Last spring, Alex Wardlow played an integral part in Benicia High’s first Section softball championship in 14 years. Next spring, Wardlow expects to play outfield for the University of Montana’s first-ever softball team.
Wardlow, a freshman journalism major at the University of Montana in Missoula, was named to the Lady Grizzlies inaugural softball team after making it through walk-on tryouts the first week of September. It’s a dream come true for Wardlow, who has a cousin living in Missoula, grandparents in nearby Conrad and several other relatives sprinkled throughout the state.
“It was one of my top schools whether they had softball or not,” Wardlow said of the University of Montana. “I really wanted to live here and be close to my grandparents. And their journalism program is ninth in the nation.”
The UM softball program got its start in May 2011 when the Montana Board of Regents approved an increased student athletic fee to help UM remain in compliance with Title IX gender-equity metrics. The increase wasn’t written specifically for the addition of a women’s softball program, but because of the rise in popularity of the sport at the prep level in the state and in the region, it was the logical choice to become UM’s 15th intercollegiate sport and ninth women’s program.
“It’s a very big deal here,” Wardlow said. “People have been coming and watching practices and following the team.”
Led by coach Jamie Pinkerton, the Montana Grizzlies softball team will embark on its inaugural season in February 2015 in a tournament at New Mexico State University. The Grizzlies will compete in the Big Sky Conference, which formed as a softball league in 2013. The team will host its first conference game on March 21, 2015, against Idaho State University.
Once Wardlow learned Pinkerton had been hired, she peppered him with e-mails letting the coach now she was already on campus and interested in playing softball. Wardlow also got a reference letter from Benicia softball instructor Gary Gascoigne, an acquaintance of Pinkerton’s.
“I just kept e-mailing (Pinkerton) every day and really kept on him,” Wardlow said. “He liked how strong I was and he thinks I’m going to be a big asset to the team.”
Wardlow has already begun team workouts and received her Grizzlies uniform on Tuesday. She’ll be spending the next few months trying to earn a starting role with the inaugural team.
“I wanted this for a long time and now that it’s finally happening, it’s a really great feeling,” Wardlow said. “I feel like my dream has come true. It’s really pretty up here. There are lots of rivers and outdoor activities to do. It’s a lot of fun. It’s going good and I’m enjoying it.”
Wardlow was a star centerfielder for Benicia High’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champions and earned All-Solano County Athletic Conference Honorable Mention. She hit .296 last spring and tied for the team lead with 29 runs scored.