HELENA — With the Helena Public Schools Board of Trustees set to vote on adding baseball in under two weeks, a local group is seeking to fundraise over $100,000 to bring high school baseball to Helena.
Nearby school districts like East Helena and Townsend have already added high school baseball, and Helena has long fielded an American Legion baseball team. But Helena High School and Capital High School remain the only two Class AA schools in Montana without America’s pastime.
“Reaching out to the school board and showing some support for high school baseball would be key,” said Brian Solan, one of a few baseball parents helping to lead the fundraising efforts to bring high school baseball to Helena.
“There’s currently under 50 kids playing Legion baseball right now in Helena,” Solan continued. “And with the three schools — Capital, Helena High and East Helena — it equates to over 100 kids would be playing high school baseball. So, it gives more kids the opportunity and a longer time to play baseball.”
Solan’s group, which recently obtained 501(c)(3) status as the non-profit Love For the Game Baseball, has fundraised over half of the $115,000 needed to get the Bengal and Bruin baseball programs off the ground. Solan declined to share the exact amount fundraised through committed donations so far but said he expects the full amount to be raised by the June 9 deadline.
“Yeah, very strong support from a lot of individuals, a lot of businesses, a lot of Legion parents,” Solan said. “So, it’s been pretty overwhelming support from the community.”
The Helena school board will vote June 9 on whether to add high school baseball next spring. A representative for the district told MTN Sports they are reserving comment until after that vote.
