Montana returns to the softball field

Friday, February 12

Phoenix, Ariz.

12:30 PM

Montana

Oregon

Photo by: Derek Johnson

2/11/2021 4:49:00 PM | Softball

PDF Game Notes

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team, which hasn't played a game since March 8, will open the 2021 season this weekend at the Grand Canyon Kickoff Classic in Phoenix.

The Grizzlies last played in the same location and on the same field, the opening weekend of March in the spring.

The pandemic not only shut down the remainder of the season, it kept Montana from playing its usual exhibition games in the fall. It's been a long, long time between games.

"It feels like forever since we competed in the same dugout against an opponent," said fourth-year coach Melanie Meuchel. "Eleven months off is just a long time.

"Weekend 1 is exciting, but there is a little of the, how do we do this again? That being said, we're just thankful we can be on the field. We'll take that."

It will be no soft entry into the new season. Montana will face No. 10/11 Oregon in its opener on Friday and get the Ducks again on Sunday.

The team's other games will come against Grand Canyon and Weber State, the preseason favorite in the Big Sky Conference.

The schedule:

Friday, 12:30 p.m. -- vs. Oregon
Friday, 5:30 p.m. -- at Grand Canyon
Saturday, 11 a.m. -- vs. Weber State
Saturday, 4 p.m. -- at Grand Canyon
Sunday, 9 a.m. -- vs. Oregon

The Grizzlies left Missoula on Thursday morning when the temperature was around zero. Thursday's high in Phoenix was forecasted to be 76 degrees. The next three days all have highs in the low 70s, with plenty of sun.

Coverage: All five games can be tracked through live stats. Montana's two games against Grand Canyon will have video streaming.

Leading off (Montana): The Grizzlies went 12-12 in the shortened 2020 schedule. It was their best five-weekend start in program history and included the program's first win over a ranked opponent, 5-0 over No. 23 Arkansas on the Razorbacks' home field, and a 6-0 shutout of Michigan State in Riverside, Calif.

Montana was picked third in the Big Sky Conference preseason coaches' poll behind Weber State and Sacramento State.

Leading off (Oregon): The Ducks were 22-2 last season when things shut down, their only two setbacks coming in one-run games, one of those in extra innings. They outscored their opponents 173-40 in 24 games, holding the other team to two or fewer runs 18 times, with eight shutouts.

The only team in the nation last season to rank in the top 15 nationally in batting average (.350), ERA (1.62) and fielding percentage (.986), Oregon enters the year ranked No. 10 in the AFCA Coaches' Poll, No. 11 in the USA Softball poll.

The Ducks return their top seven hitters from a year ago and all four pitchers.

Leading off (Weber State): The Wildcats, who won or shared the last four regular-season Big Sky titles, from 2016-19, were picked atop the Big Sky preseason coaches' poll, picking up five of seven first-place votes. The Wildcats were 10-14 last season.

Weber State will face Oregon on Friday morning before the Ducks take on the Grizzlies at 12:30.

Leading off (Grand Canyon): The Lopes went 7-20 last season, with 18 of those games coming at home. Grand Canyon was picked fifth out of seven teams in the WAC preseason coaches' poll.

Topping the WAC poll was Seattle, third was Utah Valley. The Grizzlies will play six games against those two teams next month when they open at home with the Montana Classic from March 18-21.

Summary:

Montana is back, and the Grizzlies won't have to wait long to be tested this week in Phoenix. The team opens its season against No. 10/11 Oregon on Friday afternoon.

The Ducks were off to a dominant start last spring in Year 2 under coach Melyssa Lombardi and have nearly all those pieces back.

One season after picking up the program's first-ever win over a ranked opponent in 15 tries, Montana will get two shots at collecting its first win over a team ranked in the top 10.

"Anytime you're playing one of the best teams in the country, you don't have to be perfect at what you're doing, but you have to be really good throughout the entire game," said Meuchel.

That was the recipe that worked in the team's 5-0 road win at No. 23 Arkansas last February.

Montana jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the top of the first, then played error-free softball the rest of the way, while Michaela Hood threw a complete-game three-hitter.

"You can't give them extra outs, you have to make quality pitches, and you have to keep people off base. And when you get a pitch that you like, you have to be able to connect with it," Meuchel added.

"To get the opportunity to open our season with someone like Oregon, we feel prepared. We're going to step out and play Griz softball."

Meuchel has a tie with Lombardi, who was on Patty Gasso's staff at Oklahoma for more than two decades before taking her first head coaching position.

Meuchel spent the 2005 season at Oklahoma as a graduate assistant coach, when Lombardi was an assistant. She was the associate head coach from 2008-18.

"I have a lot of respect for (the Oregon) program and for what Melyssa has done. She does a phenomenal job with pitchers and continues to show she is one of the best in the country," said Meuchel.

