Despite losing eight seniors, the Columbia Falls baseball team still has a solid core of athletes this year, looking to make their mark on the conference and with any luck, the postseason.

The conference this year will send just two to the state tournament, explained head coach Chad Green. The conference winner will have an automatic berth and the second and third place teams will have a play-in game.

All told this year’s squad has 24 players, including all-state senior short stop Reggie Sapa, all-conference player Nico Young and returning pitcher Jett Pitts, who did well as a freshman last year, earning a starting spot in the rotation.

Sapa hit nine triples last year and hit .493.

Green said he also expects good things from Treyson Murphy, Jory Hill, Wyatt Dodson, Cooper Ross, Trenton DeRosa and Brady Matson, who brings a big bat the the plate.

Ross is a transfer from Colorado and has already proven his moxie on the football and basketball teams this year.

All told there are 10 teams in the conference and with high school baseball slowly growing across the state, everyone is playing everyone else, regardless of school classification.

The Cats are scheduled to open the season on the road this Saturday against Class B Plains/Hot Springs. They then travel to Polson April 1 and host Whitefish April 4.

Look for the Bulldogs, Polson, Bigfork and Eureka to be tough in the conference this season.

As far as the state tourney goes, Florence won it all last year and returns pretty much the whole team again this season.

The Wildcats took third at state last season, beating Butte 16-2 for the honors. Last year the Wildcats were 18-3.

Green is assisted by his son, Austin Green, Scott Corbett and Brandon Rice.