Sydney Mann rising to the top on a loaded Columbia Falls softball team
May 10—Columbia Falls softball coach Dave Kehr has been at this a while — 26 years to be exact — and shortstop Sydney Mann ranks among the best he's coached.
"She's pretty far up there," Kehr said. "She's got a lot of good qualities. You know, she's got good speed, she's strong, can bunt, can hit and get the long ball... She can do a lot of stuff for her team."
Mann recently committed to Nicholls State in Thibodaux, La. and is the first Wildkat to sign with a D-I school for softball. She'll start off as a utility player but Kehr believes she'll thrive under individualized coaching.
"I think you're gonna just see her just go skyrocketing up," Kehr said. "She's got a lot of ability right now. I think it's gonna be really good for her down there. She'll have a lot of fun, I think."
Nicholls State is about 45 minutes from New Orleans and 30 from Baton Rouge and competes in the Southland Conference.
"It's a very small town which I liked," Mann said. "I didn't want to go necessarily to a huge city, but then it also gives me the opportunity to go to the big city and experience other cultural aspects while being down there."
She had offers from smaller schools and the University of Montana, but it came down to a pair of visits to the school and conversations with the coach, Justin Lewis.
"This offer came up and he said he needed to know and I hadn't had my official offer from the Griz yet, so I just took a chance," Mann said. "I was like why pass up an opportunity that could lead to so many great things and new experiences. It's gonna be scary and it's gonna be different but I thought I'd probably regret it if I didn't take it."
Mann has scored 27 runs, has 17 RBI and is hitting 0.359 this spring for the Wildkats.
As a starting pitcher, Mann outdueled Flathead's Macey McIlhargey in a 6-3 non-conference win at the end of April. In that game, she struck out six batters, allowed seven hits and three walks while throwing to her sister, catcher Bella Mann, whom she cites as her "inspiration."
It wasn't unusual to see — Mann does a little of everything and it's worked out well so far.
"We've used her in the outfield," Kehr said. "We've used her at pitcher, we've used her as shortstop, we've used her all over."
Mann's freshman season was cut short due to Covid-19, but by her sophomore year she was the starting pitcher. Last year she played left field and this year, shortstop. She's a two-time First team All-Conference and All-State selection.
She also was a four-year starter for soccer and had a short-lived stint on the basketball team as a freshman. But softball is her passion.
"I started when I was probably like 8 years old, just at the 10U program here," Mann said. "And then from then I've just been at the cages and at the fields as long as I can remember, really."
As of Tuesday, the Wildkats sit second in the Northwest A at 14-3 overall and 8-1 in conference play. Polson is first at 11-3 and 8-0 in conference.
The chemistry on the field is obvious — and should be.
"I've been playing with these girls since that 10U team. It's just a super tight community right now with this group of girls and we're all just super close and good friends and there's a great support system for each other on and off the field. So I think it helps us see success on the field, which is super cool."
"The senior group with Aspen (Dawson) and Maddy Collins and all of them have been playing together for a while," Kehr said. "It's a really fun group and she just adds to it. She's a good worker, tries hard on the field, tries to do whatever you want her to do."
Columbia Falls has never won a state title — conference rival Polson (which won 8-6 in Columbia Falls on April 21) has several, including the 2021 championship. This year there's a new wrinkle with a divisional tournament, set for May 19-20 and hosted by defending State A champ Frenchtown.
Until then, the Wildkats have the Butte Laverne Combo Tournament Friday and Saturday, and a rematch at Polson on the 16th.
