WHEATLAND—When we look at results from a game of just about any sport, we often reduce it down to what is written on the stats sheets. And while those give us plenty of black and white basic information, it certainly doesn’t give us much with regard to the intangible side of the game. And regrettably, the final score isn’t always the best measure of a team in the end.
That would certainly apply to this year’s Wheatland Legion Post 10 Varsity Lobos baseball team. Now about midway through their season with a 4-18 overall record, head coach Myles Hixson is still very much optimistic about his team and what the remainder of the season can be.
While he admits the lopsided results aren’t what anyone had hoped for, he has high praise for the effort his assistant coaches and the players are giving to turn things around.

“My staff and I are working to get them better every single day. These kids work hard and are motivated to get better,” he said. “This weekend in Greeley, we played the best baseball we’ve played all summer. I am happy with the steps we have taken as a team. The most important thing we need to do is hit—that is something we have struggled with this year. Our at-bats have elevated a lot this past few weeks.”
Hixson says it’s been a season of getting his younger players more experience. Hixson has just five veteran players from last year’s team. They include Nolan Schaffner, Kenny Raser, Simon May, Grant Goodrich and and Braden Nilsson. Hixson says Mason Collar, Beckett Graves, Ayden Lind, Cooper Meyer and Goodrich have all been an important part of the pitching staff and the defense. “We ask them to throw quality strikes and trust your guys to make plays.”
This is Hixson’s first year as the Lobos varsity head coach, but he has plenty of experience on the diamond as a coach and player. Hixson moved up after coaching the junior varsity squad for the past six years. He was once a Wheatland baseball player himself under coach Mick Cochran.
Hixson says his assistant coach, Adam Suko, has been very good at keeping players motivated.
This year’s junior varsity team is having a good year which bodes well for future varsity teams as players move up in the program. Their coaches are Langdon Goodrich and Aric Suko.
The Lobos have remaining tournaments in Laramie, Cheyenne and Douglas as well as a number regular season games before the district playoffs in late July. Their next scheduled home games are June 20 when they host Cheyenne in a conference doubleheader.