Our former Riders in the college ranks are starting to kick off their seasons! These guys are at some great university’s and baseball programs. We are proud to call you alumni and can’t wait to follow your seasons! Best of luck.

Brody Richardson (Junior) St. Cloud State University- Division 2
Cory Schilling (Freshman) Augustana University- Division 2
Hayden Sylte (Redshirt Junior) North Dakota State University- Division 1
Jake Lacey (Junior) Bellevue University- NAIA
Jason Fink- (Sophomore) University of Colorado at Colorado Springs- Division 2

2024 GILLETTE RIDERS AMERICAN LEGION BASEBALL SIGNUPS

WHO: Players in Grades 7-12 (Players born 2005-2011)
(SIGNUPS FOR ALL 4 TEAMS: Riders, Rustlers, Prep, and JR Riders

*FEES FOR 2024 Season can be found at www.gilletteriders.com under handouts.

WHEN: Tuesday, January 30 or Wednesday, January 31
6:30-7:30 pm at Riders Clubhouse, Address is 909 Longmont
(You just need to come to one of the above dates)

OPEN ENROLLMENT- ALL NEW PLAYERS WELCOME
61 PLAYERS TO PLAY IN COLLEGE SINCE 2006…

QUESTIONS: Contact Head Coach Nate Perleberg at 307-689-4542 or gilletteriders@gmail.com

RIDERS OFF-SEASON WORKOUTS TO BEGIN JAN 9th

Who: Designed for any players in the Riders program to prepare for the 2024 season. Players in Riders, Rustlers, Prep, and JR Riders all welcome.

When: (STARTING WEEK OF JANUARY 8TH)
JANUARY- (Tuesdays, Wednesdays) 4:15-5:30 pm
FEBRUARY- (Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays,) 4:15-5:30 pm

Multisport Athletes Only (Sundays) 4:15-5:30 pm- Sundays are only for players that play other sports throughout the week.

Where: Riders Indoor Facility

Cost: Free- Bring a good work ethic and attitude

Why: Let’s face it, all great teams start with each individual’s commitment and buy-in to getting better. With the season just 3 months away, this is an excellent opportunity for all players to improve and get coached by the Riders staff. The 2024 season begins today!

Grayson Sargent signs with the University of Jamestown

During a busy week of signings, the Riders are blessed to announce another one of their players signing to play college baseball. Senior right-handed pitcher Grayson Sargent has committed to play college baseball at the University of Jamestown, in Jamestown ND. Jamestown competes in the GPAC Conference and is consistently one of the top NAIA programs year in and year out. In 2025, Jamestown will move to NCAA Division II and join the strong Northern Sun Conference. Last season the Jimmies finished 27-19 overall and this fall they started off their 2024 season with a perfect 8-0 record. The Jimmies are led by Coach Tom Hager, who will be entering his 25th season at the helm. Hager won his 800th game as the Jimmie skipper this fall. Former Rider Hall of Fame player and coach Ryan Iliff is also the head assistant coach at Jamestown.

Coach Hager on Sargent: “We are very excited that Grayson has chosen to be a part of the Jimmie Family. He is a tremendous competitor and has thrown in a lot of big games during his career. We are really looking forward to seeing him in a Jimmie uniform.”

Sargent will be entering his 3rd year as Rider this season and 6th season overall in our program. During the last two summers, Grayson has helped spearhead a very good pitching staff for the Riders. A two-time Wyoming All-State pitcher, Sargent has been one of the top pitchers in the State the last two summers. In 2022, Sargent debuted as a Rider, having a sensational season as both a starter and reliever. He led the team in appearances with 21 and finished with a 7-2 overall record and a perfect 3/3 saves. He racked up 71.1 innings and had a 2.061 ERA, helping lead the Riders to a Wyoming State Runner Up finish. In 2023, Sargent took on a role as one of our ace pitchers and again flourished. He finished with a 10 win season and 2/2 in save opportunities, compiling 86 strikeouts in 76 innings pitched. In 21 games pitched, he finished with a 2.67 ERA. Sarge was a big piece to our 2023 puzzle that led to a Riders NW Regional Runner Up finish, tying the 2015 season as the highest finish in Riders history.

