First look: Griz host Montana Fall Classic this weekend

The new-look Montana softball team will open its eight-game fall exhibition schedule this week when the Grizzlies host the Montana Fall Classic at Grizzly Softball Field.

Montana, MSU Billings, Carroll and Dawson Community College will combine to play seven games on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday, 10 a.m. – Montana vs. MSU Billings
Saturday, 12:20 p.m. – MSU Billings vs. Dawson CC
Saturday, 2:40 p.m. – Montana vs. Carroll
Saturday, 5 p.m. – Carroll vs. Dawson CC

Sunday, 9 a.m. – Montana vs. Dawson CC
Sunday, 11:20 a.m. – MSU Billings vs. Carroll
Sunday, 1:40 p.m. – Montana vs. MSU Billings

To remain on schedule, games will be seven innings or two hours, whichever comes first.

Montana's 26-player roster includes 14 freshmen and a pair of transfers, with only three upperclassmen on coach Stef Ewing's second Grizzly team.

"It's going to be nice playing somebody other than ourselves," said Ewing. "It's going to be important to see if we change when there is a different uniform in the other dugout, especially with how much youth we have on the team.

"What is our ability to take what we do in practice into competition against other people? What is our ability to make adjustments? We'll get good feedback on who can handle the speed of the game, who can stay cool, calm and collected, and keep it basic softball."

Montana's lone senior, Chloe Saxton, will not be in action this weekend. The team's only other two upperclassmen are junior catcher Madison Tarrant and junior Kaiana Kong, a transfer pitcher from Western Washington.

Among the sophomores, only Anna Cockhill and Sveva Sweeney started more than half of Montana's games last season. Programs, a roster with numbers, positions and hometowns, will be a necessity for fans heading out to the ballpark this weekend.

"Everybody will get looks. Starters will get two at-bats, like you'd see in spring training, then we'll start making changes," said Ewing. "Pitchers will probably go three innings, four at the most as we try to get all our pitchers who are healthy some innings.

"We're swinging the bat pretty well and we have a lot of depth at a lot of places, so we'll see a lot of people moving around this weekend. We're going to play a lot faster. We'll have speed on the bases and create some havoc and make some things happen."

Montana will play at Utah State and Utah Valley on Oct. 18-19, then close out its fall schedule with a home doubleheader against North Idaho on Saturday, Oct. 25.

"It's been good so far. This group loves to be challenged and rises to any task that they're given," said Ewing. "Practices fly by. It's hits 5:30 and you're like, that went really quick. I leave the field excited every day after practice.

"It's fun because it's faster-paced and they are a fun group to be around. There is a lot of healthy competition, a lot of healthy banter, and I love that for them. Let's come together, let's make it about the team, let's push each other."

Ewing has been at this for a while now, this her 12th year in college softball. Add in high school and club ball and you can add another five years of coaching.

Yet she had never before seen what took place last month, when time was up. The team had reached its 20 hours for the week, but the Grizzlies were engaged in an intense scrimmage. Nobody wanted to leave the field until a winner had been declared.

Ewing and the rest of the coaching staff were told they were free to leave, to stay in compliance. The team would settle this on their own. They'd lock up on their way out.

"As a coach you love to see that," Ewing said. "They were not stopping until they had finished the scrimmage. I'd never had a team tell me that."

First look: Griz host Montana Fall Classic this weekend

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Players Mentioned

Anna Cockhill

Kaiana Kong

Chloe Saxton

Sveva Sweeney

Madison Tarrant

University of Montana Athletics