Ontiveros to toss first pitch at state tourney in Whitefish

Former Major League Baseball pitcher Steve Ontiveros will throw the first pitch to open the 2017 Montana Babe Ruth State Tournament in Whitefish on Thursday.

Seventeen teams will be headed to Whitefish for the tournament, which features the 13U, 14U and 15U age groups. The 13U and 14U teams will play the majority of their games at the Sapa Johnsrud field in Columbia Falls while the 15U teams will play at Memorial Field by Whitefish High School.

In the 13U division, Glacier will start its tournament play at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday against Miles City at Sapa Johnsrud Field. The following day they will face Belgrade at 1 p.m. and Miles City again at 8:30 p.m. On Saturday seeded play will begin between the two pools, with the championship game coming Sunday at 1 p.m.

For 14U, Glacier will open play against Hi-Line at 6 p.m. on Thursday, followed by a 10:30 a.m. game against Kalispell on Friday. The championship game will be on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. following bracket play on Friday afternoon and Saturday.

The 15U tournament begins for Glacier against Glendive at 6 p.m. at Memorial field. On Friday Glacier will take on Havre at 6 p.m. with pool play beginning the following day and the championship coming at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

For complete schedules and teams, visit glacierbaberuth.org.

In his 15-year career, Ontiveros played for the Oakland Athletics (1985-88, 1994-95), Philadelphia Phillies (1989-90), Seattle Mariners (1993) and Boston Red Sox (2000). The right-hander went 34-31 with 19 saves and a 3.67 ERA in 207 games pitched during his career.

Ontiveros now owns and operates Player’s Choice Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona, and served as the pitching coach for the Chinese National baseball team in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

For more information on Ontiveros and Player’s Choice Academy, visit playerschoiceaz.com.