Bolstered by experience and a chip on their shoulder, Bandits set sights on another postseason run
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IDAHO FALLS – The Idaho Falls Bandits were one win away from advancing to the American Legion World Series last season.
Unfortunately for the Bandits, a pair of controversial losses to Portland in the Northwest Regional Tournament ended their season and a shot at a third World Series title.
Welcome to 2026, and the Bandits are again focused on a World Series berth and carrying a bit of a chip on their shoulder.
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“That loss set a fire in all of us,” catcher Tyson Christensen said. “We came back and we’re ready to prove a lot of people wrong.”
The Bandits are only about halfway through the regular season, but it’s never too early to look ahead to a postseason push for a program that has been not only one of the best in the state, but in the nation, winning two American Legion World Series titles and playing in three straight championship games.
The Bandits won their first title in 2019.
The 2020 season was suspended due to COVID, but the Bandits returned to the World Series and repeated as champion in 2021.
They advanced to the 2022 championship game, but fell to Troy, Alabama.
The bar has been raised high for the program that includes 18 of the top players from area high schools.
Coach Ryan Alexander focuses on fundamentals, details, and players getting better each day, not necessarily preaching about the end goal of winning another World Series.
But the goal is implied.
And it’s not lost a core group of returning Bandit players.
While the end of last season was painful and not forgotten, the new season is the priority.
“We kind of move on from that and just learn from that and be better,” Christensen said.
“Everyone wants to win,” Gavin Webb said of this year’s team. “Last year we definitely felt that losing feeling … that one loss really hurt us. I think that drives us a lot.”
The Bandits enter this week’s tournament in Reno with a 14-3 record and faced some tough competition at last week’s tournament in Omaha, Nebraska.
They’ve averaged more than nine runs per game while surrendering just four overall, per game.
“We’re doing well, but there’s always room for improvement,” outfielder Taye Lords said. “We’re 14-3, but we could be 17-0 … (Coach Ryan Alexander) says you don’t lose, you learn. The losses are a learning experience that will help us get better for the postseason.”
As defending state champion, the Bandits already have the proverbial target on their back. Players said they’ve been up to that challenge every year because of the program’s success.
There’s also a regional presence.
Two of this year’s losses came against a Billings, Montana team that was also in the regional tournament last season.
Jackson Ropp noted that the core group of returners and the new players are starting to get on the same page.
“We’re trying to build each day,” he said. “Take steps forward and not steps back,” Ropp said. “I can see us building each weekend.”
A lot can happen between now and the state tournament starting July 23 in Lewiston.
While losing to Portland in the regional championship game and then losing again in the if-necessary game last season was an unforgettable experience, Alexander said the overall experience on the Bandits’ roster is hard to match.
“I think the experience we have on this team is going to play a positive role as we move forward in this season,” Alexander said. “We have guys who are in their second or third years as Bandits. They played a lot of baseball together last year and they got to the precipice of advancing to the World Series … I think all of those experiences are beneficial to this group. They’re also playing with a little bit of purpose and chip on their shoulder. I think that can be overrated at times, but if that motivates the kids to get extra swings or extra reps, that can be a positive thing too.”
Is that enough?
Check back at the end of July when the postseason heats up.
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