He was hired last August to be Montana’s first softball coach, and Jamie Pinkerton has used nearly the entire year since then to carefully piece together what will be the Grizzlies’ inaugural team in 2014-15.
The roster reached 16 recently and neared completion when Pinkerton added three more players to his roster, including his third Montanan.
Kenzie Cole, of Dayton, Nev., accepted Pinkerton’s scholarship offer, Bethany Olea, of Yuma, Ariz., signed a National Letter of Intent, and Mercedes Bourgeau, of Great Falls, Mont., accepted admissions to UM.
Cole, who played three seasons at Boise State, will be a senior. Olea played one year at Arizona Western and will be a sophomore, and Bourgeau, a recent graduate of Great Falls High, will be a freshman.
“I’m pleased with how things have come together and where we’re at,” said Pinkerton, who is still seeking a third pitcher to round out his staff. Montana also will hold tryouts for incoming freshmen the first week of September.
“I’d like to get one more serviceable junior college pitcher, and then we’ll see what happens at fall tryouts. We may fill one or two more spots at tryouts, and then we should be ready to go.”
Cole has two characteristics that no one else on the roster possesses. She is a pitcher with three years of Division I experience and someone who will be able to provide a senior presence.
“We were looking all around the nation for junior college or experienced pitching, and nothing was really panning out, then this opportunity came up,” said Pinkerton.
“Kenzie wanted a fresh start and wanted to be part of something new. And she ties in with our needs. Every team needs senior leadership, and that is something that is going to be especially vital for us being so young. And to have a senior in the (pitching) circle is going to be helpful.”
Cole went 9-14 in three seasons at Boise State, making 23 starts with 51 total appearances. Her best season came in 2013 when she won seven games while throwing more than 100 innings.
She is an up-down pitcher who has good mound presence and a competitive nature, according to Griz pitching coach Melanie Meuchel, who has a long history with Cole and her family dating back to Meuchel’s time as an assistant coach at Nevada.
Cole adds to a Montana pitching staff that includes Carli Riordan, an incoming freshman from Spokane Valley, Wash., and Ashlyn Lyons, an incoming freshman from Walla Walla, Wash. Riordan will be a starter; Lyons, whose primary position is first base, will throw innings as well.
“What we get with Kenzie, obviously, is Division I experience, so that’s a plus,” said Pinkerton. “She has been through three seasons, so she is going to bring a good amount of experience.
“She is also going to bring a sense of maturity. She is excited about the role of being our only senior, and I think she has the personality that should make her willing to take Carli under her wing and help her with the transition to Division I.”
Olea (o-LAY-ah), a utility infielder, is coming off a successful freshman campaign at Arizona Western. She was voted a first-team NJCAA Division I All-American after batting .464 with eight home runs and 63 RBIs as the leadoff hitter for the Lady Matadors, who went 49-9 in the spring.
Arizona Western was both the regular-season and postseason champion of the Arizona Community College Athletic Conference, and the Lady Matadors took the No. 1 overall seed into May’s NJCAA national tournament. Arizona Western ended the season with a No. 2 national ranking.
“There are two things I really like about Bethany,” said Pinkerton. “The first is she gives us a left-handed power hitter. She batted leadoff at Arizona Western, but we’ll use her in the middle of the order where we can utilize her power. She also runs well enough that she can use the short game to her advantage.
“And she brings a year of college experience to the program, which is something that is going to be important for this team. We’ll only have a handful of players with any type of collegiate experience.”
Dani Walker, a freshman catcher out of Deer Lodge, was Pinkerton’s first Montana signee in the spring. He later added Kelsey Lucostic, who is from Missoula and played two years at Olympic College in Bremerton, Wash.
The program’s third Montanan will be Bourgeau (bore-JOO) of Great Falls. Bourgeau primarily will be an outfielder, but she also has pitching experience and could see time at that position later in her career.
She helped Great Falls High to the 2013 Class AA state championship and was voted a Class AA all-state outfielder as a senior.
“Talking to coaches in the state and then going out and watching her play, it was clear Mercedes is the type of athlete and player we would like to have on our team,” Pinkerton said.
“She is a good defensive outfielder and was one of the leaders in home runs in the state last spring. When we asked around the state who the best hitters are, Mercedes’ name always came up. We think she can give us some right-handed power and help us offensively.”
Montana will hold its first practice of the fall season on Tuesday, Sept. 2. Tryouts for incoming freshmen will also be held that week. For more information, interested players should contact Pinkerton ([email protected]) prior to the first day of classes (Monday, Aug. 25).