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Polson High School Lady Pirates’ softball coach Larry Smith is a big advocate for having his players compete for roster spots.

If you are a member of the Polson softball roster, nothing is guaranteed or entitled.

Competition can also cause players to flourish and Smith is seeing a lot of progress with his pitching staff and every skill position on the diamond.

“We will have to wait and see that first weekend,” Smith said. “We will make a decision during scrimmages (on who will start) and (recent scrimmages) will tell us a lot about our players.”

After losing pitching ace Haley Fyant to graduation, Smith and his coaching staff have worked diligently to try to replace her presence on the mound. Smith and the Pirates got lucky when they received pitching transfer Vanessa Kent, who came from Mission-Arlee-Charlo.

“The rotation is not yet solidified, but I think Paige Noyes had a great night pitching and so did Vanessa,” Smith said. “Paige is coming around, getting her control down pretty well and is starting to get confident in her changeup.”

Smith said he felt the competition between the two pitchers has made both of them better players.

“Absolutely, they’ve improved from the competition and having Vanessa on board pushes her a little bit more,” Smith said.

Smith’s roster consists of several underclassmen and upperclassmen.

“It’s an excellent combination and it really becomes a great combination,” Smith said. “You have good senior leaders and this bunch is working hard to do that. We have senior leadership there. They are good leaders and very, very competitive. The competitive nature really rubs off on the younger ones when they see that.”

Smith has expressed confidence in the combination of players he has as the Pirates prepare for their season-opener tri-invitational that will include Belgrade and Columbia Falls.

“I think I am pretty confident in this team,” Smith said. “I am not so concerned and worried as in the past. It reminds me of the championship run six years ago. I have the same level of confidence in them I had that same year.”

At this point of the season, the majority of the roster is set, according to Smith. However, there are still several positions being fought for.

“Some positions are still up in the air,” Smith said. “The key ones figure to fill in because there is a lot of competition for them, which is good. They will be competing for those positions right up until game day.”

Smith not only expressed confidence in his team’s pitching, but he said he felt the team should be strong batters.

“I think our batting is going to be good and I don’t really see any downfall that way,” Smith said. “I think up-and-down, our roster has improved. Even though we lost Camas, Ashley Benson Fyant and Hannah, I think their shoes are going to be filled. I think the others are picking up, too and are solid down the line.”

Smith expressed additional confidence in his team’s ability to play defense.

“I think we have some really good gloves,” Smith said. “We have a couple of juniors and sophomores we are impressed with including a couple of freshmen and their abilities on defense. The sophomore and junior classes (we have) are small and talented.”

The Lady Pirates will start out their round robin with Belgrade and Butte Central. Belgrade is the defending Class A champions, and the Lady Maroons are also strong opponents for Polson to start out against.

“They are the one team you have to beat,” Smith said. “They just didn’t lose a whole lot. I’ve always admired Butte Central because they have a bunch of scrappy kids and great coaching. Thatcher is a good coach and they have won a couple of state championships.”

Since the start of the season, Smith is adamant his team is going for a state title and the Polson Youth softball programs have allowed them to become more competitive.

“The players in our program have become strong and it started with this bunch this year,” Smith said. “All of our younger players know how to play the game and take it to the next level. That is a good indication of what our competitive summer program does. We want to win a state championship and these younger players are ready to compete and play.”

The Polson Pirates will begin their season Saturday, March 24 at Polson High School.

There will be several of top-caliber teams that will play in the tournament including Belgrade, Butte Central, Columbia Falls that will start at the Polson softball field Saturday at 11 a.m.

The Lady Pirates will gun for their first MHSA Class A state championship since the year 2012.

Coach Smith has stated several times confidence in the 2018 teams, and compared them to some of the championship teams in the past.

The Pirates will still be mixing and matching the combination of batting orders and they will have more information as they prepare to play one of the Class A defending champion Belgrade.

Last year the Lady Pirates qualified and finished fourth at state.