Weber State and Montana very likely could face Oregon senior Samaria Diaz and junior Brooke Yanez on Friday in back-to-back starts. Those two went 17-1 last season, with 147 strikeouts in 104 2/3 innings.

Montana's pitchers will face an offense that batted .350 in 24 games in 2020 with 66 extra-base hits, including 24 home runs.

"So we'll face a good pitching staff and a pretty thick offensive lineup that will put some pressure on us," said Meuchel.

Montana is 0-4 in its history against Oregon. The Grizzlies have yet to score a run against the Ducks, who were ranked No. 5 when Montana played them in both 2017, in Hawaii, and 2018, in Eugene.

Montana has had more success against Grand Canyon, going 3-3 in six previous games, all on the Lopes' home field.

The Grizzlies defeated Grand Canyon twice last season in very different games.

First was a 10-7 win, when Montana scored five in the top of the first and never let the Lopes catch up. Maygen McGrath went 4 for 5, McKenna Tjaden drove in three.

One day later, Montana again got up early, taking a 1-0 lead in the first. That would be the final as Tristin Achenbach threw a complete game, with five hits allowed.

"I think we have some similarities as programs and athletes we have," said Meuchel. "We have a lot of respect for their program and what they are doing there and within the WAC."

On Saturday morning, Montana will take the field against Weber State. The two teams, expected to be battling for Big Sky supremacy, won't see each other again until the Wildcats travel to Missoula in early May for the final weekend of the regular season.

"Both teams will develop and change throughout the year, so what we see this weekend could be much different in conference," said Meuchel.

While they missed their Big Sky series last spring, the two teams did play in Las Vegas last February. Montana won 4-3 in eight innings. The Wildcats still own the all-time series lead at 12-8.

"We're just excited to get games in at this point, whoever that opponent may be," said Meuchel. "And we always as a program get excited to face Weber State."

When Montana played in Grand Canyon's tournament last March, Meuchel estimates the Grizzlies had an in-person fan following of maybe 150 people.

That will be noticeably different this time around, as Grand Canyon keeps people at GCU Softball Stadium to a bare minimum.

"It will be business and health as the main concern," she said. "We love our fans, so it will be part of the game we do miss.

"The support we get on the road is amazing, so that will be a little bit different, but we'll continue to compete for them."

Montana lost one pitcher off last year's team, and it was a big loss. Michaela Hood had a 2.13 ERA when last season came to an end, second lowest in the Big Sky.

She is the program leader in career wins (30), games started (69), complete games (35), shutouts (8) and strikeouts (388).

Taking on the lead role this season will be Tristin Achenbach, a two-time Big Sky Pitcher of the Week last season, who was 9-6 with a Big Sky-leading 76 strikeouts. Her nine wins also led the league.

Sophomore Ashley Ward, who made just five appearances as a freshman and threw 7 1/3 innings is back. Joining the staff are freshmen Allie Brock and Anna Toon.

"Tristin is very established and could potentially carry a good load this year," said Meuchel. "I think she has the ability to do it, and I think it's something she desires.

"I think all four will find some time (this weekend). The three other pitchers we have on staff have so much diversity. I'm hoping we're in a spot that they can really eat up a lot of innings."

Those pitchers will have a veteran infield behind them, with Cami Sellers at first, Lexi Knauss at second, Kylie Becker at third and Maygen McGrath at short, though no starting spot is guaranteed in Meuchel's program.

Brooklyn Weisgram made 21 starts last season in center, Julie Phelps 19 in right.

McGrath was the team's leading hitter through 24 games last season. She led the team in batting average (.338) and extra-base hits (11), and tied with Sellers for the lead in RBIs with 15.

In addition to Brock and Toon, the team has four other first-year players: Outfielder Elise Ontiveros, infielder Kelly Sweyer and catchers Riley Stockton and Lamara Villiard.

Villiard was a student manager on the team last season before being elevated to a playing position this year.

"All of them will be an important factor to the team this weekend, whether they start Game 1 or not," said Meuchel. "They will find time on the field."

And so Montana is back, starting the 2021 season where the final games of 2020 were played, more than 11 months ago.

She wants to see wins of course, but Meuchel knows there is a bigger picture to keep in mind, a change in perspective that only the events of 2020 could have brought on.

"I'm looking forward to watching our players enjoy the game of softball again and being back on the field and showing their true love for the game and competing," she said.

"I want to watch them compete and see some successes. I think we have an idea of who we are as a team. Now I want to feel that so we can continue to develop and build on it. That would make this a successful weekend."

Upcoming: Montana will travel next week to St. George, Utah, for games against Utah Valley, BYU, Utah State, Dixie State and Nevada.