Former Twins coach to lead Whitefish softball
<p>Whitefish's Michaela McDowell scoops up a grounder Friday in a Northwest A game against Libby at Smith Fields.</p>
Whitefish has brought in a local baseball ace to rebuild the school’s struggling softball program.
American Legion baseball coach Travis Krause will lead the Lady Bulldog softball team this spring. The Whitefish School Board is expected to approve the hiring on Tuesday.
Krause’s resume includes coaching stints with the Glacier Twins A club and the Kalispell Lakers A. He played Division 1 collegiate baseball at the University of Louisiana Lafayette and Louisiana Tech University in the mid-1990s. Krause currently runs the Montana Regulators baseball training program in Kalispell.
Whitefish Athletic Director Aric Harris said Krause has the tools to rebuild the program that hasn’t posted a winning record in more than a decade. The team went 1-19 overall last season.
“Travis is aware of the program’s current situation and he wants to see it succeed,” Harris said. “It’s going to take a strong foundation of teaching the fundamentals and he really brings that to the table.”
The leap from coaching baseball to softball could be a challenge, Harris said, but he’s confident Krause is the right guy to lead the program.
“Overall, he’s a good fit for our program,” Harris said, noting that Krause has a daughter on the team. “Our goal and hope is that he’s here longterm and not just a placeholder.”
Krause is the fourth softball coach at Whitefish in the last five seasons. Ron Stone led the team last season. Carrie Lamb was head coach from 2012 to 2014. Alan Compton had a long stint as head coach prior to his resignation in 2011.
About 18 girls are signed up to play softball this season. Harris hopes to see steady progress from the club, but is quick to note that Whitefish plays in the toughest softball conference in the state alongside contenders Polson, Frenchtown and Columbia Falls.
“We’re looking for steady improvement from day 1 to the last game,” Harris said. “We’ll gauge our success differently than just the win-loss column.”
Harris said it’s going to take time to build the interest in youth softball to feed the prep team. He said about 10-20 girls participate in the youth program.
“We’re looking to develop a strong feeder program,” Harris said.
The softball program is funded through the Whitefish Softball Association. Harris says the district isn’t in the position to take over the program at this time.