KALISPELL — For the first time, Kalispell Flathead and Kalispell Glacier will field high school baseball teams for the spring sports season.
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With tryouts over and both rosters set, Braves coach Richard Burland is eager to lead his squad for its inaugural season.
“It's just a joy to be able to lead these guys in the first year and everything and help build this program from the ground up,” Burland said.
For Wolfpack coach Erik Brink, the excitement is immeasurable.
“I haven't even played a game yet, but this is the coolest coaching job I've ever had,” Brink said. “It's just to be first, you know, there's only a few things in life you get to be first, and I get to be the first coach. It's kind of, I don't know ... you've got to pinch me sometimes.”
These teams were built through years of planning in school board meetings and generous donations from the Flathead community.
Wolfpack center fielder Teagan Dixon hopes to repay the support of the community by playing with passion on the field.
“It's my high school, so it's going to be prideful that it's going to have my favorite sport,” Dixon said. “What I want to do especially, I'm going to be able to go out there on that field with all my friends, and I know that a bunch of people will come and watch the first game and will be there throughout the season.”
Although baseball is new to the high schools, it is not new to the area, as many of these players have played for travel and select teams for years.
Braves infielder Hunter Fann says he is looking forward to playing against some of his travel teammates on Glacier for the first crosstown rivalry games.
“Since we've never had high school baseball, we've kind of played with each other, so it'll be really cool to play against each other and see how we do,” Fann said. “We're going to be so competitive, and I know crosstown will be a blast.”
Even though it is only the first year of baseball in the Flathead Valley, these teams have set big expectations for themselves
“I’m pleasantly surprised about the amount of talent that we have but I think we’ll be alright. We will compete very well,” Brink said. “We are going to fight to compete every single game.”
“They're really excited to try to go out and get that first state championship,” Burland said. "The first AA state championship, so that's what we're going for, you know, that's the excitement.”
With this inaugural season, Brink hopes his team and Flathead's will have a strong influence on the future of baseball in Montana.
“Baseball is going to become bigger in the Flathead Valley because high school baseball's here,” Brink said.
Flathead will play its first game in Hamilton on March 27. Glacier will play its first game against Belgrade on March 28.
