MISSOULA — The Montana softball team officially signed four new players to the team on Wednesday during the early signing period.
Missoula Sentinel's Grace Hardy and Kalispell Glacier's Kynzie Mohl as well as Dana Butterfield of Hillsboro, Oregon and Presley Jantzi of Albany, Oregon, all signed their letters of intent on Wednesday.
Hardy is an infielder while Mohl is a catcher. Butterfield pitches and Jantzi plays outfield.
“I’m excited for this class,” said fourth-year Griz softball coach Melanie Meuchel in a media release. “It not only fills some needs and adds some depth, but it’s a group that has some great skill.
“You’re always trying to make the program better by bringing in athletes who will raise their game and raise the game of our athletes in the program. This group is competitive and skilled, and they are excellent students. They exemplify everything that we look for.”
According to the release, the Grizzlies have already had 10 Montanans suit up for UM's softball program, with Hardy and Mohl both due to add to that number.
Hardy, who also has experience as a pitcher, was last seen batting .510 as a sophomore for the Spartans, a season cut short by injury prior to the state tournament. Before that, she was seen at just about every camp the program has offered.
In two years with the Wolfpack, Mohl has batted .425, with 57 hits and 43 RBIs. Twenty-one of her hits have gone for extra bases, 11 of which were home runs.
The addition of Butterfield will give Montana a pitcher in its three most recent classes, following Ashley Ward and Allie Brock. Butterfield was a second-team all-state selection in Oregon as a sophomore, when she went 20-3 for Glencoe High with a 1.43 ERA and 254 strikeouts in 151 2/3 innings pitched.
She also was named the Pacific Conference Pitcher of the Year as the Crimson Tide won the league title. Butterfield also plays for the Northwest Bullets. Her age-group club team won a Premier Girls Fastpitch national championship in Irvine, Calif., in August 2018.
Jantzi, a senior at West Albany High, also has been a standout in Oregon, earning first-team all-state honors as a sophomore after being named honorable mention all-state as a freshman. Like Butterfield, Jantzi also plays for the Northwest Bullets.
