Baseball season nears with exciting changes for North Stars, and more

There has been a long tradition of baseball in Havre, especially the level of American Legion baseball with the Havre North Stars and previously the Havre Comets.

However, the Comets haven't played baseball in Havre for quite a few years, but soon that will change as the Comets are officially back, along with another new team that will play at the 14U level called the Havre Jr. Comets. The news came from a press release put out by the Havre Youth Baseball Association.

While the North Stars will continue to play Legion A baseball in the Northern District, the Comets will play in the newly formed Montana Baseball League. Brian Jenkins, the chairman of the Havre Legion Baseball committee, which is part of the Havre Youth Baseball Association, said the league will have 23 teams, including the Comets. There will be a normal schedule, districts and a state tournament at the end of the season.

"It really came out of the success that we have had in our All-Star programs the past few years," Jenkins said. "We had a lot of kids participating, but only a select number of kids would go up to the North Stars. So we wanted to give those other kids, which maybe aren't quite on that level yet, a chance to play and continue to develop."

Jenkins said that the Comets, who will be led by new head coach Darin Miller, will also be registered as a Legion B team, along with playing in the Montana Baseball League. Robert Bergren will be an assistant coach for the Comets, as well as the head coach of the Jr. Comets, which will also play a regular schedule for 14U teams in Montana.

Yet, Jenkins said the Jr. Comets would also include Babe Ruth players and said the team would work around the schedule of those players in order to keep the Babe Ruth program in Havre going.

"We wanted to give those kids a chance that wanted to play travel baseball a team and a league to do it in," Jenkins said. "But we also want to give every kid in Havre the chance to play baseball, so we are keeping the Babe Ruth and will work around that for kids that want to play for the Jr. Comets."

In addition to hiring coaches for the Comets and the Jr. Comets, HYBA also brought in a new head coach to lead the North Stars this season, after former head coach Dick Fuzesy resigned.

However, the new manager of the North Stars will be a familiar face, as Mickey Williams, the long-time North Stars head coach, will return to run the team for the 2018 season.

Williams coaches baseball at Carleton College in Minnesota and won't be able to begin coaching the North Stars until around mid May. So until then, former Havre North Star Patch Wirtzberger will be the interim head coach. Wirtzberger is one of the better alums in the history of the North Stars and is the younger brother of former Havre manager Dan Wirtzberger. Patch also played baseball collegiately at Montana State University-Billings.

"Mickey was always going to be our first choice as long as he wanted to do it," Jenkins said. "After Dick (Fuzesy) resigned, we had a meeting with the current North Stars and asked them what they wanted in a head coach. They said they wanted someone who knew baseball, who knew the fundamentals and that could help them become better players and I think that Mickey fits that description perfectly. I didn't play baseball at the Legion level, but I played football for Mickey and he was the first guy that came to mind. He has invested a lot into Havre youth baseball and into the Legion Field, so it just made a lot of sense."

While Wirtzberger is running the team, he will get help from Shane Reno, who will also be an assistant coach for the Comets. Once Williams takes the helm as the head coach, Wirtzberger will be an assistant. Jake Eldridge is another volunteer assistant, who will head up the HYBA All-Star program in the summer.

Jenkins said that the HYBA was hoping to open the regular season April 29 with a game between the North Stars and the Comets at Legion Field.