MISSOULA — The Montana Grizzlies softball team is off to a fast start this spring in Big Sky Conference play, sitting in the top half of the league standings with a big stretch on the road coming up.
A sweep over Montana State Billings capped a 14-game homestand for the team, a run that has seen the program open conference play on the right foot with a 4-2 mark, including a sweep over Portland State. UM is 14-24 overall after another rugged non-conference slate, which featured the first 24 games on the road.
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"Keeping the mindset the same, staying aggressive, staying hungry, we're different this year," UM sophomore infielder Grace Lopez said. "I think we have a different mentality this year. We want to win and we want to be the best in our conference. So keeping that mindset no matter who we play."
Under the direction of second-year head coach Stef Ewing, the team's 14 wins are already six more than a year ago when the Grizzlies finished 8-42.
Their four conference wins are the most since 2023, and in Ewing's eyes they're just getting started.
"We're going to change this program," Ewing said. "We're going to add to what's on that scoreboard out there. And we've put ourselves in a position to do that. And I believe in these kids. They've worked really hard and they continue to fight and continue to get better every day. And we're still not playing our best softball, but it sure looks dang good and it's fun for the fans to watch and we're going to continue to grow."
The team's next eight games are on the road, starting this weekend at Sacramento State, as the Griz look to solidify themselves as contenders in the league. They'll follow that up with road games at Utah and Weber State, followed by a home series against Idaho State to round out the regular season.
"We were just hungry for wins, I think, and we're ready to go," sophomore infielder/outfielder Anna Cockhill said. "I think that's kind of been since middle of the season, we've just been ready to win. Excited for the road stretch and it'll be good."
The team is trending in the right direction, and maintaining that confidence is paramount as the second half of Big Sky play approaches.
"I think a lot of it is just trusting what they're doing," Ewing said. "And you know, this year our panic button is a lot smaller. If something doesn't go our way, we've really learned to be able to just leave it in the past and move forward and continue to be relentless. This team has really put the time in and especially with how young we are we're playing a lot older and a lot more mature than we look on paper and we've just got to continue to do it."
