Ponies anxious to hit the diamond

The 2018 season was one of clear progression for the Havre High softball team, as the Blue Ponies not only made it back to state but also reached the Central A divisional championship game.

For years, Havre was seemingly always behind both Belgrade and Lewistown in the pecking order of Central A softball. But last season, the Blue Ponies conquered the Eagles twice and despite some key losses, HHS returns a ton of young talent, which is ready to make another run.

A critical part of any softball team's success is pitching and that's one area where the Ponies are blessed to have some experience back from last season. While the top starting pitcher from last year, Alex Barkus, has graduated, head coach Tony Vigliotti can still turn to both senior Lauren Kato and junior Sam Oliver, who have previous starting experience.

"We are going to go with Sam and Lauren," Vigliotti said. "Ever since basketball has been over they have been working hard and I think they are going to be really good for us this year."

Obviously, replacing Barkus, who was reliable on the mound and in the batting order for the Ponies will be essential, yet another key figure that's gone is power hitter Camryn Huston. However, the roster is far from baren as HHS returns two First-Team All-Conference performers from last season in Oliver and Kinzee Peterson, who was also the Ponies only selection on the Class A All-State team.

Peterson, a catcher, will be the big bat in the middle of the lineup for the Ponies this season and her ability to drive in runs will be crucial for run production. Last season, Peterson hit a clutch three-run home run in the Ponies first win over Lewistown and she was among the team leaders last season in home runs, extra-base hits and RBIs.

Oliver is also exceptional at the plate, yet her biggest contribution might be on defense. When she's not on the mound, the junior is playing shortstop and last season, she excelled in that role for the Ponies, which helped her earned All-Conference honors in the Central A. She may be required to do more on the mound this season, but either way, Oliver is still a key piece to the puzzle.

The other players that return after receiving All-Conference honors are Sydney Wilting and Janae Boles. Wilting put together a spectacular freshman season and knocked out a key home run at divisionals, which helped Havre clinch a state tournament berth. She and Boles were both key fixtures in the batting order and each was near the top with Boles leading off generally followed by Wilting. Both players are known for getting on base and have the ability to test defenses with their baserunning skills and speed after they get on.

That was a huge part of how Havre managed to score runs and it will be part of the approach under Vigliotti once again in 2019.

"1-6 we have just about everybody back," Vigliotti said. "So I think we have the potential to be a really good offensive team. But it's going to be about doing a lot of the same things we did last year, which is getting on base, moving runners over, sacrificing and getting those runs in. We need to do those things again."

Another key focus for the Ponies will be defense and just like in the batting order, Vigliotti returns a number of veterans such as Peyton Brown, Boles, Wilting, Kato, Jera Verploegen as well as others like Mia Olson and Katelyn Maloughney.

Wilting will play center field while Boles will also be in the outfield. Brown will be at second base again, with Oliver at short when she's not on the mound. Kato will also play third when she doesn't pitch and Vigliotti said right now, Verploegen was among a few players getting reps at first base. Peterson will be behind the plate.

"We need to throw strikes and get the ball in play and then make outs," Vigliotti said. "That's a big part of playing good softball is playing good defense and we should be pretty solid defensively with a lot of kids back."

Of course, the weather has had an adverse effect on the softball team once again and it has led to some delays in getting onto the practice as well as some postponements on the schedule. Havre was supposed to head to Great Falls this weekend for the Great Falls Jamboree, however, it was canceled. The Ponies April 6 game that was supposed to take place in Lewistown is being scheduled for a later date.

"We might have some Great Falls teams come here Saturday," Vigliotti said. "We don't know. We are just trying to get some games in."

With the first game against Lewistown postponed that means Havre could open Central A conference play April 19 with a doubleheader against Belgrade at the Sixth Avenue Memorial Field. The Ponies will also play a double dip at Livingston April 27 as well as hosting Lewistown April 22. The other game is against Lewistown is to be determined.

Outside of this weekend, Havre will be back on the field April 12-13 at the Lewistown Invitational in the final game action before the start of conference play. In addition to the Central A schedule, Havre also has a home-and-home scheduled against Glasgow, while the Ponies will also the Havre Invitational May 4.

After hosting divisionals last season, the Ponies will head to Lewistown for the Central A tournament May 18. The Class A state tournament will be held in Polson May 23-25.