport that holds a very special place in the hearts of many community members in both Harney and Grant County”, Hueckman says. “It has been an absolute honor for myself and all of our great coaches to have the opportunity to coach these young men. We are doing everything we can to build this organization with a rock solid foundation to be able to continue influencing young ball players for years to come”.

As the inaugural season draws to a close, Devine Canyon Baseball can reflect on their achievements with immense pride. The players have not only grown as athletes but have also formed lifelong friendships and memories that will endure beyond the baseball diamond.

The early success of this program serves as a testament to the dedication, hard work, and passion of the players, coaches, and supporters involved. With the foundation laid, the future looks bright for baseball in Harney and Grant County.