A whole new ballgame: Utah summer leagues have evolved

Back when Chad Shepherd played baseball at Cottonwood High, he — along with countless others — would make a seamless transition once the high school season ended in May.

High school players like Shepherd would simply move on to the American Legion season during the summer where the boundaries for the teams were mostly the same as they were for high schools. Players would renew high school rivalries during the summer and create newones.

In some ways, the Legion season meant more than high school because teams weren't grouped into classifications. Teams would battle for a prestigious state championship, with the winner earning the right to represent the state in the American Legion Western Regionals.

"I like the old American Legion way," said Shepherd, the director of the Marshall Gates Foundation. "I'm a big fan of what it used to be. It kind of just fell apart and it was sad to see it happen. Ten years ago, it was a cool deal."

The dynamics of summer baseball in Utah changed prior to the summer of 2002 when 18 high-profile programs formed their own league called the Utah Amateur Baseball Association and had it run by the Utah Baseball Academy. Some teams left the Legion program, while others left the Utah County Babe Ruth League to form the new league. Coaches for those 18 programs started their own league because they felt it was in their best interest to improve the quality of play for their returning players.

American Legion, the Utah Baseball Academy and various all-star teams such as the Utah Marshalls and Utah Bucks are currently alive and well, and representatives from the different leagues say they're happy with the state of their organizations.

One thing is certain: Summer baseball is a whole new ballgame compared to what it was in Utah earlier this decade.

The split

Summer baseball in Utah was likely changed forever prior to the summer of 2002 when 18 teams formed their own league. It was a major blow to American Legion, as traditional powers Taylorsville, Bingham and Alta left the organization. Others, such as Spanish Fork, left the Utah County Babe Ruth League to join the Baseball Academy's summer league.

At issue was the lack of quality playing time for schools' returning players, most notably guys who had just completed their junior years. The defecting coaches wanted to develop their younger guys, while those in charge of American Legion wanted to give the just graduated players a chance to finish their careers.

Bingham coach Joey Sato said they looked at ways to accomplish both goals, but it just didn't work out.

"We got to a certain point, and they (American Legion officials) said, 'Nope, we're not doing it,' so we developed a league," Sato said.