Glacier’s Anderson enjoying senior season at third base

If the spring of 2020 seems like a couple minutes ago, you’re not alone.

Glacier third baseman Avery Anderson remembers that freshman season, or lack thereof, well.

“We had our first day of practice, I think on a Friday, outside,” she said. “The next day school was shut down. We couldn’t play anymore.”

The Covid-19 pandemic preempted all MHSA-sanctioned sports that spring. But for Anderson, that wasn’t the end of the trials.

After a sophomore season as a JV-varsity swing player, she was primed to get out there as a junior. But that winter she had gone out for Glacier High’s first-ever girls wrestling team and dislocated her knee.

She got back on the diamond fairly quickly last spring and saw action in 17 varsity games. This is some solid perseverance, but still.

“I wasn’t fully ready,” she said. “It was just kind of a hard year for me.”

That was then; this is 2022-23, in which Anderson went back out for wrestling and, yes, we’re afraid it happened again.

“But right after Christmas, instead of February,” she said. “And it wasn’t as bad, because I was wearing a knee brace. I just knew I needed to work hard in physical therapy and be ready to play and be confident in myself.”

The Glacier Wolfpack is 6-0 (5-0 in Western AA) games heading into their Crosstown game with Flathead today at 5, at KidSport. Anderson, a senior, hits eighth in an offense that is hitting .339 on the season and has made no lead safe. Ask Missoula Sentinel, which surrendered six runs in the seventh inning of a 15-14 loss to the Pack; or Big Sky, which led Glacier 7-2 but then lost 13-8.

Anderson is one of four seniors on the roster, along with Brooklyn Imperato, Morgan Vivian and Daytona Schuman. Imperato hits .400, while six juniors and sophomores hit .300 above, led by junior Kenadie Goudette’s .571 tear.

“Our lineup is pretty strong, 1 through 9,” Glacier coach Abby Snipes said. “We don’t reach too much into that (order). Avery really makes the pitcher work for it.

“She’s just a really gritty player. We’re just appreciative that we get to work with her this season. It’s a pretty cool thing that’s happening so far, and it’s cool for her to be a part of that.”

Anderson plans to play softball as long as possible — in her case, until she ages out of the Emeralds summer program. She’s also headed to Carroll College to study anthro-zoology and biology. The plan? Become a veterinarian like her aunt, Stacey Neils. She already works summers at Neils’ All Creatures clinic.

In the immediate future is a young Flathead squad, then the East-West Crossover games in Great Falls Saturday.

The Pack have packed a lot of nail-biting wins into a quarter of a season: They beat Columbia Falls 8-7 with two runs in the sixth inning; they topped Helena Capital 5-4 in 12 innings; another sixth-inning, two-run rally lifted them over Helena High 6-4.

Anderson has been there for all of them, after putting a scare into Snipes and her staff.

“For a long time there was a question of what she would be able to do this season,” Snipes said. “But we’ve never questioned her heart, or her effort on the softball field. She has overcome some pretty significant injuries to get where she is today.”

Where she is, is the hot corner, playing alongside teammates she’s known forever, who happen to be 6-0.

“It’s so exciting,” Anderson said. “I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of the season with my team.”