MISSOULA — Monday was media day at Ogren Park at Allegiance Field as the Missoula Paddleheads are officially back for the 2025 Pioneer League season.
For many in the Missoula area, it's the unofficial start to summer with the team's return. And though the weather has had its moments the past few weeks with an unpredictable Montana spring, summer is next with the independent professional baseball club ready to entertain fans again.
"There's no better place than the ballpark and you know, we're proud of the product that we put on the field," Paddleheads manager Michael Schlact said. "But I think despite what happens on the field, to know that there's going to be a whole lot of fun around the stadium happening anyway, and it does mean summer. It's just really cool to think about."
The Paddleheads were a force to be reckoned with last year again with the best record in the Pioneer League in the regular season, but were bounced in the semifinals of the playoffs by the Glacier Range Riders.
The Paddleheads haven't won a league title since 2021, but each year they've cruised in the regular season and are looking to check off that final goal again.
"We have a lot of good players this year," Paddleheads pitcher Nick Parker said. "So I think coming out and making sure that we're better than we were last year, right? We didn't get the job done, especially on the pitching side, so we have to be better. So that's our goal."
Most of this year's Paddleheads squad are players who were here last year, so the culture is already instilled and the team is ready to hit the ground running.
The Paddleheads open the season Tuesday on the road against the Billings Mustangs, with their home opener slated for next Tuesday, May 27, against the Range Riders. The season will then run through early-to-mid September.
"Everybody here makes you feel welcome and make you feel right at home, especially a kid from a small town in Venezuela, it's very different out here," Paddleheads infielder Roberto Pena said. "The mountains and everything, even from Miami. They definitely do a great job making me feel comfortable and like you're supposed to be here and welcome for sure."
