Photo by: Tanner Ecker/UM Photo
Softball to begin preseason practices this week
1/16/2024 4:32:00 PM | Softball
The Montana softball team – Team 10, if you can believe that – will open its 2024 campaign this week when the Grizzlies hold their first practices of the season in frigid Missoula.
Seventh-year head coach Melanie Meuchel, who has been with the program from the start, beginning her Grizzly career as an assistant coach, welcomes back five position starters, 10 letter-winners and two pitchers who combined to throw more than 200 innings from a team that went 10-37 last season.
It was the fewest wins in program history, and that was not something that was quickly moved on from after the team returned home last May from the Big Sky Conference tournament in Ogden, Utah.
Everyone, from coaches to players, knew the real loss would be to forget last season ever happened, pretend that it never occurred. Instead, the Grizzlies embraced it, the challenge to improve, the chance to figure out what went wrong so they could go about making things right.
It's something they've been working toward since the first fall practice in September.
"We needed to learn what put us in those situations last year and understand the steps we needed to take to move forward to make sure those are not the circumstances we put ourselves in again," said Meuchel.
Montana batted .242 last season and averaged just 2.7 runs per game. The Grizzlies, who were never able to string together back-to-back wins against Division I opponents, had a team ERA of 6.44. Call them all building blocks, even motivation.
"Our whole fall was a process of building upon who 2024 will be, getting to know our weaknesses, getting to know our strengths, determining where we need to become stronger and working on those on a daily basis, learning how to be comfortable being uncomfortable," said Meuchel
"It's been a lot of growth. We believe that as a collective unit that we have an opportunity to win that challenge with the tools we have."
The strongest of those tools might be Montana's outfield, which returned starters Elise Ontiveros, the only Grizzly to be recognized by the Big Sky after last season, earning honorable mention all-league honors for the second straight year, and Presley Jantzi.
Joining that strong duo in the fall was junior revelation Jessica Stanfield, who played in just seven games last season and got five at-bats after transferring from Yakima Valley College but who looked in September and October like a hidden gem, a big bat with a nice glove.
Stanfield, starting in left field, with Ontiveros moving over to center to replace Julie Phelps and Jantzi starting in right, batted a team-best .565 in eight fall games, going 13 for 23 with seven extra-base hits.
"Jessica stepped in and had an excellent fall offensively and defensively. She really elevated her game," said Meuchel, who started Jantzi 45 games in right last season, Ontiveros 46 times in either left or center.
Jantzi batted .483 in the fall, Ontiveros was right behind at .478, giving Montana's starting outfielders the team's top three batting averages across its eight exhibition games.
Adding depth to the outfield will be sophomore Breiana Bonkavich, who also can play infield as needed, her versatility a common trait among a number of players on this year's team.
"I like the athletes we have in the outfield. They've had some time together now. They cover so much ground and work so well together," said Meuchel.
They are the last line of defense behind a pitching staff that starts with senior Allie Brock, who has 19 career wins while appearing in 85 games and throwing more than 341 innings.
Behind Brock are four underclassmen, two sophomores who picked up valuable experience last season, one at Montana, one at New Mexico, and two freshmen.
At less than 100 percent because of offseason back surgery the summer before her freshman year, Grace Haegele stepped in as needed, if not quite as desired for a first-year thrower, and made a team-high 28 appearances last spring, 17 in a starting role.
At the same time, down at New Mexico, Emmalyn Brinka appeared in 21 games as a freshman for the Lobos before transferring in the offseason to Montana.
"What Grace was able to give, what she was able to do, what she was able to learn will help her in her sophomore season," said Meuchel "She is a true competitor who wants to have the ball. She will be a strong force for us on the mound.
"Then we added some experience in Emmalyn, who had a great fall for us. She showed great leadership for our defense. She knows what makes her a strong pitcher and pitches with a lot of confidence."
Joining the staff are freshmen Rylee Rehbein (Battle Ground, Wash.) and Nyeala Herndon (Helena, Mont.), two pitchers "who I foresee being a force," said Meuchel. "They are fierce competitors who played against high-level opponents in their club organizations. They will be strong additions."
Brinka was one of two offseason transfers who joined the Grizzlies, along with Jocelyn Eisen, a utility infielder who played two years at UNLV.
"I love their experience, their skillsets, their work ethic," said Meuchel of her transfers. "They've been through trying times, so they know how cool it is to play the game of softball."
