Coming together

For the last 16 years, the Mission, Arlee, and Charlo schools have came together to create a combination softball team. A great example of how the co-op has worked out is the team’s seniors this year.

Six players and a manager make up the senior leadership for the MAC team. Mission brings Jordyn Eichert, Haley Carroll, and manager Emilio Bravo. Arlee brings Morgan Malatare. Charlo brings Mikaylan Roylance, Jaycee Andersen, and Madison Savage.

All seven seniors have been together for at least the last four years. For some,

their softball careers date back to 10U.

That experience has shown over the last few years. MAC won the divisional tournament last year and brought home a third place trophy from the state tournament. The seniors have competed in the state tournament every year they have been in high school.

This year, MAC is making a steady, and quiet, move toward the top of the standings. After a few early conference losses, the team rebounded in a big way last week with a win over Ronan.

The seniors are more than just athletes. Two of the six players have an extra assignment as their final year of high school comes to an end.

Mission’s Jordyn Eichert and Charlo’s Jaycee Andersen are both valedictorians of their classes. Mikaylan Roylance is the salutatorian for Charlo.

The girls have big goals for the year. So far, they feel like they are on the right track to achieve those goals. “It’s been going pretty well,” Andersen said, “There’s been a few games that haven’t gone our way, but we’ve learned a lot from the games we haven’t done well in.”

Eichert agreed. “It’s going pretty well – there are a lot of seniors and we only lost two from last year.”

Arlee’s lone senior, Morgan Malatare, who plays centerfield, explained why she thinks the team has a tendency to peak toward the end of the season. “I think we just get this feel for it – that it’s something we want, and state is always our goal.”

Practices have been competitive, Malatare said.

Madison Savage added, “We have a lot of fun but we’re also pretty serious and try to make it fun and work hard.”

“Everyone is funny and we get along really well,” Left fielder Haley Carroll said.

Head coach Susan Weaselhead said the team has the right stuff to succeed. “They’re working hard and they all support each other so much.”

As for the seniors, Weaselhead said she does not just have one leader. “These seniors are strong. They know when they need to really step up their game.”

They also know how work, according to assistant coach Bob Erickson. “They’re the kids after practice saying, ‘leave the machine on.’ They believe that the hard work got them here.”

For the MAC players, it’s more than just a sport or a team. “We’re definitely rivals in other sports but when we come to MAC it’s like a whole family. We just always come together,” Malatare said.

The Arlee versus Charlo rivalry is alive and strong, but Roylance said it’s not an issue in softball. “It almost makes other sports more fun to play,” she said, “We like to mess with her [Morgan]. It just makes us closer.”

The disappearance of the borders drawn by other sports is something Erickson has been asked about before. “They’re bitter enemies in every other sport. They come here and they truly are a family. I think it’s parents, coaching staff and the tradition. They are a family without a doubt,” he said.

Eichert said it is nice to see some new faces. “It’s fun getting to know all the new girls from other schools, because you play other sports against them,” she said.

Emilio Bravo gets to watch all of this happen from the sidelines. He’s been with the senior group through all the ups and downs, and has his own ideas about why the team has been successful. “They know the game and they’ve been together for four solid years. There’s no fighting. They know how to get along.”

Bravo said he decided to help with softball after giving up baseball when he got to be too old. During practice, he catches for pitchers and helps in any way he can.

“Emilio has been my manager for four years now. He’s awesome,” Weaselhead said, “He knows the game. He helps the girls. I couldn’t ask for a better young man to have.”

The girls feel the same way. Eichert, who goes to school with Bravo, said he’s the best manager they could ask for. “He helps out a lot. He’s super easy to talk to, super friendly, and a nice person.”

MAC will end their regular season with a tournament in Butte this weekend.During that tournament, they will meet a familiar foe in 2015 Class B/C state champions, Conrad, who MAC lost to in the semifinals at the state tournament last year.

Weaselhead said she thinks the team is peaking at the right time. “We just need to stay consistent,” she said.