Big shoes to fill: 2-time state champion Sugar-Salem in ‘reset’ mode in 2026

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SUGAR CITY – Ryan Rasmussen has 24 years of coaching experience, so he knew what he was getting into when he took over the head coaching duties for the Sugar-Salem baseball team.

“Everyone expects us to be back,” he said. “We won state championships. That’s a big expectation. That’s some big shoes to fill.”

To recap, Sugar-Salem has won back-to-back state titles and fielded one of the top teams in the state at any level last year with six All-State players among eight senior starters.

“I don’t want to call it a rebuilding year,” Rasmussen said after a recent practice. “That’s what everybody wants to say about us, It’s just another year of baseball.”

Another year.

With a new coach.

And a new team of mostly untested varsity players.

That may sound like one of the toughest rebuilding projects among area teams this spring, but Rasmussen has a different word for it.

“We got to reset,” he said.

What does a reset look like?

“We just need to get better every day,” said junior shortstop Kolter Harris. “Hopefully, our goal right now is to win the district championship.”

The district tournament is at the end of April and determines who advances to the state tournament.

That should be enough time for the new players to all get on the same page, Rasmussen noted.

“I see a lot of potential in us,” Harris said. “We’re barely getting started. We just need to get a lot of reps and work everything out.”

The Diggers enter the week 4-5 and have played a competitive schedule.

Last year’s team won 22 games on the way to the 4A state title, but no one is ready to compare the 2025 and 2026 lineups.

“We have to be realistic in our goals, but at the same time I want them to feel like they can compete,” Rasmussen said.

The target has always been the district tournament, where anything can happen.

Even 20 wins won’t secure a berth in the state tournament if a team can’t get through districts.

This year, South Fremont and Teton are off to good starts at 7-3 and 4-1, respectively.

Harris noted last year’s team not only had a ton of experience, but also had plenty of leadership.

“Emerging,” he said of this year’s leadership.

“It’s hard with the guys coming up not really having a lot of varsity experience,” junior Latrell Markle said. “We know it’s going to be rough at the start, but we’re hoping we can buckle down … getting all the jitters out.”

While the new players go through the excitement and the jitters that come with playing at the varsity level, one player may have a different perspective.

Senior pitcher Jace Hammond is from Wyoming and in his first season as a high school player.

Hammond played summer baseball in Wyoming, but high school baseball is not offered.

So, like his new teammates, Hammond is in his first year as a varsity player even though he’s a senior.

“It’s been surreal,” he said of playing for his school. “I’m loving it. High school baseball is an amazing time. It’s been fun. … We’re all out here having a good time and having fun. We have good team chemistry, and I’ve felt very welcomed. … This team is very hard-working and wanting to leave it all out on the field.”

The new-look Diggers might be having more fun in about a month when the district tournament rolls around. But for now, it’s all about fundamentals and focusing on improvement.

“Step by step,” Rasmussen said. “We need to get better, so when we get around to the district tournament (to) give ourselves a shot. Then go to state and see what happens. That’s the goal.”