A brotherly bond

Rob and Travis Mortimore team up to coach East All-Stars

Andrew Towne
Posted 8/12/21

DOUGLAS – Love and passion for the sport of baseball runs deep in the Mortimore family.

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A brotherly bond

Rob and Travis Mortimore team up to coach East All-Stars

Posted

DOUGLAS – Love and passion for the sport of baseball runs deep in the Mortimore family.

Brothers Rob and Travis Mortimore grew up playing the game of baseball. After high school, Rob went to Kansas to play at Colby Communitiy College, while Travis went to Wayne State in Nebraska. Travis also went on to spend several years in the minor leagues playing for the Seattle Mariners organization.

Even though their playing days are over, their competitive drive and love for the sport of baseball remains the same.

They both now coach Legion baseball in their respective towns – Rob, who is in his second season back at the helm Torrington, while Travis just completed his first season as the head coach in Douglas.

On Saturday, Aug. 7, the brothers teamed up to coach the East All-Stars in the inaugural Wyoming Legion ‘A’ All-Star game in Douglas.

Despite coming up on the short end of the scoreboard 10-7 to the West All-Stars, it was a memorable day for the two.

“It was great. For me and Travis to be out here is great,” Rob said. “We grew up playing the game together, and we live and die by the game still together. It’s great to bring a couple different perspectives but almost the same perspective at the same time.”

For the brothers, it was nice to be coaching on the same side for once.

“It’s always fun. I like coaching against him, but obviously coaching with him, we are on the same page when it comes to decisions and moving guys around,” Travis said.

It’s also a chance for each of them to learn from each other, and throughout the season, they are each other’s biggest fan.

“I know his strategies, and I learn from him. It’s fun. There is that rivalry there of who’s going to win, but at the end of the day, it’s about the guys and the game of baseball,” Travis said. “I’m his biggest fan outside of when they are playing us. When Torrington is playing someone else, I’m helping him and doing whatever I can, and he does the same for me.”

During the 2021 season, Torrington and Douglas squared off seven times with the Tigers winning five of the matchups, including an elimination game on Sunday afternoon at the state tournament in Cheyenne.

“Coaching against him is difficult at times, but we are competitors,” Rob said. “One guy has to win, and one guy has to lose.”

This season, Rob and the Tigers went 5-2 against Travis and the Cats.

“Lucky for us, we got them more times than they got us this year, so I’ll hold my hat on that one,” Rob said.