Softball team has some question marks on the mound

Hungry Horse News

Don't bother asking coach Dave Kehr for any predictions about the Columbia Falls High School softball team.

Kehr said it all depends on their pitching, which is an unknown factor.

"I don't know what to expect," he said.

The team has no proven pitchers. Seniors Amanda Puryer and Kym Island, the top candidates for the pitching positions as practice began last week, have little varsity experience. Puryer pitched in just a few games last year, and Island pitched just a few innings.

The team will also be young.

Along with Puryer and Island, Kehr said he expects just one or two other seniors on the team.

The Wildkats lost a solid core of Jenny Allabaugh, Ashley Dunigan, Shannon Andersen and Colleen Dalimata to graduation. Their team was one-conference-win shy of qualifying for the state tournament.

Columbia Falls had solid hitting last year but shaky pitching. Kehr said they scored six to eight runs a game but would still lose.

"Our pitching just didn't hold up," he said. "It's a game that just hinges on your pitching all the time."

Kehr expects the Kats to once again be strong at the plate, and they should bunt better than last year. But he isn't sure whether their pitching will be good enough to keep them in games.

"It's going to have to be wait and see," Kehr said.

After two and a half weeks of practice, the Wildkats will be tested immediately.

Their opener is on April 2 at home against Libby, which is usually one of the top teams in the Northwestern A conference.

"They'll hit basically anybody," Kehr said. "They're always solid. I can tell you a lot about our pitching April 3."

The Wildkats then have three more home games (Polson, Ronan, Eureka) before a huge stretch of mostly away games. The Kats have only one home game between April 14 and May 20.

"I don't know where that schedule came from," Kehr said. "I looked at that and went, 'Whoa.'"

While the current season is uncertain, Kehr, who is in his third year as head coach, said future years are looking bright. A large number of sophomores and freshmen attended the preseason workouts.

"There is a good group of freshmen coming," he said.

This larger group may allow the team to break into two teams for practices, which they couldn't do last year, Kehr said.

It will also mean a more solid junior varsity team. Also, there's a big group of junior high students who play ball that will come up next year.