It promises to be rainy Thursday at Stewart Park in Billings, host of the State A softball tournament. 

A year ago the Columbia Falls Wildkats worked around a funnel cloud, lightning delays, a first-day rainout and a malfunctioning sprinkler system en route to the 2023 championship. They should be fine.

The 21-3 Kats, along with the 18-6 Polson Pirates, have first-round byes Thursday. Columbia Falls awaits the winner of the Glendive-Ronan game set for 11 a.m.

The 12-team tournament includes 20-6 Laurel and 21-0 Billings Central. The Rams’ record includes a 3-1 decision over Columbia Falls at the Frenchtown Invitational — a game shortened to three innings by rain.

“They’re a good team, no doubt about it,” Kats’ coach Dave Kehr said of the Rams, last year’s state runners-up. “I’ve seen them a couple times. They lost one senior from last year.”

Many players off last year’s Wildkats returned as well: Maddie Moultray has eight home runs; 

Haden Peters has four homers and 35 runs batted in; Demyes Rensel has six homers and 33 RBis; Onnika Lawrence and Italia Hoerner each have four homers. 

Leadoff hitter Tayler Lingle has 39 runs scored.

Moultray has thrown 104 2-3 innings in the circle, while Central’s Gianna Haney has thrown 104 1-3. The Kats also have a 9-4 loss to Laurel on their record, so it won’t be easy this weekend.

“To defend it might be tougher than to win the first one,” Kehr said. “There are a lot of good pitchers. Nikki Kendall (of Ronan), Samantha (Rensvold) Polson, Dillon’s pitcher (Adyson Creighton). Havre (and Elle Verploegen) beat Polson 7-1, and Haney. 

“But I’m not going to deny the fact that Maddie is pretty good, too.”

Polson’s record includes two losses to Columbia Falls and one each to Billings Central (9-1) and Havre (7-1). McKenna Hanson, Rensvold, Carli Maley, Olivia Jore and Avery Starr fortify the top fo the lineup, but the Pirates don’t stop there. Number 8 hitter Elizabeth Cunningham drove in six runs in three Western A Divisional games, for example.

It was Maley who hit a three-run homer to beat AA champion Glacier a couple weeks ago. Coach Jami Hanson would like to bottle that game, the way the big hits and clutch plays came together.

“That’s what has to happen, when you get to the level of the state tournament,” he said.

The Pirates will play either Hamilton or Havre in their next game.

“We’ve seen both and one team we played like garbage against, and one we beat (Hamilton, 10-0),” Hanson said. “ There’s your sports in general, right? Round ball, round stick, and you have to square it up.”

Polson is hunting its ninth state softball title. Columbia Falls won its first last May.