History
Subscribe to our NewsletterHelena’s girls softball established in 1950s
By CURT SYNNESS - 06/07/06
With the annual Capital City Invitational American Softball Association Tournament scheduled for this weekend, Replays takes a look back at the beginnings of girl’s summer fastpitch in Helena.
Originally, there were girl's summer softball leagues in Helena in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Colleen (Cottingham) Howard, the former Legion Senators’ P.A. announcer for many years, played in the league and remembered that teams were comprised of girls from first through eighth grades, and that they “pitched a softball overhand.” After this program went defunct, girl's softball in Helena disappeared for 25-years, until it was revitalized in 1990.
John Hawe, the present-day Helena High head coach and one of the founders of the Helena Girl’s Softball Association, said, “Before our summer leagues were started, the girl’s had to play either Little League or Babe Ruth baseball with the boys, or in the women’s city slowpitch league,” Hawe explained.
Sixteen-years ago, an 18-and-under team called the Helena Sponsors was organized and played against several other Montana teams and competed in two tournaments.
“The Helena team is having mixed success in it’s first year of fastpitch softball action,” the Independent Record reported in June of 1990. “To open the season, they bested Bozeman 9-4 and 25-9, and then lost three of four games in a tough Missoula Tournament. In an 18-9 loss to Great Falls, Helena's Jenny Shellabarger homered and Keithi Worthington belted a pair of triples.”
The Sponsors placed fourth at the 1990 ASA Junior Olympic Tournament in Billings, which was held in conjunction with the Big Sky State Games. The Capital City club lost their initial game to Bozeman, 10-8, despite the offense of Chris Kartevold (3-for-4 with a pair of doubles), Shellabarger (3-for-3, 2B) and Heidi Moon (2-for-4, 2B).
The Sponsors bounced back in the second game with a 5-4 win over Great Falls, led by good team defense and the bat of Worthington, who ripped three hits, scored three times and drove in two runs. On the mound, Kim Rodgers pitched six strong innings for the win, as Moon worked the seventh for the save.
The local gals lost the third-place contest to Missoula, but still qualified for the ASA JO Regional tourney. The remainder of Helena's 1990 roster consisted of Joy and Rindi Pocha, Michelle Schmitz, Heather Kroll, Danielle Eby, Robin Smith, Michelle Erdie, Myra Kuykendall, Nicole Pyfer and Kerry Schneckloth.
“We started out with an older team at first, and then established the younger divisions later,” recalled Bob Vogel, who served as a coach and did much of the scheduling those first two seasons. The next year, the 18-under team became the Bearcats, and hosted the first Helena Invitational Tournament, at Batch Fields. During the first day of play, Helena defeated Butte 5-0, Bozeman 10-1 and Great Falls 10-5, while losing to Missoula, 8-2. The Bearcats went on to cop the first-place trophy.
Later that summer, Helena was the home of the 1991 ASA Junior Olympic State Tournament. By then the league had expanded to four divisions; 18-U, 16-U, 14-U and 12-U. The championship games in the two younger age-groups were all local teams. The Ancient Order of Hibernians beat Bergum Drug in the 12-U, and East Helena's ASARCO got the best of the Family Foot Clinic in the 14-U.
The Bozeman Stealers won the 16-U title, while the Billings Blues earned the 18-U crown. The Bearcats did not place, winning their opener 21-4 over Kalispell’s Wendys, and then falling to the Billings Blues 10-0 and the Great Falls Boosters, 6-4.
Bearcat members included Shellabarger, Eby, Rodgers, Kartevold, Pyfer, Schmitz, the Pochas, Dana Koon, Steph Walter, Lisa Hixson, Jenny Brown and Terri Maness.
Shellabarger and Keithi Worthington also played in the City Men’s Fastpitch League, for Paul Bartsch's Jackson Creek Saloon team. Jennifer (Shellabarger) Klem, who presently serves as an assistant coach for the Bengal ladies, went on to play collegiately for four years at the University of Mary.
Some of the original founders and coaches of the Helena Girl’s Fastpitch League were Bob Vogel, John Hawe, Gary Dunn, Ray and Diane Eby, Jerry Smith, Frank Schneckloth, Bill Pocha and Lee Rodgers, among others.
“Helena played a big part for a lot of the growth in girl’s softball statewide,” Hawe said. “We chose the ASA because they had the best college recruiting program in the country.”
