Class A Softball: Short-handed Wildkats can’t wait around
We’re still in a pandemic, nobody has played a game since 2019 and it’s spring break at his school, so Columbia Falls’ coach Dave Kehr isn’t sure what the upcoming softball season holds.
Kehr does know the Wildkats can’t wait around, since Columbia Falls, Livingston and Butte Central are heading for Polson today to play. And he knows the host Pirates will be extremely tough, per usual.
“It’s a good conference again,” Kehr said Friday of the Northwest A, which boasts Columbia Falls, Browning, Libby, Ronan and Polson (Whitefish is playing a junior varsity schedule). “Polson of course is really good. They graduated a few but they have some really strong seniors coming back.
“Libby is always good, Ronan is pretty solid, and we’ll be right in there with them. It’s not going to change a lot from years past.”
Kehr heads to Polson with 14 players out of 26 that fill the roster. Spring break and lack of practices will put some players out of position.
“This is our second day outside,” he added with a laugh. “And we play tomorrow. We have been inside for a week, week and a half. But it’s our second day for our pitchers to throw for real.”
Abby Underdahl leads the Wildkat pitching staff, after a 2019 season pitching mostly JV. Kehr has a couple leaders in senior shortstop Alyssa Blankenship and senior outfielder McKenna Rensel.
“We have some pitching coming back,” Kehr said. “But when we last played my freshmen were in seventh grade. My sophomores were in eighth grade. It’s really a strange year.”
Libby opens its season a week from today against Frenchtown. Veteran Loggers’ coach Dean Thompson has 20 players, though eight are freshmen.
“We’re pretty young,” Thompson said Friday. “But I have some pretty good pitchers coming back that are going to help out.”
They are junior Taylor Monroe and sophomore McKenzie Foss. Libby also has senior leadership in outfielder Kayley Svendsbye, middle infielder Bethany Thomas and third baseman Aren James.
“They have all played some ball for me the last couple years,” said Thompson, who added he has a couple girls under COVID quarantine. “But it’s like everybody else — after taking a year off you don’t know exactly where you’re at.”
Less mysterious is Polson, which returns shortstop Josie Caye and pitcher Katelyn Druyvestein from a club that made the 2019 State A championship before losing 11-1 to three-time champion Belgrade.
Infielders Kobbey Smith and Savanna Carpentier and catcher/outfielder Lexy Orien make the Pirates once again the team to beat out west.
Ronan has some athletes, as proven by its run to the 2019 State A tournament. Leading the way is pitcher Maceo Jackson and catcher Maddy Mae Miller.
Ronan begins its season Thursday at Stevensville.