MISSOULA — It's a big weekend for the Grizzly softball team in Missoula, as Montana will be playing for a Big Sky Conference title on Saturday and Sunday against Idaho State.
The remarkable turnaround for UM softball continues for a program that went 8-42 last season and won just six Big Sky games stretched across the last three campaigns combined.
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But sitting at 8-4 in league play and tied for first with the Bengals, the Grizzlies control their destiny for a league championship this weekend.
"I think the excitement is more in the fact that there's no pressure on us," UM catcher Madison Tarrant said. "Like, we're kind of just going into it, having fun, making sure that we stay true to ourselves and just play Griz softball. You know, we've come a long way and I think we really want to showcase that this weekend."
"Picking each other up has been a big thing. We've had a lot of close games this year, ones that we weren't in necessarily last year," sophomore infielder/outfielder Anna Cockhill added. "And I think at some point those games were going to fall our way, even if it was hard to see that. I've had to be reminded a couple times that trust the process and how far we've come even from the fall has been big."
UM's doubleheader on Saturday with ISU begins at 1 p.m., with Sunday's contest slated for noon at the Grizzly Softball Field.
Entering this season the Griz were picked to finish last in the Big Sky, but second-year head coach Stef Ewing saw the vision, and in turn, success has returned.
"We've talked about it from day one. We've talked about winning the Big Sky and putting this team on the map and being the team that people want to chase," Ewing said. "And we're right there. We're in a great spot. The team's really had a big turnaround and we're not satisfied."
The Griz have never won a regular-season Big Sky title, meaning history could be in store.
"We said we want to play our best softball in May. And I think we've been on the constant trajectory to be able to hit that goal," Tarrant said. "I'm excited to see what we do this weekend. I think good vibes all around."
