Polson Baseball looks to rebound in 2025 season

After a 2024 campaign that ended short at the state tournament, the Polson Pirates baseball team is looking to turn the page and make another run at postseason success in 2025. Head coach Brad Fisher believes the team has the talent to compete but acknowledges there are areas where improvement is needed.

"Last year, I felt like the kids played okay and we did okay," Fisher said. "I thought we lost some games we shouldn’t have lost, and when we got to the state tournament, losing out early was disappointing.

“We weren’t very pleased with where we ended up,” he added. “Our goal this year is to get to the state tournament — that’s our goal every year."

Key returning players

The Pirates will be led by two returning all-state players, Landon Shoemake and Cole Wadsworth, who will play crucial roles both on the mound and at the plate.

"Those guys will be important for us this year," Fisher said. "I look for them to have a good year."

Wadsworth, who earned all-state honors as a freshman, has already established himself as one of the top players in the program. Alongside Shoemake, he will be counted on to provide leadership and production.

The Pirates also return experienced upperclassmen such as Cody Haggard, Holden Emerson and Wyatt Wadsworth. While the roster isn’t loaded with seniors, Fisher believes the ones they do have will be difference-makers.

"We feel like we have strong upperclassmen," Fisher said. "We don’t have a ton, but the ones we have are pretty good players."

Newcomers and development

In addition to the established veterans, the Pirates will have several younger players vying for varsity spots. Though many lack varsity experience, they have played summer baseball, which should help ease the transition to the high school level.

"We have a handful of younger kids competing for spots," Fisher said. "Over the next couple of weeks of practice, we’ll get rolling into games and see who steps up."

Strengths and challenges

One of the Pirates' strengths this season will be their baseball IQ, something Fisher believes will play a big role in their success. Additionally, the team has some solid arms on the pitching staff, though they may not overpower hitters with velocity.

"These guys' baseball IQ is pretty good, which will be helpful," Fisher said. "I do have a couple of good live arms. Just like any other year, if you can’t throw strikes, you’re not going to win games. Our returning pitchers might not blow anyone away, but they are going to pound the zone and give us a chance."

Offensively, the experienced players will need to set the tone and put the ball in play.

"Those older kids have pretty good bats," Fisher said. "I’m hoping we can put the ball in play and give ourselves a chance. There’s going to be a learning curve for some of them, but we want to put ourselves in the best possible position to compete."

New conference alignment

One of the biggest changes this season will be the realignment of the state’s high school baseball divisions. With the addition of 10 Class AA teams, Polson now finds itself in the Northwest Conference, alongside Ronan, Bigfork, Whitefish, Columbia Falls, Eureka, Noxon/ Thompson Falls, Plains, and Browning.

"It’ll be interesting to see how everything works out and who qualifies for state," Fisher said. "We have some teams in our conference that have competed at the state tournament the last two years, so there should be some strong competition."

Whitefish, Eureka and Columbia Falls, in particular, have rosters filled with players who have extensive summer baseball experience. That could give them an edge, but Fisher remains confident that his team will be in the mix.

"We’re a little young as far as experience goes, especially in key positions where we need to replace seniors from last year," Fisher said. "But I’m hopeful for the next group of kids coming up.”