With the annual Capital City Invitational American Softball Association Tournament scheduled for this weekend, Replays takes a look back at the beginnings of girl’s summer fastpitch in Helena.
Originally, there were girl's summer softball leagues in Helena in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Colleen (Cottingham) Howard, the former Legion Senators’ P.A. announcer for many years, played in the league and remembered that teams were comprised of girls from first through eighth grades, and that they “pitched a softball overhand.” After this program went defunct, girl's softball in Helena disappeared for 25-years, until it was revitalized in 1990.
John Hawe, the present-day Helena High head coach and one of the founders of the Helena Girl’s Softball Association, said, “Before our summer leagues were started, the girl’s had to play either Little League or Babe Ruth baseball with the boys, or in the women’s city slowpitch league,” Hawe explained.
Sixteen-years ago, an 18-and-under team called the Helena Sponsors was organized and played against several other Montana teams and competed in two tournaments.
“The Helena team is having mixed success in it’s first year of fastpitch softball action,” the Independent Record reported in June of 1990. “To open the season, they bested Bozeman 9-4 and 25-9, and then lost three of four games in a tough Missoula Tournament. In an 18-9 loss to Great Falls, Helena's Jenny Shellabarger homered and Keithi Worthington belted a pair of triples.”
The Sponsors placed fourth at the 1990 ASA Junior Olympic Tournament in Billings, which was held in conjunction with the Big Sky State Games. The Capital City club lost their initial game to Bozeman, 10-8, despite the offense of Chris Kartevold (3-for-4 with a pair of doubles), Shellabarger (3-for-3, 2B) and Heidi Moon (2-for-4, 2B).
The Sponsors bounced back in the second game with a 5-4 win over Great Falls, led by good team defense and the bat of Worthington, who ripped three hits, scored three times and drove in two runs. On the mound, Kim Rodgers pitched six strong innings for the win, as Moon worked the seventh for the save.
The local gals lost the third-place contest to Missoula, but still qualified for the ASA JO Regional tourney. The remainder of Helena's 1990 roster consisted of Joy and Rindi Pocha, Michelle Schmitz, Heather Kroll, Danielle Eby, Robin Smith, Michelle Erdie, Myra Kuykendall, Nicole Pyfer and Kerry Schneckloth.
“We started out with an older team at first, and then established the younger divisions later,” recalled Bob Vogel, who served as a coach and did much of the scheduling those first two seasons. The next year, the 18-under team became the Bearcats, and hosted the first Helena Invitational Tournament, at Batch Fields. During the first day of play, Helena defeated Butte 5-0, Bozeman 10-1 and Great Falls 10-5, while losing to Missoula, 8-2. The Bearcats went on to cop the first-place trophy.
Later that summer, Helena was the home of the 1991 ASA Junior Olympic State Tournament. By then the league had expanded to four divisions; 18-U, 16-U, 14-U and 12-U. The championship games in the two younger age-groups were all local teams. The Ancient Order of Hibernians beat Bergum Drug in the 12-U, and East Helena's ASARCO got the best of the Family Foot Clinic in the 14-U.
The Bozeman Stealers won the 16-U title, while the Billings Blues earned the 18-U crown. The Bearcats did not place, winning their opener 21-4 over Kalispell’s Wendys, and then falling to the Billings Blues 10-0 and the Great Falls Boosters, 6-4.
Bearcat members included Shellabarger, Eby, Rodgers, Kartevold, Pyfer, Schmitz, the Pochas, Dana Koon, Steph Walter, Lisa Hixson, Jenny Brown and Terri Maness.
Shellabarger and Keithi Worthington also played in the City Men’s Fastpitch League, for Paul Bartsch's Jackson Creek Saloon team. Jennifer (Shellabarger) Klem, who presently serves as an assistant coach for the Bengal ladies, went on to play collegiately for four years at the University of Mary.
Some of the original founders and coaches of the Helena Girl’s Fastpitch League were Bob Vogel, John Hawe, Gary Dunn, Ray and Diane Eby, Jerry Smith, Frank Schneckloth, Bill Pocha and Lee Rodgers, among others.
“Helena played a big part for a lot of the growth in girl’s softball statewide,” Hawe said. “We chose the ASA because they had the best college recruiting program in the country.”
