This one’s for Mary Kay

Bryston Jennings fires off a pitch for the Knights in game one against Casper July 14. The game ended in a 7-7 tie and was cut short due to inclement weather, which also led to the second game in the doubleheader being cancelled.
By: 
Ryan Mitchel Collins

Playing in a state championship game brings nerves to even the most veteran players. Add in that this is the Glenrock Knights’ inaugural season competing in the 2A state championship and you have a recipe
for some entertaining baseball in Rock Springs this week. Then, factor in the emotional rollercoaster tremoring throughout the community with the sudden loss of the iconic Mary Kay Kindt last Friday.

The Knights opened their play in the tournament Wednesday morning with a 12-0 loss to Riverton. The state event is double elimination, so the Knights will continue on this week for at least one more game, but who and when they will play was not determined by press time.

One of the Knights favorite sayings is, “Don’t forget how far you all have come.” It’s a simple mantra with a big meaning and it’s something they will keep in mind this week in their inaugural year. That motto is fitting this week, because MK, as Mary Kay was commonly called, was one of their biggest boosters, win or lose.

The Knights wore a purple MKK band on their sleeves during their first game. The players said this one is in memory of Mary Kay and, even with heavy hearts, they will do their best to honor her on the field.

The best players can take nervousness associated with playing on such a big stage and bottle it into lightning, using it to their advantage to perform at the highest level of the season. Now is the time for all the hard work throughout the year to pay off.

Players like Bryston Jennings are ready for the big stage, and that was on display July 14 in Casper when the Knights battled the Casper Roughnecks
in a doubleheader at Mike Lansing field.

Jennings hung in there against a tough Casper squad in the first contest that went back and forth, eventually being called when the lightning filled the skies and rain started, at first postponing the game, but eventually that one and the second of the doubleheader were cancelled.

Stalled at 7-7, the game has been hotly contested until that point. It was disappointing for the squad to end its regular season on that note.

The Knights were approaching the games against Casper as a warm up for the state tournament, fielding the lineup they will use in the state tournament. They may not have been able to get in all the reps they may have liked, but they still got Jennings out on the mound to toss the better part of a complete game before heading to Rock Springs.

“I feel like we would have won that game if we kept playing,” coach Allen Jennings said. ‘We had the momentum, and Bryston was pitching great.”

Jennings said he wanted to get all of his pitching rotation some reps in the Casper games before heading to state, but the weather had other plans.

Bryston was scheduled to take the mound first for the state tournament against Riverton.

This time around the weather will be the least of Bryston’s concerns, as the Knights will attempt to rally behind their number-one pitcher. They will have his back.

The Knights will count on their pitching staff to win them their next game at State, with Jennings leading the way, followed by Elias Orozsco and Brock Jones, the coach said. All three pitchers will get a chance to take the mound and show their stuff.

Regardless of how it turns out for the Knights this week, they will have gained valuable experience – experience they most assuredly will carry onto the field next season.

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