Junior Hannah Jablonski started all 47 games last season at first base, her first year as a starter. Returners Grace Hardy and Chloë Saxton combined to start every game at third base, with Saxton also getting some starts at shortstop.
Hardy batted .294 in eight fall games, driving in a team-high 10 runs with two home runs and two doubles.
Sophomore Makena Strong, used last season primarily as a pinch runner, started all eight games in the fall at second base. Freshman Riley Peschek (Fox Island, Wash.) saw time at shortstop, the left side of the infield more a collection of moveable parts than fixtures, which is Meuchel's preference.
"It's elevated our team with the depth we have and what we can do moving people," she said. "They all have their strengths and we'll utilize that. It was a fun fall to work through that and it will be a fun season to continue to watch that evolve and grow so we can settle into who we are going to be."
Riley Stockton started 40 of 47 games at catcher last season, Kynzie Mohl making the other seven starts. Both are back. Mohl also was a dangerous bat off the bench, batting .417 as a pinch hitter. They are joined behind the plate by freshman Madison Tarrant (Goodyear, Ariz.).
Senior Kelly Sweyer made 44 starts last season at designated player, hitting at either the No. 3 or 4 spot in the batting order. She matched Jablonski for the team lead in home runs last season and tied Hardy and Mohl for the fall lead as well.
Montana will have four weeks of practice before opening the season at the Mardi Gras Mambo in Youngsville, La., the Grizzlies' first chance to begin making things right.
If the last eight months have been about one single theme, call it "finishing."
Montana's pitchers, who also hit 64 batters, had a WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) last season of 2.15, meaning the defense routinely played under the stress of having multiple runners on base. Offensively, Montana left 290 runners on base while scoring 142 runs, 90 fewer than the Big Sky leader.
The upcoming season is all about making that one pitch to keep those runners off the base paths, making the defensive play to get out of a two-out jam, moving runners at the plate, passing the bat, getting the timely base hit that flips the script and puts pressure on the other team.
"We need to capitalize on opportunities that sit in front of us, whether that is on the defensive side or offensive, opportunities when we can make a difference in a game," said Meuchel.
"Finishing might be the best word. Finish with a hit that drives in a run or two. Finish with a pitch that leads to a ground ball or strikeout. Just finish."
Seventh-year head coach Melanie Meuchel, who has been with the program from the start, beginning her Grizzly career as an assistant coach, welcomes back five position starters, 10 letter-winners and two pitchers who combined to throw more than 200 innings from a team that went 10-37 last season.
It was the fewest wins in program history, and that was not something that was quickly moved on from after the team returned home last May from the Big Sky Conference tournament in Ogden, Utah.
Everyone, from coaches to players, knew the real loss would be to forget last season ever happened, pretend that it never occurred. Instead, the Grizzlies embraced it, the challenge to improve, the chance to figure out what went wrong so they could go about making things right.
It's something they've been working toward since the first fall practice in September.
"We needed to learn what put us in those situations last year and understand the steps we needed to take to move forward to make sure those are not the circumstances we put ourselves in again," said Meuchel.
Montana batted .242 last season and averaged just 2.7 runs per game. The Grizzlies, who were never able to string together back-to-back wins against Division I opponents, had a team ERA of 6.44. Call them all building blocks, even motivation.
"Our whole fall was a process of building upon who 2024 will be, getting to know our weaknesses, getting to know our strengths, determining where we need to become stronger and working on those on a daily basis, learning how to be comfortable being uncomfortable," said Meuchel
"It's been a lot of growth. We believe that as a collective unit that we have an opportunity to win that challenge with the tools we have."
The strongest of those tools might be Montana's outfield, which returned starters Elise Ontiveros, the only Grizzly to be recognized by the Big Sky after last season, earning honorable mention all-league honors for the second straight year, and Presley Jantzi.
Joining that strong duo in the fall was junior revelation Jessica Stanfield, who played in just seven games last season and got five at-bats after transferring from Yakima Valley College but who looked in September and October like a hidden gem, a big bat with a nice glove.
Stanfield, starting in left field, with Ontiveros moving over to center to replace Julie Phelps and Jantzi starting in right, batted a team-best .565 in eight fall games, going 13 for 23 with seven extra-base hits.
