Griz finalize spring schedule

Two weeks before Christmas, the Montana softball team has gifted its supporters one of the most fan-friendly schedules in program history.

Montana is scheduled to play 22 games this season at Grizzly Softball Field in Missoula, 18 of those against Division I competition.

If Mother Nature is on board, Montana will play 22 of its final 28 regular-season games on its home field.

It would be the most home games for the Grizzlies, who had just 10 games in Missoula last season, since 2017 and match the most home games in program history.

"Our athletes thrive in front of our fans. They get really excited to represent the state but also play for the fans who continue to support them," said seventh-year coach Melanie Meuchel.

The home schedule will open March 7-10 with the Montana Softball Classic, featuring eight games over four days between Montana, Northern Illinois and Holy Cross.

Montana will get a three-game series with North Dakota, then has three of its five Big Sky Conference series at home, against Northern Colorado, Idaho State and Portland State.

The Grizzlies also will play weekday doubleheaders against Providence (MT) and Carroll.

After opening the season with four five-game weekend tournaments on the road, Montana will leave Missoula just twice after March 3, for league series at Weber State and Sacramento State.

Montana will play 13 straight games at home between April 1 and April 21.

The Grizzlies have faced Northern Illinois just once, in Phoenix back in 2016, and have never played Holy Cross, a school located in Worcester, Mass.

"We're excited to bring them in. They jumped at the opportunity to come out to Montana. It will be three schools from cold-weather climates," said Meuchel.

Montana will open its season at the Mardi Gras Mambo in Youngsville, La. The Grizzlies opened their 2020 season going 4-1 at the Big Easy Classic, their most recent trip to Louisiana.

Montana will get games against Louisiana-Monroe, Southern, Southeastern Louisiana, Eastern Illinois and Nicholls State.

"We'll get some competitive opponents that first weekend," said Meuchel. "We went down there a few years ago. It was a great experience for our players and we played teams we don't typically play."

Next up will be the UTEP Invitational. The Grizzlies will get games at UTEP and New Mexico State, two against Purdue-Fort Wayne and one against Nebraska, which won 36 games last season.

Tournament No. 3 will be the CSUB Kathy Welter Classic in Bakersfield, Calif., hometown of Griz senior Elise Ontiveros. Montana will face the host Roadrunners three times, Saint Mary's twice.

"It's not only a recruiting area for us, we like to get players back close to home at some point in their careers," said Meuchel.

The final five-game tournament will be the Purple Classic, hosted by Grand Canyon. It will be the seventh time in program history Montana has played in Phoenix.

The Grizzlies will face New Mexico, Grand Canyon, Toledo and Pacific twice. "It's a field we're very familiar with, it's good opponents and it's a place we have a great fan base," said Meuchel.

After 20 games away from home, Montana will then play 22 of its final 28 regular-season games at Grizzly Softball Field, starting with the Montana Softball Classic.

The Grizzlies will open league with a trip to Weber State and end it with a trip to Sacramento State, two of the Big Sky's traditional powers.

But it was a pair of upstarts, teams that got rolling in the final part of the season, Idaho State and Northern Colorado, that played in the Big Sky championship series in May.

Montana will get those teams at home, plus Portland State, which ended the Grizzlies' season last spring at the Big Sky tournament.

"It's exciting that we'll get nine of our Big Sky games at home," said Meuchel. "Conference will be a battle this year. Every game will have an importance toward the end of the season."

This season's Big Sky tournament will be held at Pocatello, Idaho, from May 8-11.

University of Montana Athletics

Players Mentioned

Elise Ontiveros

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