Ponies begin a new era on the diamond

It is safe to say that the way the Havre High softball team ended its season a year ago was less than desirable. Now, heading into a new season with a brand new head coach, lots of returning players, and a handful of new talent, the Central A Blue Ponies could be primed to have one of their best seasons since the 2009-2010 season, the last time the Ponies reached the Class A state tournament.

Last season the Ponies missed out on the state tournament due to a lost coin flip. The Ponies and Livingston Rangers were tied for third place, as the Ponies finished the season with an 8-11 record. But it was a crushing blow after the young squad fought for a 3-5 conference record.

Havre High's Sydne Huston lays down a bunt during a 2012 Central A Conference girls fastpitch game last April in Havre. The Blue Pony softball team returns a large group of talented players, and is excited about new head coach Dan Wirtzberger.

This year, the Ponies can still be considered relatively young, but with a lot of returning players, they are definitely more experienced. And with an excited new head coach in Danny Wirtzberger, the Pony program is looking forward to making a run at another state tournament berth.

"I would like to think that our youthfulness is a strength for us," Wirtzberger said. "We have so much to build from, and we have a great foundation to build off of with our youth programs and our assistant coaches. I have Bob Evans (former Havre High head coach), Mark Majeres (former college baseball player), and Holly Cartwright (former Blue Pony softball standout). With our young players and our mix of coaches, we have something that is going to really grow into something future.

"This year our goal is to get better every day," Wirtzberger added. "Obviously we want to make it to state, that would be great, but our overall goal is to become better ball players. I think we are on the right track."

Davee McLeod headlines the group of returning players for the Ponies, as a very experienced varsity pitcher. McLeod had a great season a year ago and received Second-Team All-Conference honors.

"She has goals of playing at the next level," Wirtzberger said. "And I think she has the tools and the mentality to do that. She has really become one of our team leaders, it really shows at practice, and I am hoping her leadership continues to spill over into our games."

Roxanna Jensen is the only other senior on the Pony roster this season, but is relatively new to the program. Jensen missed the last two seasons due to a knee injury, but will add a lot of skill and speed to the infield, as well as another talented bat to the lineup. Other key returning players include Morgan Mazurkiewicz (infield), Paige Henderson (infield), Harlee Boucher (infield), Liz Facio (outfield), Sydne Huston (infield), Rachel Majeres (pitcher), Tori Mazurkiewicz (infield), China Bohn and Jacinta Finneman (infield).

Shania Carlson, Brittney Garden, and Kylee Kaul also add to the varsity depth, as will freshmen Reggie Bernard and Dani Wagner. Wagner will be a speedy outfielder with a great arm, while Bernard is challenging for the starting catcher position that opened up this season.

The loss of Mary Lyons leaves the catching duties open, while the Ponies are also looking to fill holes left by the likes of Michaela Boles, a Second-Team All-Conference center fielder a year ago.

"I think they (Lyons and Boles) were great players," Wirtzberger said. "But on the other side of that, we have so many great players coming up that I think we can fill those holes."

Other players on the team this season include Scout Boucher, Kailee Collins, Payton Howard, Jackie Martin, Tara McCormick, Kaitlyn Nystrom, Jordy Warren and Kaitlyn Wikie.

With all of the great talent the Ponies were able to bring in this year, they are well on their way to having a successful season. They are putting a lot of emphasis on their batting this season, especially if they want to keep up with Belgrade, Livingston, Lewistown and Browning in conference play. If Boucher, Henderson and Morgan Mazurkiewicz can pick off where they left off last season as freshmen, they could help lead a very successful offensive threat. All three finished the season with batting averages over .300, while Boucher hit .339 to lead the Ponies.

And Havre High has already gotten off to a good start with improving their hitting.

"We have the batting cage (at the old IGA building on Highway 2) that the Havre Youth Baseball Association was kind enough to let us practice in," Wirtzberger said. "We have been getting back to the basics with our batting fundamentals, and that is our main focus this year."

A tough schedule could help propel the Ponies into the state tournament this season. And for the first time, there will be a Central A divisional tournament, in Havre too. The top three teams out of the tournament will make the state tournament, no matter how they finish the regular season.

The conference schedule is always tough in the Central A, but the Ponies have a tough non-conference schedule as well. And with a tough task right out of the gate, the Ponies have ample opportunities to get better this season. This year, the Ponies will start their season at the Great Falls High Jamboree on Friday, while they will also travel to Glasgow, face Conrad at home, host the Havre Invite, and travel to the Butte Central Invite late in the year.

Divisionals will be in Havre on May 17 and 18, while state will be in Belgrade on May 23, 24, and 25.

The Great Falls Jamboree will be a very tough test for Havre High, as they open up with two games against two Class AA teams that should challenge for a state title, Great Falls High and CMR.

"Our first two games are against state championship teams," Wirtzberger said. "We are going to see what real Montana fast pitch softball is about when we go to that AA tournament on Friday. But with the rest of our schedule, I am going to go into non conference games with the idea of how are we going to get better? How will each player get better? That shifts when we get into conference games, and now we are putting our best players on the field, and our goals shift to trying to win those games. I would love to be in the top three in the division and make state, but if we make state or don't, that wont determine how successful our season was."

The Ponies open their season on Friday in Great Falls.