Pirates softball aims for another state title headed into 2018 season

Polson High School softball coach Larry Smith is bold and direct when he is projecting the success of his 2018 Lady Pirates softball team.

Riding a wave of tradition and momentum while having lost two key seniors, All-State players Haley Fyant and Hannah Fryberger, Smith won’t be holding back what he expects for his team as they begin their preliminary preparation to host a Tri-Meet Invitational featuring heavy-hittin’ teams Columbia Falls and Belgrade March 24 at Polson High School.

Smith isn’t afraid to vocalize his desire to post yet another banner in the outfield that boasts of championship banners.

“We are expecting to go for the gold ring,” Smith said. “Our team is very, very good and we are very solid. We just had a transfer (Vanessa Kent) in from Charlo that is a very good pitcher and she should solidify our pitching staff. She gives us a solid pitching staff. We have good returners in the infield and outfield and a lot of decent speed on defense and offense.”

Smith, who lost significant contributors on both offense and defense, looks to complement the talent he has this year while attempting to return his Lady Pirates back to their state title contending prominence.

“I think last year we were right there knocking on the door,” Smith said. “We don’t lack speed and we’ve really shored up that area of the game with a lot of really good athletes that we have returning.”

Pitching

One of the big questions marks Smith entering the offseason was how he would replace his graduating departed senior Haley Fyant.

Last season, Fyant’s power pitching anchored the Lady Pirates’ defensive attack and she was able to give Polson a lot of opportunities to win ball games by shutting down her opponents.

Landing Vanessa Kent, a pitcher from Mission-Arlee-Charlo who was an integral part of the Lady Bulldogs’ pitching rotation in 2017, will answer some of the big question marks the Pirates had coming into the season.

“Getting Vanessa really answered one of our big question marks and when she transferred and we saw her in open gym, I thought ‘this is what we needed and she is going to start right out of the gate,’” Smith said. “It’ll take a little longer for some of the younger ones to get in shape and build their confidence. Vanessa wants it and wants to be a starter. She has that leadership that she wants to be No. 1 in the lineup and since she has come here, she has shown that.”

Another pitcher that will complement Kent will be Paige Noyes, who learned a lot from Fyant last season.

“Paige has a lot of experience and she may throw a little harder than Kent does but doesn’t have the control right now,” Smith said. “We are still working on building her confidence in the offseason. Noyes and Kent also swing a very nice bat.”

Noyes, along with Grace Quinones, practiced at the University of Montana Grizzlies’ softball pitching clinic this summer, and Smith said he hopes the additional training will add depth to his team.

“I always felt headed into this year, ‘boy we are going to be strong on defense,’” Smith said. “We hit the ball and don’t allow them to score on us. With our pitching the way it is, we are going to be just fine now.”

Speed Kills

Smith isn’t shy about expressing one crucial fundamental element each softball team needs in order to be competitive. Smith loves to put pressure on opposing defenses as the Lady Pirates burn up the base paths on a nightly basis forcing the opposing team to make mistakes.

Speed forces teams into mistakes and the Lady Pirates have plenty of speed at the top of their order.

Kaelyn Smith, who is currently second in all-time stolen bases, will look to break her cousin Strohm Fouty’s all-time mark for stolen bases in Polson.

Smith isn’t the only All-Stater returning for the Lady Pirates. Laurel Bitterman, who would arguably be a lead-off hitter for most schools, will bat second and Quinn Motichka will also provide stability at the plate, according to Smith.

“They have consistent bats and Quinn has come around on us with becoming a power hitter,” Smith said. “We also have Morena Mayorga that will contribute to us in softball. I think she is going to be in the outfield early in the season. She has a superb hitting ability, was pretty impressive and very competitive, and picks ups the game very quickly.”

Realignment revamps traditional rivalry

Smith said he will miss the significance of competing against a state bound powerhouse team like Frenchtown, who made regular season conference games for his Lady Pirates.

Polson also got to play against one of the top-tier teams in the state in their conference and in the state playoffs that adequately prepared them for the state-level competition the Pirates would eventually face in the eastern portion of Montana.

“Losing to Frenchtown was big and I really enjoyed having them in our conference,” Smith said. “We are losing Frenchtown and gaining Libby, who was a real powerhouse in Class B. Columbia Falls is going to have a really strong JV, varsity team. We have a lot of good returners in our conference with some speed and very tenacious pitchers.”

In addition to Libby, Smith said he anticipates a challenge from cross-county rival Ronan.

“Ronan should be a very good team and they should be right up there competing in our conference,” Smith said. “Whitefish will be improved and they will be competitive more so than they’ve been in the last couple of years because they have had the same coach now for three years.”

Despite the new competition, Smith said he still misses playing Frenchtown.

“I like playing them twice a year and once a year playing them in the state tournament,” Smith said. “It will be a downer for us because Frenchtown was one of our biggest rivalries. We played them at least once a year and scheduled them for games in their tournament and invitational. I really enjoyed the conference. We had three elite teams that were battling it out and every game was important.”