KALISPELL — Soon, Glacier Bank Park will be filled with the rowdy fans of the Glacier Range Riders, but before their opening day game, the manager and players met with the media to discuss the upcoming Pioneer League baseball season.
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After ending last season with a .500 record, the Range Riders are starting this season with some new and familiar faces.
Manager Todd Pratt says this year’s team is one of the most balanced he has helmed.
“The roster consists of a lot of athletes, I think the fans should expect a lot of action from our lineup,” Pratt said. “Stealing bases and multiple positions from many of our players.”
Returning players like middle infielder Gabe Howell say they are looking forward to getting on the field to see their new teammates in action.
“Our pitching staff, our bullpen is looking pretty good, so that's exciting to have in your back pocket,” Howell said. “We've got a lot of young players coming in, so hopefully our pitching staff can carry us while our bats, heat up as the season starts.”
New players like pitcher Luke Schafer are excited to play in front of the home fans for the first time.
“The town itself it's a little bit more of a tight-knit community, so I think getting the fans out and just rooting for us is really cool,” Schafer said. There's not a whole lot of other sports teams in the area, so kind of being the main focus is going to be really awesome.”
Above all else, everyone from the players to the manager want to reward the fans for their loyalty to the team.
“Well, obviously I want to bring a championship back to the Flathead Valley,” Howell said. “These fans have been great, and it's been awesome to see the fan base grow and how much the community backs up the team, but I just, you know, the fans are gonna see hard-nosed baseball.”
The Range Riders begin their season at Glacier Bank Park against the Great Falls Voyagers on Tuesday.
