Blue Pony softball takes a big step with state tourney win

First-year Havre High head softball coach Tony Vigliotti certainly was no stranger to the game of fastpitch. But prior to the start of the 2018 season, coaching girls high school softball was an entirely new proposition.

However, after a fun, winning season and a successful run at last weekend's Class A state tournament in Frenchtown, Vigliotti is a stranger no more to the high school ranks.

The Blue Ponies finished 1-2 at the state tournament, falling last Friday afternoon in a loser-out game to the host Frenchtown Broncs, 10-0. That game however, was preceded by an important step for the young Blue Ponies, as they beat Sidney 13-6 in a loser-out game Friday morning.

The win over the Eagles was big, not only because it kept the Ponies alive at state, but also for the future of Havre High softball.

"Winning a game down there was big," Vigliotti said. "We're a relatively young team, we only have two seniors. So for us to go down there and be able to win a game, that's a big step for our program."

Havre took big steps all season long, led by the senior pitching of Alex Barkus, and the Blue Ponies were hoping to ride the momentum of a second-place finish at the Central A two weeks ago in Havre, right into the state tourney.

However, Thursday Butte Central had other ideas, and the Maroons knocked off the Ponies 5-3, sending Havre to the loser-out bracket.

"Going in, I thought we had a good chance to win our first two games," Vigliotti said. "But right away against Butte Central, we have a couple of errors in that first inning, and then they (Maroons) hit a three-run home run. So we're down 3-0 before I even sat down, and we end up losing a close ball game 5-3. So take away a few of those opening game jitters and we end up playing really well. From there, we were able to get a big win over Sidney, and that was huge. Then we ran into a Frenchtown team that was one of the best in the state and they beat up on us.

"Overall, though, it was a great experience," he continued. "I was really proud of the way we played down there."

Proud is also how Vigliotti describes his first season at the helm of the Havre program. Havre amassed a winning record, played for a Central A championship, and saw players like Barkus, Camryn Huston, Kinzee Peterson, Janae Boles, Lauren Kato, Sam Oliver and others blossom into standouts.

Yes, it was an exciting first season for Vigliotti, and it's one he's going to cherish for years to come.

"We had a great season," he said. "Going in, I didn't really know what to expect. But they bought into everything we did, and everything we were trying to teach them. I think we progressed throughout the year, we got much better, especially defensively. So it was a great season, and I'm really proud of the girls. They were a lot of fun to coach."