Grizzlies in the outfield

The Grizzly outfield returns all three starters from last season, and has another three players back on the roster to provide some good depth for a team competing to prove itself in just its second.

In both baseball and softball, the center fielder is considered the general of the outfield, and that is particularly true for coach Jamie Pinkerton's team. MaKenna McGill hit .311 last season and flashed a brilliant glove in the field to earn second team All-Big Sky honors.

"The constant is MaKenna McGill, an all-conference player last year when she hit over .300," Pinkerton said. "She will probably hit first or second in the line-up and really has the ability to go get the ball. She has an above-average arm, and I think defensively is where she etched her name in the conference last year."

Pinkerton may have another star in the making in left field, which Mercedes Bourgeau calls home.

"In left field Mercedes Bourgeau is a player that could be an honest five-tool player," Pinkerton said. "She can run, she's got one of the better arms I've ever had, she can hit with contact and power. We need to work on some defensive things she needs to clean up, but I think she has a chance to be a really good player for us."

McGill and Bourgeau will both hit in the top of the line-up most likely, with McGill contributing speed and a very good average. Pinkerton will look to possibly put Bourgeau in the two-spot, where she can provide some protection to the heart of the line-up with power and the ability to get on base.

The other outfield spot is less of a certainty as Montana gets prepared for the first tournament of the season.

"In right field, right now I would say Madeline Merritt is back in that spot, but it is pretty wide open as it was last year," Pinkerton said.

Merritt, a junior from St. Charles, Illinois, started 27 games in right field last year. She had a .314 on-base percentage and broke the Big Sky top ten with seven sacrifice bunts.

Competing with Merritt for the right field position are three sophomores, McKenzie Phillips, Alex Wardlow and Katie Jo Waletzko. The three all have different talents to display, and Pinkerton is confident in all of them to provide help when needed.

"We have good depth in the outfield," Pinkerton said. "Katie Jo has come in and been a defensive replacement and has been a good baserunner for us in pinch running situations, same with Alex Wardlow. McKenzie provides a lot more speed and she is a slapper, where the other two are right-handed hitters."

Phillips started 26 games in right field a season ago, and played in 34 total games. She hit .210 and was successful on both of her stolen base attempts.

Waletzko played in 33 games last year, starting two of them. Her primary role was as a defensive substitution and pinch-runner. Wardlow only played in 17 games last season, but Pinkerton has seen improvement from both Waletzko and Wardlow over the off-season.

Pinkerton has a solid starting three in the outfield, but health is always a question mark. Last year, McGill wasn't able to play every game, but Pinkerton had a replacement to step in. This year, he feels his outfield runs six-deep.

"I feel confident that any of the six could start. McGill went down a couple of games last year and Katie Jo stepped in to play center. If any of them go down at any time, I feel our outfield has very good depth."

University of Montana Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Mercedes Bourgeau

MaKenna McGill

Madeline Merritt

McKenzie Phillips

Katie Jo Waletzko

Alex Wardlow

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