Rival High Schools Share One Softball Team
- Bozeman High School and Gallatin High School combined their softball players into one Class AA co-op team this spring after Bozeman again lacked enough athletes to field its own roster. - The merged program includes Bozeman catcher Avery Westphal and even eighth graders on junior varsity, a setup Activities Director Mark Ator said has the team “back at one Bozeman.” - Co-op teams are common in smaller Montana schools, but uncommon in Class AA, where the season began March 26 and the state tournament is set for May 28-30. (montanasports.com) (mhsa.org)
Bozeman High and Gallatin High are sharing one Class AA softball team this spring after Bozeman again did not have enough players to field its own roster. (montanasports.com) The arrangement replaced a cancellation. Bozeman’s softball season was called off last year for low participation, and this season the school joined crosstown rival Gallatin instead of losing another spring. (montanasports.com) The team is competing under Gallatin in Montana’s top enrollment class, where co-ops are more typical for smaller schools than for Class AA programs. Montana High School Association softball began March 26, 2026, and the Class AA state tournament is scheduled for May 28-30 in Missoula. (montanasports.com) (mhsa.org 1) (mhsa.org 2) Bozeman catcher Avery Westphal said she had pushed for a co-op a year earlier because she wanted a chance to keep playing. This season gave her that opening, and she told MontanaSports.com she has enjoyed joining Gallatin’s roster. (montanasports.com) Gallatin center fielder Tayjah Jasinski said many players already knew each other from travel ball, which helped the roster blend quickly. School district activities director Mark Ator said the team has “gelled well” and that spectators “can’t really tell which school the kids are from.” (montanasports.com) The roster also reaches below the high school level. Ator said eighth graders are getting junior varsity innings against high school competition, and player Zephy Sally said the extra reps should help that group by the time it reaches senior year. (montanasports.com) The co-op has already shown up on the schedule and scoreboard. On April 14, Billings Skyview beat Gallatin 18-9 in a Class AA game, and MontanaSports.com’s game report noted that Gallatin had brought along players from Bozeman High for the 2026 season. (montanasports.com) Ator framed the partnership as a return to an older setup in town. Before Bozeman split into two high schools about seven years ago, he said, there was only one Bozeman softball program — and now, at least for this season, there is again. (montanasports.com)
