Libby softball getting revved up

While they might not have had the opportunity to get out onto the field in their first practices, the Libby High School softball team has made the most of their time in the gym.

With the series of stations that have been built over the years to help them work on their batting, and the older players helping the younger ones, the Loggers are looking really good, said Libby Head Coach Dean Thompson.

The indoor training equipment is new for some of the younger girls, but the upperclassmen volunteered from the start to pair up with them and show them the ropes, he said.

That attitude speaks to a culture that the team has maintained over the years as each set of new players is brought under the wing of their more experienced teammates, Thompson said.

“It’s always been that way,” Thompson said. You’ll see that our girls in the hallways, our freshmen, will be visiting with those older girls. Those older girls really take them under their wings, and they make sure that they work.”

The Loggers will be doing some rebuilding after pitcher Khalyn Hageness graduated at the end of last season, but they have senior Linsey Walker coming back to pitch with experience.

“We feel good about that,” Thompson said. “We’ll just have to see how things go.”

Senior Jayden Winslow was unable to come out for softball this year, and her bat will be missed, Thompson said. But the decision came down to doing what was best for her health before she heads to Dillon on a basketball scholarship.

Senior Sammee Bradeen will be back behind the plate catching this year, and Thompson said she will be a force at bat as well.

Both the Logger infield and outfield look good, with several returning starters from last season.

Senior Samantha Miller is currently set to play right field on the roster. And Thompson said that her hitting has been coming along well during indoor practice.

“We’ve got a great mix of juniors coming back that we’ll fit in,” he said.

That includes Kira Ward, who will be coming in as a pitcher for the Loggers along with Walker.

“So, I think we’re sitting alright,” Thompson said.

On the JV side, the Loggers have returning talent, as well as a freshman pitcher, Taylor Munro, who who comes in with experience from the summer leagues. She will be paired up with sophomore catcher Taylor Holm, who caught for the Loggers last season on JV.

“The hard part is, we don’t really know how they’re going to do in the dirt,” Thompson said.

Still, he said the players have been putting in good effort in their first two weeks of practice.

“They’ve really worked hard,” he said.

The Loggers play their first game Saturday at Ronan. Their first varsity home game will be Saturday, April 6 against Columbia Falls. The Libby JV team is also scheduled to play Troy’s varsity team Tuesday at Libby.