"Jessica stepped in and had an excellent fall offensively and defensively. She really elevated her game," said Meuchel, who started Jantzi 45 games in right last season, Ontiveros 46 times in either left or center.
Jantzi batted .483 in the fall, Ontiveros was right behind at .478, giving Montana's starting outfielders the team's top three batting averages across its eight exhibition games.
Adding depth to the outfield will be sophomore Breiana Bonkavich, who also can play infield as needed, her versatility a common trait among a number of players on this year's team.
"I like the athletes we have in the outfield. They've had some time together now. They cover so much ground and work so well together," said Meuchel.
They are the last line of defense behind a pitching staff that starts with senior Allie Brock, who has 19 career wins while appearing in 85 games and throwing more than 341 innings.
Behind Brock are four underclassmen, two sophomores who picked up valuable experience last season, one at Montana, one at New Mexico, and two freshmen.
At less than 100 percent because of offseason back surgery the summer before her freshman year, Grace Haegele stepped in as needed, if not quite as desired for a first-year thrower, and made a team-high 28 appearances last spring, 17 in a starting role.
At the same time, down at New Mexico, Emmalyn Brinka appeared in 21 games as a freshman for the Lobos before transferring in the offseason to Montana.
"What Grace was able to give, what she was able to do, what she was able to learn will help her in her sophomore season," said Meuchel "She is a true competitor who wants to have the ball. She will be a strong force for us on the mound.
"Then we added some experience in Emmalyn, who had a great fall for us. She showed great leadership for our defense. She knows what makes her a strong pitcher and pitches with a lot of confidence."
Joining the staff are freshmen Rylee Rehbein (Battle Ground, Wash.) and Nyeala Herndon (Helena, Mont.), two pitchers "who I foresee being a force," said Meuchel. "They are fierce competitors who played against high-level opponents in their club organizations. They will be strong additions."
Brinka was one of two offseason transfers who joined the Grizzlies, along with Jocelyn Eisen, a utility infielder who played two years at UNLV.
"I love their experience, their skillsets, their work ethic," said Meuchel of her transfers. "They've been through trying times, so they know how cool it is to play the game of softball."
Junior Hannah Jablonski started all 47 games last season at first base, her first year as a starter. Returners Grace Hardy and Chloë Saxton combined to start every game at third base, with Saxton also getting some starts at shortstop.
Hardy batted .294 in eight fall games, driving in a team-high 10 runs with two home runs and two doubles.
Sophomore Makena Strong, used last season primarily as a pinch runner, started all eight games in the fall at second base. Freshman Riley Peschek (Fox Island, Wash.) saw time at shortstop, the left side of the infield more a collection of moveable parts than fixtures, which is Meuchel's preference.
"It's elevated our team with the depth we have and what we can do moving people," she said. "They all have their strengths and we'll utilize that. It was a fun fall to work through that and it will be a fun season to continue to watch that evolve and grow so we can settle into who we are going to be."
Riley Stockton started 40 of 47 games at catcher last season, Kynzie Mohl making the other seven starts. Both are back. Mohl also was a dangerous bat off the bench, batting .417 as a pinch hitter. They are joined behind the plate by freshman Madison Tarrant (Goodyear, Ariz.).
Senior Kelly Sweyer made 44 starts last season at designated player, hitting at either the No. 3 or 4 spot in the batting order. She matched Jablonski for the team lead in home runs last season and tied Hardy and Mohl for the fall lead as well.
Montana will have four weeks of practice before opening the season at the Mardi Gras Mambo in Youngsville, La., the Grizzlies' first chance to begin making things right.
If the last eight months have been about one single theme, call it "finishing."
Montana's pitchers, who also hit 64 batters, had a WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) last season of 2.15, meaning the defense routinely played under the stress of having multiple runners on base. Offensively, Montana left 290 runners on base while scoring 142 runs, 90 fewer than the Big Sky leader.
The upcoming season is all about making that one pitch to keep those runners off the base paths, making the defensive play to get out of a two-out jam, moving runners at the plate, passing the bat, getting the timely base hit that flips the script and puts pressure on the other team.
"We need to capitalize on opportunities that sit in front of us, whether that is on the defensive side or offensive, opportunities when we can make a difference in a game," said Meuchel.
"Finishing might be the best word. Finish with a hit that drives in a run or two. Finish with a pitch that leads to a ground ball or strikeout. Just finish."
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