Coach Perleberg on Sargent- “The first thing that stands out about Sarge is how genuine of a guy he is. He is the type of teammate that as a coach you wish everyone would be. He is a team-first guy, never complains, and is as selfless of a guy as there is, which is very uncommon in today’s society. Every player and coach in our program loves Sarge and what he’s about. Sarge is a no-nonsense kind of guy, who loves to compete between the lines and do whatever he can to help his team win. He is a bulldog on the mound and I always trust when he is on the bump that we will win. When Sarge pitches he almost transforms into someone else and I love watching him compete. As a pitching coach, working with Sarge daily, it’s easy to see why he is so successful. He’s extremely self driven, coachable, and a very talented young man. He brings his lunch pail to work everyday and leads by example. He is a great leader and role model to players of all ages in our program. It’s so gratifying when a guy like Sarge earns a great opportunity like this, because he has worked so hard for it and deserves it more than anyone.

Grayson will graduate in May of 2024 from Thunder Basin High School. The Riders Baseball family would like to congratulate Grayson on his signing and thank him for his years of dedication to our program. Grayson’s work ethic and genuineness has been passed down to many future Riders. Grayson is the son of Josh and Jerika Sargent and Nicole and Evan Schatz of Gillette.

Dominic Hecker inks with Olympic College in Washington

The Riders Baseball program is proud to announce that Riders senior standout Dominic Hecker has committed to play college baseball at Olympic College in Bremerton, Washington. Olympic competes in NWAC League which is one of the best Junior College Leagues in the country, made up of 36 teams from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and Canada. Last year, Olympic finished 12-33 overall. The Rangers are led by Coach Ryan Parker, who will be entering his 18th season at the helm. Hecker becomes the 60th player from the Riders program to sign to play college baseball under Coach Perleberg’s direction.

Coach Parker on Hecker: “Dom is a guy we feel can come in and help us day one. He’s athletic, runs well, and can do a lot of things for us offensively. He’s got the attitude and drive that we are looking for as well.

Hecker will be entering his 3rd year as Rider this season and 6th season overall in our program. During the last two summers, Dominic has been such a key cog to our team’s overall success. In 2022, Dominic’s toughness, dependability, and slick fielding won him a starting job at 2nd base and he’s been our guy ever since. As a sophomore, he hit .260, with 34 runs and 32 RBI and led our infielders in fielding percentage. He helped lead the Riders to a State Runner Up finish. In 2023, Dom played in 78 of the total 79 games, helping lead the team to a final 16 finish in the country as NW Regional Runners Up. Hecker hit .277 with 66 hits, 11 doubles, 49 RBI and 51 Runs scored. His toughness and consistency day in and day out was a major factor in our 2023 team’s success

Coach Perleberg on Hecker: “Dom is one of the most self-driven, internally motivated guys that I’ve been around. He is committed day in and day out to being the very best that he can be. If you’re looking for Dom on a weeknight, there is a good chance that you can find him in the cage at our facility, playing catch outside, or in a nearby weightroom. Dom will embrace the college baseball grind and love every minute of it. Dom brings so many winning attributes to our baseball team. His toughness, dependability, selflessness, and work-ethic every day reflect our team standards. Not to mention he is a stud defender and presence in our lineup. He is the model Rider and it’s been an absolute privilege to have had the opportunity to coach him everyday. No one deserves this more than Dominic Hecker! His future in baseball and in life is bright and I can’t wait to follow his success.

Dominic will graduate in May of 2024 from Thunder Basin High School. He currently has a 3.8 GPA and will graduate with enough college credits to already have his Associates Degree in general studies. The Riders Baseball family would like to congratulate Dominic on his signing and thank him for his years of dedication and for being such a great role model for our program. Dominic is the son of Joe and Leslie Hecker. Dominic’s brother Ethan is a sophomore who also plays in the Riders program.