BUTTE — After countless rain delays, the Missoula Sentinel Spartans became the first Class AA state champions in baseball, having established their team only one year ago.
This achievement was one that not many saw coming after the Spartans had a slow start to the year.
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Sentinel junior Stellan Ridley recalled the moment the Spartans had a fire lit underneath them.
“We actually got laughed at at our assembly because we said our record,” Ridley said. “We got laughed at, and we came back; we won every single game from there on, and it was just awesome. I loved it. I mean, it feels so great. “
On a weekend that saw the state tournament condensed to two days because of weather, Sentinel faced more challenges than just its opponents.
Sentinel head coach Brian Moser said he had never faced a challenge this big.
“Giving the guys our confidence and saying, 'Go get the job done.' I mean, it definitely changed the landscape,” Moser said. “I've never been part of a two-day state tournament before, so I don't know if it helped us, but it worked out, so maybe we should do it again next year.”
But this group of Spartans knew how to prepare for playing two baseball games on the same day.
“Take a solid power nap and come back out here with a lot of energy, because if we came out here flat, there was no way,” Ridley said. “But we came out with a lot of energy, and we stuck it to them. I mean, that team was good. I mean, that was really good, props to them.”
The Spartans had to mount multiple comebacks in the championship game to beat Gallatin, which had only one loss on the season.
Moser said his young core was ready for the tall task, and it gives him hope for the future of the program.
“All three winning pitchers in this tournament were two freshman kids,” Moser said. “I’m not gonna say that’s how we drew it up, but it certainly, hopefully, gives them confidence to come back next year ready to go.”
