Long before the Salt Lake Bees packed the shiny new Ballpark at America First Square, before BYU joined the Big 12, and long before local business moguls began dreaming of Major League Baseball in Utah, another team was carving out its place in the state's baseball history.
The Salt Lake Occidentals, an all-Black baseball club, traveled throughout the western United States from 1906-1913, competing at a time when opportunities for Black players remained severely limited across much of organized baseball. Jackie Robinson wouldn’t break baseball’s color barrier for another 34 years once the Occidentals disbanded.
Known not just for their trailblazing and bravery in the face of discrimination, but also for their play, the Occidentals built a positive reputation the only way they could: by winning. Drawing crowds of more than 3,000 spectators, they earned respect in places where it was rarely given freely.
More than a century later, Utah baseball finds itself fighting a very different battle, but at a similar crossroads. Before Utah ballplayers can change perceptions, they will have to overcome them.
The state is producing more high-level talent than ever. College programs are competing on bigger stages. The push for a Major League Baseball franchise is gaining serious momentum. Yet the people closest to the game describe a sport caught between tradition and transformation, a phenomenon not entirely unique to baseball.
Ask them what defines baseball in Utah, and one word keeps surfacing: Underrated.
"Underrated," said former BYU All-American, MLB All-Star, and BYU head coach Vance Law when asked what comes to mind when he thinks about Utah baseball.
Current BYU outfielder and former Lone Peak star Crew McChesney arrived at the same conclusion.
"He's not wrong one bit," McChesney said. "We're so underrated."
For decades, Utah baseball has lived in the shadows of traditional baseball hotbeds like California, Texas, Florida and the rest of the American South. But according to longtime Utah baseball figures, that perception no longer matches reality.
"I think it's started to become a little more nationally relevant," BYU assistant coach Adam Law said. "There's players who are able to compete on a national stage in high school ... and then seeing guys get into professional baseball and give it a run that way."
Law mentions that Utah baseball still battles outdated perceptions.
"I think the biggest misunderstanding would probably be the talent level," he said.
McChesney shares a similar perspective as a player.
"Growing up, I feel like Utah baseball and any Utah sports, they underestimate us," he said. "We've always had the mentality that we're the underdog."
That underdog mentality has become part of Utah baseball's identity. BYU and the University of Utah’s moves to the Big 12 only amplified it.
"When you face that week in and week out as a member of the Big 12, if you're going to survive and not embarrass yourself, you will raise your level of execution," Vance Law said.
The results are becoming harder to ignore. More Utah high school players are earning Division I opportunities. More are being drafted professionally. BYU is recruiting at a higher level than before. Facilities continue to improve across the state.
But while all three interview subjects agreed that Utah baseball is indeed growing, they didn't entirely agree on what that growth should and does look like.
For Adam Law, the modern era offers advantages previous generations never had.
Players now have access to year-round training facilities, advanced technology, and opportunities to compete nationally. At BYU, athletes train with high-speed cameras, TrackMan systems and modern development tools that would have been unimaginable a generation ago.
Law even points to Utah's anti-baseball climate as a potential benefit.
"I think it's probably an advantage for those who are developing to take a break from playing year-round baseball and to go play other sports," he said.
Vance Law sees the situation differently.
While he agrees elite talent continues to emerge from the state, he worries youth baseball has lost some of its community roots.
"The lack of interest from our community has really depleted the amount of really good baseball players coming out of Provo," he said.
He points to the decline of local city leagues and the rise of expensive travel-ball programs.
"Everything is pay-to-play now," he said.
In many ways, the two perspectives are not necessarily contradictory. Utah baseball may be stronger than ever at the top, while also facing new challenges at the grassroots level.
That tension raises an interesting question: What happens next?
For many, the answer could involve The Show — Major League Baseball.
The push to bring an MLB franchise to Salt Lake City has gained significant momentum in recent years, led by the Larry H. Miller Company and other prominent Utah sports leaders.
"I would love for nothing more to see a team here in Salt Lake City," Colorado Rockies owner Charlie Monfort told the Deseret News a few years ago. "It's a baseball town."
Monfort believes a franchise would benefit the entire region.
"That would be great for all of us," he said. "I'm going to do my part on the inside."
Both Vance and Adam Law believe Utah is ready.
"Yes, I do," Vance Law said. "It would be so awesome to have our own team here."
Adam Law points to the response Utah fans have already shown to professional sports.
"Seeing what the fan base has done with the Utah Mammoth ... I think there would be a similar response with baseball for sure."
For McChesney, the impact would extend beyond attendance figures or television ratings.
"For me growing up, watching professional athletes kind of motivated me to be like them," he said. "I think that'd be a great thing to have for kids around here."
More than a century after the Occidentals boarded trains and barnstormed across the American West, modern-day Utah baseball is still searching for something that has often proven difficult to earn in any sport — recognition.
The barriers have certainly changed, and the challenges look much different. But the desires remain the same.
To be seen, respected and taken seriously.
For some, that future finally means Major League Baseball in Salt Lake City. For others, it means stronger youth leagues, better opportunities, and continued growth at programs like BYU.
Whatever form it takes, there appears to be a consensus that Utah baseball is moving forward.
But from the Occidentals to the Bees, from Pony League diamonds to Big 12 stadiums and Bill Murray’s Trappers (yes, that Bill Murray), the story has remained remarkably consistent.
And if the voices from three generations of the game are right, the question is no longer whether baseball belongs in Utah.
It's whether the rest of the country is finally ready to admit it.