Troy softball: Driven to new heights
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Lady Trojans advanced to the state tournament after placing third at last weekend's Western B Divisional tournament.
The coach drives the bus, the third baseman throws lefthanded and the first baseman has only been hanging around the diamond for three seasons.
These are the Troy Lady Trojans, who enter this week’s Western B Divisional as the fourth seed. Which may not seem like much, but in Keith Haggerty’s 10 seasons as coach this is the first time they haven’t needed to win a play-in game to get there.
Last season they needed to, which was one of the Lady Trojans’ eight wins. This season they’re 15-6, including a season-opening 13-2 verdict over Mission-Arlee-Charlo that Haggerty says is the program’s first over the Class B power (state runners-up in 2021-23)
“Surprised the heck out of them,” said Haggerty, a Pennsylvania native who moved to Yaak in 1993 with his family, and into the city — Troy, population 797 — in 2013. “That’s our big thing, is the girls can compete with anybody. It’s just what happens that day.”
Leading the way are three seniors, including Tana Grant, the aforementioned first baseman. Haggerty called her, “kind of a mother figure,” which figures: She’s quickly become adept at trouble-shooting off-target throws.
“She’s really made a lot of infielders better because of what she’s able to do over there,” Haggerty said. “Exceptional leader.”
Shortstop Leslie Gravier is also the No. 2 pitcher (behind junior Halle Wallace) and is hitting .471 with team highs of 38 runs scored and 33 runs batted in. A third senior is Autumn Fisher, who has six home runs — one of which sent glass flying on April 16 in St. Ignatius.
“She hit an opposite-field rope and smashed a window,” Haggerty said. “Even the person who owned the car cheered.”
The homer drove in two runs and put Troy up 6-3 on MAC. The bad news: MAC answered with seven runs in its half of the fifth inning and won 11-8. It was one of six losses in the Lady Trojans’ last 11 games, but there is promise behind the numbers.
Lopsided defeats to Three Forks (17-1) and Florence (12-0) have been followed by narrow losses (12-11 and 5-0). They also split two games with Ennis, losing 14-10 and winning 16-3. Florence, MAC and Three Forks are the Western B’s top three seeds.
There are 21 players in Troy’s program, split between varsity and junior varsity. The varsity is fortified by players who helped last year’s JV team go 10-4. This year’s JV is 11-2-1, which tells you something is building.
Sophomore Kirsty Jellesed is that lefthanded infielder, splitting time at third and second base while hitting .634. Junior Ellie Borgman is hitting .369. The list goes on, and Haggerty could talk about the girls all day.
In 2013 he took a job with the school district, managing the buses and maintenance. Early on the longtime youth coach — both his sons played baseball, eventually for the Legion Libby Loggers — drove the softball team bus, watched the game and thought: If this job ever came open. ...
Which is to say, he wears a lot of hats.
“I get paid salary,” Haggerty said. “I can save the district a lot of money if I can drive the bus, so it helps the district out and helps the taxpayers out. And I think the team likes it, too, so the girls can just relax and be themselves.”
The Lady Trojans can make the State B tournament with a top-four finish this weekend. Haggerty, whose club opens with Thompson Falls at noon today, would be the happiest coach in the world. And he’s not just along for the ride.
He has to drive this thing.