Local baseball athletes sign with colleges

A summer of hard work, travel and exposure is paying dividends for four Whitefish High School baseball players as they prepare for their senior season.

Four Whitefish Bulldogs and one Lincoln County Lion will take their baseball careers to the next level after signing college commitments this fall, marking another successful chapter for the Kalispell Sluggers summer baseball program. 

Bulldog seniors Logan Stewart, Reyd Hobart, Finn Ryan, Drew Queen, and Tyce Van Orden from Eureka, have all committed. 

Stewart, a right-handed pitcher, will join the Umpqua Community College Riverhawks in Oregon.  

Hobart, a catcher, has committed to Columbia Basin College in Washington.  

Finn Ryan, known to teammates as "Big Red," will play first base and designated hitter for the Phoenix College Bears in Arizona.  

Queen, a versatile middle infielder and third baseman, will continue his career at Paradise Valley Community College in Arizona. 

Van Orden from Eureka has committed to Wenatchee.   

All five players have one more important season ahead of them as they enter their senior year with the Whitefish Bulldogs and Lincoln County Lions, eager to compete for a Class A-B state championship. 

The athletes all played with the Kalispell Sluggers over the summer.  

The Sluggers regularly face teams from Colorado, California, Washington, Idaho, Nevada and Utah, giving Montana players valuable exposure to competition outside their home state. 

For many young athletes, the experience is eye-opening. It allows them to see firsthand the level of baseball being played throughout the West and, more importantly, realize they can compete at that level. 

That exposure helped create another opportunity this past fall when eight Kalispell Slugger players earned spots on Montana's first Western Montana Scout Team. 

Those nine players were Max Weber, Jett Pitts, Carter Godsey, Drew Queen, Reyd Hobart, Tyce Van Orden Finn Ryan, Carter Wiggington and Logan Stewart. 

The Western Montana Scout Team was truly a statewide effort, bringing together talented players from Helena, Butte, Missoula, Hamilton, Stevensville, Polson and the Flathead Valley. Made up primarily of 2027 graduates, the team gave Montana athletes an opportunity to represent their state while competing against junior college programs throughout the Western United States. 

Their schedule included stops at Allan Hancock College in California, College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls, Spokane Falls Community College, Big Bend Community College in Moses Lake, Phoenix College and Paradise Valley Community College in Arizona. 

For Montana players hoping to continue their baseball careers, this was an opportunity unlike anything they had experienced before. Instead of simply attending showcases and hoping to catch a coach's attention, they were competing directly against junior college teams during their fall seasons. 

The competition was a major adjustment. These 17- and 18-year-old Montana athletes were facing players ranging from 19 to 21 years old, with pitchers regularly throwing over 90 mph. 

Initially, the speed and quality of pitching were overwhelming. But these young athletes were determined to adapt. 

The players weren't going to let the challenge define them. Instead, they went back to work. 

When the players returned home following each week of competition, they continued training under the guidance of Ray Queen and Chris Gillette. They also received additional instruction and support from Seattle Mariners bullpen coach Austin Nola, who came in to work with the players and help them adjust to the demands of higher-level pitching. 

The focus wasn't simply on swinging harder or trying to catch up to faster pitches. It was about learning to slow the game down mentally. The players worked on slowing their brains down, improving pitch recognition and allowing themselves more time to see the baseball coming out of a pitcher's hand. 

They were learning an important lesson: getting comfortable being uncomfortable. 

Rather than being intimidated by the velocity, they began embracing the challenge. Week after week, they became more comfortable facing higher-level pitching, and the confidence that developed was something many of these young athletes had never experienced before. 

What initially seemed overwhelming was becoming manageable. They were learning that they belonged on the field with these older, more experienced players. 

The experience also caught the attention of college coaches. 

At each stop, the Western Montana Scout Team made an impression. Coaches were surprised by the level of talent coming out of Montana and took notice of the players' work ethic, competitiveness and determination. 

Many appreciated what they saw in the Montana style of baseball: hard work, toughness, teamwork and a willingness to compete. 

Two Slugger players, Carter Godsey and Jett Pitts, had injuries that limited their participation during the fall. However, both have established names for themselves and remain optimistic about future college opportunities. 

Three members of the Sluggers' Class of 2026 are already playing at the next level. Nico Young of Columbia Falls, Kaeden Kahler of Kalispell and Hayden Mayer of Bigfork are all continuing their baseball careers at Umpqua Community College. 

For the four Whitefish Bulldogs, the next chapter begins with one more season in the green and gold. They'll enter their senior year with college commitments secured and a chance to chase a Class A state championship alongside their teammates. 

Meanwhile, the Kalispell Sluggers are already preparing for another strong summer in 2027, continuing to build a program that is opening doors for young athletes throughout the Flathead Valley and beyond. 

For these players, the dream of playing college baseball is no longer just a possibility. It's becoming reality. 

And for Montana baseball, that's something worth celebrating.