Lady Pirates rake in the post-season honors

POLSON — The 2005 Northwest All-State and All-Conference softball teams have been announced and Polson once again showed their domination with post season honors. Polson seniors Jenni Nesladek, Strohm Fouty, Keely Torgison and sophomore Dylen Zetterberg were named to the All-State softball team, and a host of players made All-Conference honors.

Nesladek, who was named to the All-State team last year, was once again honored for her play both behind the plate and as a hitter. Nesladek picked off seven runners at first and 10 would-be base stealers at second on the season. She also ended the season with a .516 batting average.

Coach Larry Smith said she would have had a better average but she also had 15 sacrifice bunts during the year. Smith said during the All-State selections a coach from another school asked if any coach in the room felt that they had a better catcher than Nesladek. No one could think of a better one — making her the easy pick.

"I'm going to miss how consistent she was in everything she did. You could just depend on her," said Smith.

Fouty, too, is no stranger to being a All-State team member. She finished the season with a batting average of .542, with 34 stolen bases and one home run in her final game against Libby during the state 'A' tournament.

"Her overall hustle and keeping the defense on their toes will be missed," Smith said.

Lady Pirates' Keely Torgison was also named to the All-State team after her amazing senior season. Torgison knocked five homers on the season, with three of them coming in one day in Butte. Her batting average of .521 and slugging percentage of .983 kept opposing pitchers on their toes.

"I will miss her power and the threat that defenses hated to face (against her). I will remember those back-to-back home runs against Belgrade," said Smith.

Sophomore pitcher Zetterberg, who was second team All-State last year, moved up one notch in the ranking this year. She started the season off with a 10-0 record as the starting pitcher and finished the year with a ERA of 1.02. Zetterberg also got the job done with the bat, hitting .388 on the season.

"She is a great base runner and very strong mental player. She is stepping into a lot of pressure next season," Smith said.

The Lady Pirates also had nine players named to the 2005 All-Conference team (All-Staters automatically are named to the All-Conference team). Lindsey Rafter, Kyla McDonald, Jaelin Vandeberg, Tami Bonkowski and Brittany Jones were named to the Western A All-Conference softball team.

"I thought Tami was hands down the best outfielder in the state with her speed and arm," Smith said.

Jones, a sophomore, was named as first team All-Conference as a utility player for her outstanding play.

"She was another young player who stepped in and put in a lot of extra time. She spent a lot of time after practice," said Smith.

2005 Northwest All State and All Conference Softball Team

All State

Dylen Zetterberg, Polson, Pitcher, Sophomore

Jenni Nesladek, Polson, Catcher, Senior

Strohm Fouty, Polson, Shortstop, Senior

Nicole Rowan, Libby, Shortstop, Senior

Lacie Dedrick, Libby, Third, Freshman

Keely Torgison, Polson, Outfield, Senior

Erin Bothman, Libby, Outfield, Senior

All Conference

Dylen Zetterberg, Polson, 1st Team, Pitcher, Sophomore

Brooke Hagness, Libby, 1st Team, Pitcher, Frosh

Kayla Couture, Ronan, 2nd Team, Pitcher, Senior

Makayla Peck, Whitefish, HM, Pitcher, Senior Jenni Nesladek, Polson, 1st Team, Catcher, Senior

Teri Rebo, Libby, 1st Team, Catcher, Junior

Katie Hodges, Whitefish, 2nd Team, Catcher, Senior

Rose Young, Libby, 1st Team, First, Senior

Lindsay Rafter, Polson, 2nd Team, First, Sophomore Amanda Joy, Whitefish, 2nd Team, First, Senior

Sam Schultz, Libby, 1st Team, Second, Junior

Kyla McDonald, Polson, 1st Team, Second, Sophomore

Strohm Fouty, Polson, 1st Team, Shortstop, Senior

Nicole Rowan, Libby, 1st Team, Shortstop, Senior

Lauren Lynch, Ronan, 1st Team, Shortstop, Junior

Lacie Dedrick, Libby, 1st Team, Third, Freshman

Tess Kalfell, Whitefish, 1st Team, Third, Senior

Jaelin Vandeberg, Polson, 2nd Team, Third, Junior

Keely Torgison, Polson, 1st Team, Outfield, Senior

Erin Bothman, Libby, 1st Team, Outfield, Senior

Tami Bonkowski, Polson,1st Team, Outfield, Senior

Sara Lawrence, Libby, 1st Team, Outfield, Junior

A Morris, Whitefish, 1st Team, Outfield, Junior

K Morris, Whitefish, 1st Team, Outfield, Sophomore

Brittany Jones, Polson, 1st Team, Utility, Sophomore

Kayla Couture, Ronan, 1st Team, Utility, Senior

Shelby Barton, Libby, 2nd Team, Utility, Freshman

Desiree Clark, Whitefish, HM, Utility, Freshman