Montana sets fall softball schedule
8/22/2019 3:42:00 PM | Softball
The Montana softball team will play an eight-game exhibition schedule this fall at Grizzly Softball Field in Missoula.
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Montana will play games against Carroll, Providence (MT), MSU Billings, North Idaho and Columbia Basin over four days covering three weekends in September and early October.
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Sunday, Sept. 22
Carroll at Montana (DH), 1/3 p.m.
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Saturday, Sept. 28
Providence (MT) at Montana, 11 a.m.
MSU Billings at Montana, 1:30 p.m.
MSU Billings vs. Providence (MT), 4 p.m.
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Sunday, Sept. 29
MSU Billings vs. North Idaho, 11 a.m.
MSU Billings at Montana, 1:30 p.m.
North Idaho at Montana, 4 p.m.
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Saturday, Oct. 12
Columbia Basin at Montana (DH), TBA
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Montana lost just two seniors off last year's team, pitchers Colleen Driscoll and Maddy Stensby. The two seniors combined to throw nearly 200 innings last spring and win 16 games.
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Stensby capped her career with first-team All-Big Sky Conference honors at the pitcher/utility position after batting .303 with six wins and a 3.99 ERA.
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Driscoll was honorable mention All-Big Sky as a junior and senior.
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Every starting position player returns from a team that went 25-31 last season and finished third in the Big Sky Conference with a 10-8 league record.
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Junior Cami Sellers highlights Montana's infield. The Boston College transfer was voted the Big Sky's Top Newcomer last season and second-team all-conference.
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The big-hitting first baseman batted .374 to finish third in the Big Sky. She led the league in extra-base hits with 31, finishing the season with 21 doubles, which matched a program record, nine home runs and a triple.
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Junior Lexi Knauss started all 56 games at second base, sophomores Maygen McGrath (55 starts at shortstop) and Kylie Becker (45 starts at third base) held down the left side of the infield.
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Becker was voted honorable mention All-Big Sky. McGrath, who batted .298 and ranked second to Sellers with 20 extra-base hits, was a one-time Big Sky Player of the Week.
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Senior Anne Mari Petrino started 45 games in left field, sophomore Katie Pippel, who finished second to Sellers in batting average at .337 after making the team through a fall tryout, made 33 starts in right.
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Sophomore Brooklyn Weisgram made 29 starts in center, senior Kylie Hayton 27.
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Junior Jessica McAlister batted .320 last season to rank third on the team and earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors. She started 41 of 56 games at catcher.
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Senior Michaela Hood and her 27 career wins headlines the team's pitching staff. She'll be joined by junior Tristin Achenbach, who threw a no-hitter as a freshman and struck out a Big Sky-record 16 batters  in a game as a sophomore.
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They will be joined by left-handed Ashley Ward, one of four incoming freshmen.
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The others are Julie Phelps, an outfielder from Riverside, Calif., Jaxie Klucewich, a freshman utility player from Eagle, Idaho, and Kendall Curtis, a freshman utility player from Snohomish, Wash.
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Other returners include senior Morgan Johnson, whose six home runs last spring all came in the final 15 games of the season, and sophomore McKenna Tjaden, who started 15 games at catcher behind McAlister.
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Montana will play games against Carroll, Providence (MT), MSU Billings, North Idaho and Columbia Basin over four days covering three weekends in September and early October.
Â
Sunday, Sept. 22
Carroll at Montana (DH), 1/3 p.m.
Â
Saturday, Sept. 28
Providence (MT) at Montana, 11 a.m.
MSU Billings at Montana, 1:30 p.m.
MSU Billings vs. Providence (MT), 4 p.m.
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Sunday, Sept. 29
MSU Billings vs. North Idaho, 11 a.m.
MSU Billings at Montana, 1:30 p.m.
North Idaho at Montana, 4 p.m.
Â
Saturday, Oct. 12
Columbia Basin at Montana (DH), TBA
Â
Montana lost just two seniors off last year's team, pitchers Colleen Driscoll and Maddy Stensby. The two seniors combined to throw nearly 200 innings last spring and win 16 games.
Â
Stensby capped her career with first-team All-Big Sky Conference honors at the pitcher/utility position after batting .303 with six wins and a 3.99 ERA.
Â
Driscoll was honorable mention All-Big Sky as a junior and senior.
Â
Every starting position player returns from a team that went 25-31 last season and finished third in the Big Sky Conference with a 10-8 league record.
Â
Junior Cami Sellers highlights Montana's infield. The Boston College transfer was voted the Big Sky's Top Newcomer last season and second-team all-conference.
Â
The big-hitting first baseman batted .374 to finish third in the Big Sky. She led the league in extra-base hits with 31, finishing the season with 21 doubles, which matched a program record, nine home runs and a triple.
Â
Junior Lexi Knauss started all 56 games at second base, sophomores Maygen McGrath (55 starts at shortstop) and Kylie Becker (45 starts at third base) held down the left side of the infield.
Â
Becker was voted honorable mention All-Big Sky. McGrath, who batted .298 and ranked second to Sellers with 20 extra-base hits, was a one-time Big Sky Player of the Week.
Â
Senior Anne Mari Petrino started 45 games in left field, sophomore Katie Pippel, who finished second to Sellers in batting average at .337 after making the team through a fall tryout, made 33 starts in right.
Â
Sophomore Brooklyn Weisgram made 29 starts in center, senior Kylie Hayton 27.
Â
Junior Jessica McAlister batted .320 last season to rank third on the team and earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors. She started 41 of 56 games at catcher.
Â
Senior Michaela Hood and her 27 career wins headlines the team's pitching staff. She'll be joined by junior Tristin Achenbach, who threw a no-hitter as a freshman and struck out a Big Sky-record 16 batters  in a game as a sophomore.
Â
They will be joined by left-handed Ashley Ward, one of four incoming freshmen.
Â
The others are Julie Phelps, an outfielder from Riverside, Calif., Jaxie Klucewich, a freshman utility player from Eagle, Idaho, and Kendall Curtis, a freshman utility player from Snohomish, Wash.
Â
Other returners include senior Morgan Johnson, whose six home runs last spring all came in the final 15 games of the season, and sophomore McKenna Tjaden, who started 15 games at catcher behind McAlister.
Players Mentioned
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/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
C/INF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballTuesday, September 01
Monday, August 31
Monday, August 31
Monday, August 31
