Griz Nation

The brand-new Montana Grizzlies softball squad now has a brand-new home of its own. After practicing and playing on high school fields and inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium during the fall, the Grizzlies debuted at the Grizzly Softball Stadium in March. The stadium, located on the South Campus adjacent to the soccer field, isn’t your typical ballpark. It has turf instead of grass and dirt, which will make it more playable in inclement weather. The stadium has temporary bleachers now, but will hold about 1,000 spectators when the permanent seats are completed. It also boasts indoor batting cages. The young Grizzlies, who just completed their inaugural season under Coach Jamie Pinkerton, have shown they’re ready to compete in the Big Sky Conference. They picked up their first league win over  two-time champion Idaho State in March.

The Montana Lady Griz claimed the Big Sky Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament title at Dahlberg Arena in March and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the twenty-first time. The Lady Griz traveled to the University of Notre Dame to face the top-seeded Irish in the first round and lost, 77-43. UM finished with a 24-9 record. It was another successful season for Coach Robin Selvig, who was named the Big Sky Coach of the Year for the twenty-first time. Senior guard Kellie Rubel was named the Big Sky co-MVP, and senior Carly Selvig repeated as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Under first-year head coach Travis DeCuire, the Montana Grizzlies capped a solid season by sharing the Big Sky Conference men’s basketball regular-season title, earning UM the right to host the league tournament at Dahlberg Arena in March. The Griz fell to the Eastern Washington University Eagles, 69-65, in the championship game. Though the Griz didn’t get a berth in the NCAA Tournament, they did play in the National Invitation Tournament, where they were topped by Texas A&M University. UM finished with a 20-13 record.