Tennis and softball spring previews
Mission softball
Tom Peterson will head coach the Western B-C. Mission-Charlo-Arlee combination softball team this upcoming season for the first time. He assistant coached last year and will be taking the reins of a very talented young group, he said.
He will be assistant coached by Terry Biggs and Sunny Benn.
For starters, the team will have pitching he said. With two of his top pitchers returning in Mission senior Mattea Grant and Mission sophomore Kyla Olsen, the team will have heat.
Grant is one of the team’s top three hitters, batting around .500 last year. Grant is also a menace on the bases, Peterson said.
“She’s so fast and aggressive out there,” Peterson said.
Another in the top three batting ring is Mission junior Katie McDonald, who led the team in home runs last year. Peterson said McDonald brings a lot of experience with her.
The last of the season’s is the only player representing Arlee this season, senior Kelci Apland. Apland’s strength made her a powerful force at the plate last season and she also came in handy all over the diamond as a utility player, Peterson said. He is still trying to figure out where Apland will be in the field, he said.
All of the team’s big three were major threats on the basketball court this past winter.
The team’s starting short stop, Delenea Weaselhead, a Mission junior, will be returning as well. Peterson will be looking for consistent batting and fielding from Weaselhead.
Rounding out a talented group of Mission and Arlee athletes will be some of Charlo’s best. Many are inexperienced, but Charlo juniors Courtney Couture and Stephanie Murphy as well as freshman Kinley Pope should all be good first additions, Peterson said.
Another Mission junior who should make a mark is Bella Dally, the team’s third pitcher the year before and very versatile in the field, Peterson said.
There will be a total of 18 going out for the team this year, three more than last year.
Peterson said he has high expectations with the influx of new athletes and three good returners on the mound.
They will be on the lookout for known threats like Thompson Falls and Loyola.
Last year, the team just missed state with a loss to Florence in the final game.
Peterson said his team is committed to making things different this go around.
Tennis
Northwest A Polson boys and girls
Head coach: Bob Hislop, 18th year.
Assistant coaches: Donna Hislop, 14 years; Mike Sitter, sixth year.
Last season: Girls went 10-3 in duals and boys went 7-7; the girls won divisionals and Polson’s first ever state championship.
Returning girls: Senior star Cali Hislop won’t be playing due to an ACL injury sustained during divisional basketball. Junior Kayla Rochin is only returner who went to state. Juniors Jane Probst, Jenni Reilly, Alexa Cline and Kelsey Jones all made the divisional team within the last two years. Sara Phillips-Keeble, Kelsie Howell, Danielle Kanyon and Heather Mathison will also be on the varsity squad.
Returning boys: Seniors Tyler Engbretson, Kyle Cooper, Stefan McCrumb, Seth Hovenkotter and juniors Shad Giles, Matt Roberts, Christian McCurdy, and sophomore Andrew Storro. Hislop is still sorting through who will play where.
Whitefish is typically the team to beat in the conference, Hislop said.
B-C Mission boys and girls
Head coach: Kimimi Ashley, first year as head coach.
Assistant coach: Frankie Frazzini, first year coaching.
Last season: The girls season ended at divisionals and the boys’ senior Wyatt McCollum placed fourth in singles at state.
Returning girls: One returner, senior Anna Fehrs, who will probably play first in singles.
Returning boys: Three seniors, McCollum, Clayton Makepeace, and Tyrell McCollum, who will likely play the top spots at singles.
Newcoming boys: Sophomore Spencer Ahlborn, junior foreign exchange student Marius Eck.
Newcoming girls: Freshmen Sara Bauers, Jane Makepeace and Lyssia McDonald.
The girl’s team will face tough competition from Eureka and the boys’ can expect Cutbank to be a state contender.
Southwest A Ronan boys and girls
Head coach: Gordon Cummings, seventh year coaching
Assistant coaches: Trenton Harding
Last year: The boys took second at divsionals and the girl’s took fourth out of five. Senior Brit Courville went to state the last two years.
Returning girls: Courville, seniors Brittney Cheff, and Shelby Fisher, and sophomores Hayley Walston and Brittney Drake. There will be a total of 14 girls, seven of them freshmen.
Returning boys: Junior Colten Cheff, sophomore Sage Burland and juniors Jeff Blixt and Austin Butler and possibly Evan Waldron.