Passion for the game shows as inaugural Whitefish Baseball season begins

Mar. 22—While waiting for the snow to melt off the fields, the Whitefish High School baseball team has been hard at work already preparing for the inaugural season of Montana Class A high school baseball.

The team likely won't get any time on an actual field prior to playing games this season as snow lingers from a long winter. But the over 30 players that have come out for the Bulldogs have been hitting and throwing to get in shape for the season within the walls of the high school gym.

Although it's a challenge as everything is shortened up more so than on a full field, Whitefish head coach Kyler Blades says the team has been able to work with the situation and continually improve.

"We had an early morning practice... and kids were passionate, energetic and having fun playing this awesome game even though we have to be indoors right now. It's going to be another level of excitement especially once we can get outside," Blades said.

The coach says the team is senior-heavy and led by a variety of players, some with club baseball experience, some are Glacier Twins players and also multi-sport athletes that are returning to the sport after taking a few years off.

On the mound, Whitefish will be led by Washington State commit Ty Schwaiger. The Bulldog senior is a skilled right-handed baseball pitcher and is consistently throwing in the low 90s. He plays for the NW Premier Baseball Club out of Post Falls, Idaho.

Another pitcher to add depth to the mound is Jacob Polumbus, also a Twins player, who Blades expects to pitch a lot of innings for the Bulldogs. Two more Glacier Twins players, Jake McIntyre and Maddox Muller, also bring a lot of experience to the field. Blades anticipates McIntyre as a centerfielder and Muller to play shortstop.

Senior catcher Fynn Ridgeway is a talented multisport athlete, also quarterback for the football team. Blades says, "He might be an even better catcher than he is a quarterback, to be honest."

"We have some really solid ball players that play year round and also some guys that are coming back for the first time in a few years that are also good athletes," Blades added. "I'm really excited to coach the whole array of talent that we have here."

THE TEAM has been able to hit real baseballs at a batting cage that Blades owns in Kalispell and has been doing so since January, voluntarily, and now it's a mandatory part of practice once a week. Inside the gym, the players can hit real baseballs into a soft net, get some short throwing in and practice with indoor baseballs otherwise. The coaches are focused on putting together meaningful practices despite being stuck inside for the time being.

"We're seeing improvement day over day, week over week, just being indoors still," Blades said. "That's a priority of ours is making sure kids are still getting something out of our practices and they definitely are."

As it is the first season for high school baseball across the state, there is a lot of excitement but also challenges. Having to practice indoors is a huge challenge, but also the Whitefish team has had to do fundraising, order all equipment and get the technology for statistics tracking set up on their own.

Whitefish High School officially adopted the sport of baseball as an offering this year, but it is not funded at all by the school, unlike most of the other sports; swimming is also not funded by the school district.

There is a WHS Baseball Board that organized fundraising events and made this season possible. Blades gives credit to volunteers like Brigetta Schwaiger, Pete Akey and Bill Kunz who headed up the fundraising committee, and Brad Ridgeway who has been integral to getting things off the ground in terms of fundraising, designing uniforms and ordering player packs.

The team is funded for this season but has a goal to raise funds that will support the team for three seasons. They are well on their way, and appreciative of the support.

"This team wouldn't happen without the community support," Blades expressed. "They've shown out and we need them to continue to support baseball in Whitefish."

BLADES brings his deep knowledge and passion for the sport as he takes on the role as the first head coach in program history. He attended Whitefish High School, playing basketball and golf for the Bulldogs and also playing for the Glacier Twins in the summer. He graduated in 2011 and played baseball in college mainly as a second baseman and shortstop.

After returning to the valley, Blades coached American Legion baseball and later opened his own batting cage and youth training business in Kalispell where he runs baseball and softball programs year-round. When the coaching job at Whitefish opened, he applied knowing he could help many more kids enjoy playing the sport.

"This fit in really well and is something I'm passionate about. Once I was convinced that more kids are going to be playing baseball, then I was all in," Blades said, explaining he was skeptical at first as he went through the Legion program as a teenager, but soon realized high school baseball lowered the barrier of entry to play.

"I'm pretty honored and humbled to be the first coach," he added.

Alongside Blades is assistant coach Mac Roche, who has handled implementing the statistic tracking software, among other things. The volunteer coaches include pitching coach Forrest Kobelt, head JV coach Randy Ursery and varsity assistant coach Lindsay Fansler, who was Blades' coach when he played for the Twins.

The team and players individually are setting goals, including making it into the playoffs and to the state tournament. But, they will take it one game, one inning, one pitch at a time, says Blades.

Above all else though, the coach believes the best part of Whitefish High School adding baseball is that more kids are getting out on the field. He says more involvement in baseball will elevate the level of play across the state.

Whitefish is scheduled to play in Corvallis on Thursday to start the season, however if snow remains the game will have to be rescheduled. Following spring break, Whitefish will play in Columbia Falls on April 6.