A familiar face in Columbia Falls sports was recently named the new Columbia Falls High School baseball coach.

Chad Green has 21 years coaching youth baseball, leading the Glacier Babe Ruth 15U team to the World Series in 2015. He grew up in Columbia Falls, graduating in 1994.

Green makes his living as the safety coordinator for Flathead Electric Cooperative, but he looks forward to taking the helm of the Wildcat baseball team in its second season.

“I love Columbia Falls,” he said in a recent interview. “I’ve been bleeding blue way before bleeding blue was cool.”

In addition to coaching baseball, he’s spent two years as an assistant coach under head basketball coach Cary Finberg and six as an assistant under head football coach Jaxon Schweikert.

Green played Babe Ruth baseball in high school as well as a year with the Glacier Twins. He coached his son, Austin Green, all through his youth. Austin was an excellent pitcher and as 13Us they were state Babe Ruth champions; as 14Us they were upset in the state championship and then as 15Us they were one of the few teams ever from Montana to win the Pacific Northwest Regional title.

“I was blessed with a good group of kids,” Green recalled.

Coaching isn’t all about what happens on the field, either. Getting 13 fifteen-year-old players through airport security was “quite the nerve-wracking experience,” Green said with a smile.

At 47, Green will now tap Austin to be his assistant and JV coach, along with Scott Corbett and Brandon Rice, who were assistants last year but ended up running the program after the untimely death of head coach Bill Sapa.

Josh Fields, a legendary Columbia Falls professional pitcher will also help coach the pitching staff.

“I got a great staff … all Columbia Falls guys, which is important to me,” Green said.

Green said the hope is to get some training in through open gyms this winter. The team has a lot of returning baseball talent, including Kellen Kroger, who threw a no-hitter last season; Cody Schweikert, Reggie Sapa, Dayne Tu, AC Chisholm and Nico Young to name a few.

The season kicks off in March and hopefully the weather cooperates a little this year. Last year the snow didn’t melt until just before the first game was played.