Farm: Danelson, Graham have baseball in their blood

Landon Danelson and Tyler Graham are among the best baseball players to ever grow up in Great Falls.

Their lives still revolve around the game today.

The two former C.M. Russell High all-around sport superstars are both head coaches in college baseball summer leagues these days, Danelson in Sioux Falls, S.D., and Graham in Okotoks, B.C.

“We grew up together and played sports on teams together ever since I can remember,” Danelson said. “I don’t know why necessarily we both ended up in baseball. It was something we always had a pretty good niche for, I guess.”

Danelson, 34, had a fantastic college career at Minnesota State in Mankato and has worked for years as a baseball coach at various levels, including NCAA Division II Augustana (S.D.), the Independent League Sioux Falls Canaries and now for the fledgling Sioux Falls Pilots in a brand new summer league.

Baseball still has a grip on his heart.

“It’s one of those things that never goes away,” Danelson said. “It’s fun to coach and work with kids every single day. It’s fun to watch them develop. I don’t know if I could ever do anything different.”

Graham, 32, played nine seasons of professional ball and reached the major leagues in 2012 with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He’s now an assistant baseball coach at Oregon State, his alma mater.

“It’s just a passion that I don’t think will ever die,” Graham said. “It really is.”

The Okotoks team, which plays in the Western Major Baseball League, includes ballplayers from all over the West, including Oregon State, Gonzaga, Utah and Lewis-Clark State. Great Falls native Jayse McLean of North Dakota State was supposed to be on the roster, but he underwent knee surgery and isn’t playing this summer.

Graham said he loves the job.

“It awesome, absolutely awesome,” he said. “The game has changed a lot and kids are a lot different these days. You’ve got to treat them a little different than when we were playing. You’ve got to let them have fun, that’s the biggest thing.

“I’ve got some great kids on this team and to see the progress they’ve made throughout the year is incredible.”

Danelson, who had a great amateur baseball career in both Minnesota and South Dakota before knee problems ended his playing days, believes the Pilots have a bright future in ever-growing Sioux Falls.

“I don’t think it’s ever going to leave,” he said of the newly formed Cornbelt Collegiate League, which includes clubs from Nebraska and Iowa. Danelson also serves as general manager of the operation.

“The gentleman who own the team has pretty big dreams,” Danelson said. “He’s together a pretty good situation for me and it’s looking a little better every day.”

Danelson’s younger brother, Zach, also a great athlete at CMR back in the day, also lives in Sioux Falls. Landon has a son Kaale, 5, and not surprisingly he’s also a big baseball fan.

“Tell you what,” Landon said with a laugh, “when Kaale puts his Cubs hat on no matter what day of the week it is he’s in heaven.”

Graham doesn’t have any youngsters, but come to think of it all his ballplayers in Okotoks are like family.

“I want to give back to these kids and give them every opportunity to get to where I got,” he said. “And try not to make the same mistakes that I made, try to get them better information than I had at that age so they can start to understand things that took me a long time to figure out.

“That’s my main goal, to give these kids the best information I can give them. That’s my main focus.”

Both Danelson and Graham are college graduates who have chosen the profession of baseball.

“You can choose between making money and following what you love to do,” Graham said. “I think I definitely chose to do what I love. If you have a passion for something, and do what you love, you’re going to be happy.

“I don’t think I’ve been happier in my whole life than these last two years when I’ve been coaching.”

FORMER LEGION stars Joe Pistorese of Kalispell and Andrew Sopko of Missoula are pitching well in professional baseball.

Pistorese, a 6-foot-1 lefty and former Washington State standout who was picked in the 17th round of the 2015 draft by the Mariners, is pitching out of the bullpen at Single-A Clinton of the Midwest League. Entering this weekend Pistorese had worked 16.1 innings in 10 games and allowed only one run, with an impressive 21 strikeouts and but two walks.

Last year at Rookie-level Everett of the Northwest League, Pistorese was 6-0 with a 1.28 ERA. In 42.1 innings he walked seven and fanned 46.

Sopko, a 6-2 right-hander and ex-Gonzaga star, was selected in the seventh round of the 2015 draft by the Dodgers. He is now a starter at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga of the California League. Entering this weekend Sopko was 11-2 with a 3.26 ERA. In 17 starts he’d thrown 99.1 innings, walking 24 and whiffing 99.

Last season Sopko made five starts at Great Lakes of the Midwest League and was 3-1 with a 2.74 ERA.

Scott Mansch is Tribune Sports Columnist and writes a baseball column that appears occasionally in the summer. He can be reached at 791-1481, smansch@greatfallstribune.com or on Twitter @GFTrib_SMansch