Wyoming State Tournament for Legion Baseball AA Division, Held in 2025
The Wyoming Legion Baseball AA State Tournament, currently being held in Cheyenne, is following a unique modified double-elimination format this year. This format allows teams to lose one game and still continue in the tournament, providing a more balanced and exciting competition.
In this format, each team starts in the winners' bracket. If a team loses a game, it moves into the losers' bracket where it must win to stay alive. A second loss eliminates the team from the tournament. The winners' bracket undefeated team eventually faces the last remaining team from the losers' bracket in the championship game.
This format means that teams play a varying number of games depending on their performance. Teams winning all their games typically play fewer games and have a more direct path to the championship, while teams that lose early must win additional elimination games in the losers' bracket to reach the final.
The modified double-elimination format saves pitching for teams, as the maximum number of games a team would have to play is 6, compared to 7 in the original double elimination format.
As of Day 4, the Gillette Roughriders are the only team left in the winners bracket, while the Sheridan Troopers and three teams from the losers bracket are still in the running. The Roughriders advanced to the championship game after defeating Casper Oilers 2-1 on Friday, August 1, following Oilers' elimination from the tournament.
Sheridan Troopers, who last won the state title in 1997, secured their spot in the championship game after defeating Gillette Roughriders 2-1 on Wednesday, July 30. The Troopers advanced to the championship game of the tournament after eliminating Laramie Rangers (who were eliminated after losing to Casper Oilers 8-3 on Wednesday, July 30) and Rock Springs Stallions (who were eliminated after losing to Laramie Rangers 10-5 on Tuesday, July 29).
Jackson Giants and Cheyenne Hawks were also eliminated from the tournament on Tuesday, July 29, following losses to Cheyenne Post 6 and Casper Oilers respectively.
The championship game of the Wyoming Legion Baseball AA State Tournament will be a 1-game winner-take-all. The winner will qualify for the AA Northwest Regional Tournament, to be held in Billings, Montana, from August 6-10.
Interestingly, Cheyenne Post 6, the 5-time defending state champions, has won 21 of the last 24 tournaments. They were eliminated from the tournament after losing to Casper Oilers 5-3 on Wednesday, July 30.
The tournament began with a regular double-elimination format for the first two days. On Monday, July 28, Sheridan Troopers defeated Laramie Rangers 6-0, Gillette Roughriders beat Rock Springs Stallions 10-0, and Casper Oilers defeated Cheyenne Hawks 9-2.
On Day 3, there were 3 games: 2 elimination games and a game between the 2 teams that are 2-0. The exact game scheduling for Day 4 and beyond will depend on the results of these games and the modified double-elimination format.
The modified double-elimination format ensures that every team plays at least two games and that a team reaching the championship from the losers' bracket will have played more games than an undefeated finalist. This year's Wyoming Legion Baseball AA State Tournament is proving to be an exciting and unpredictable competition, with every game counting towards the coveted state title.
[1] [2] [4]: References to the specifics of the modified double-elimination format.
Each team in the Wyoming Legion Baseball AA State Tournament begins in the winners' bracket, but if a team experiences a loss, they move into the losers' bracket and must win to continue. Teams showing resilience by overcoming losses can still make it to the championship game, as shown by the Sheridan Troopers, who played more games than an undefeated team en route to the championship game.
