A community-led effort to rebuild Whitefish softball opportunities over the last decade will reap some benefits for the Bulldogs this year.  

Last year the team had 12 players, none of which had experience.  

“But it was actually a really fun year,” said Whitefish Coach Jack Foster said. “The kids worked hard, got better and even won a couple games. They wanted to learn and they did.”  

This year is another story. There are 16 girls out for the team, the most in recent years. There are no seniors and nine freshman. There are even enough players to field a junior varsity team, which will elevate the amount of playing time for each player.  

Sophomore Elyse Sharpnack is the leading returning player. She earned honorable mention in Northwest A last year.  

The roster will get a boost from Allie Stewart, a junior transfer who’s a talented catcher and a natural leader. Also new to the team Grace Inabnit, a junior who’s a strong basketball player and “can really fly and cover some ground,” Foster said.  

Several freshman have grown up playing and will bring great experience that will carry the team to a new level. Their success was built on the Whitefish Youth Softball Association, which was formed about eight years ago.  

Last year saw the Bulldogs return to a full varsity schedule, after only playing junior varsity in 2024, and a short-lived season in 2023, and having no team from 2018-2022. 

“I’m looking forward to working with these girls,” Foster said. “They work hard and work well together. They push each other and they’re a lot of fun to coach.” 

“Our league is extremely tough,” Foster said. “We’ve got some work to do, but that’s the fun of it, trying to get to that point.” 

Whitefish softball opened their season yesterday against Columbia Falls. They play Libby Thursday and Polson Saturday. The first home game is Tuesday, April 21 against Libby.