After reaching the Pioneer League Championship last season and losing in the best-of-5 series 3-1 to the then Yolo High Wheelers (now Yuba-Sutter), the Range Riders made a change at manager with the hiring of Todd Pratt, someone who has been with the team since its inception in 2022.  

With opening day slated for Tuesday Pratt, who was initially hired as a Special Consultant to the General Manager, has finalized his roster and is ready to take on his new role as the leader of the team. 

Part of the tough decisions Pratt will have to make is balancing a roster with capable talent while still playing winning baseball.  

“Our number one priority at Glacier is to get these players to an affiliate,” Pratt said. “It’s a fine line of building a roster to win and also using these players in the right situation to be noticed by an affiliate.” 

“A pitcher might be better suited to come out of the backend of our bullpen while an MLB team might want to see those arms in the starting rotation.” 

Pratt made it clear that he and the Kelly family shared the same vision when they brought baseball to the Flathead Valley: Build a team with high character players and have a roster that MLB will pay a close eye on throughout the season. 

The Range Riders led the Pioneer League with five signees to an MLB affiliate in just the first half of last season; Pitchers Jack White, Noah Owen, Jonathan Pintaro, Connor Housley and position player Mason Dinesen. 

With all that talent being removed from the team the Range Riders still finished with the second-best record in the Pioneer League for the first half of the season to clinch their first playoff berth.  

“That’s the challenging part with building the roster, is all these affiliates have teams underneath them so they can pick and choose players they want,” Pratt said. “You have to make sure we are equaling everything out and make sure you’re watching everything.” 

“There were some tough decisions in building this roster. We had 22 pitchers invited to camp that we had to get down to 14 or 13, but everything has been going great.” 

The ever-changing roster was evident last season when the players who signed with an affiliate left holes to fill as the team started the first half of the 29-19 before closing out the second half of the season 19-29, worst in the Pioneer League. 

However, during that time the Range Riders were able to bring in players such as TJ Clarkson, Ty Bothwell and Jared Engman who helped in their playoff run and get a fresh on the team to start this season. 

Glacier fans will also have a chance to welcome back some familiar faces who have spent multiple years on the team; players like Kingston Liniak, Drew Sims and the longest-tenured player in Range Riders history, Gabe Howell. 

“Gabe is a dude, and to be a successful ballclub you need a couple of dudes, so it's great to have him back,” Pratt said. 

Howell was on the opening day roster during Glacier’s inaugural season and played on the Range Riders for two years before signing with the Atlantic League. He made his return to the Valley last season where fans welcomed him back by howling every time he stepped to the plate. 

He finished last year with nine home runs and 47 RBIs in 66 games played and will become the Range Riders career home run leader when he hits his next one. He is tied with Christian Kirtley at 31. 

Liniak returns for his third season in the Valley and holds the Glacier record for most home runs in a single-season with 20 and is just three home runs behind Kirtley and Howell with 28. He hit eight home runs and drove in 29 RBIs in just 26 games last season. 

Glacier opens their season with a six-game series against the Great Falls Voyagers, a team they beat in every series last season with an overall record against of 15-5. It will be important to start off the season the same way they did last year, to lock up a playoff berth early over a long 96-game season. 

“I was excited Feb 5. when I got here,” Pratt said. “To work at a baseball field and be a baseball player when there are a million players who want to be here is a dream come true.”