All-star team featuring Kinzie takes first

PLAINS – Sami Kinzie of the Plains Trotters high school softball team has had a very busy summer competing against the best competition Montana has to offer.

While other area high school students enjoyed their summer vacation before the start of fall classes, Kinzie competed with two different softball teams over the past few months.

“I love it. Softball takes up pretty much all my life but I wouldn’t trade it for anything,” Kinzie said.

After the infielder helped the Plains Trotters with a breakout season, which ended with an impressive third place finish at the B/C Divisional State Tournament in the spring, she continued with the Montana Avalanche of Missoula.

The Avalanche are a fast pitch softball travel team and as was the case with the Trotters Kinzie experienced success with the Missoula team and was part of the 18 and under team which took second place at the 17th annual Coeur d’Alene Tournament in Idaho.  

After her time with the Avalanche Kinzie’s summer of softball wasn’t done yet as she joined up with North All-Star team for a special late summer tournament.

“It was an awesome experience playing with the team,” Kinzie said.

The All-Star team Kinzie was a part of met teams from other parts of Montana in the inaugural Nicholas Bloem Memorial Softball Classic, hosted by VFW Post No. 12112 in Belgrade, MT.

In the event’s first year in existence stand out softball players from each region of Montana were represented at the weekend competition in Gallatin County.

Four teams made up entirely of all-state and all-conference student athletes from each of the three Montana High School Association’s softball divisions descended upon Belgrade for the inaugural tournament.

Athletes from the softball classifications AA, A and B/C, which the Plains Trotters compete in, were all present for Saturday’s games.

Kinzie said one of her favorite parts of playing on the North All Star Team was the fact it allowed her to play with a group of girls who are usually on the other side of the softball field.

“I was playing with a group of girls I normally am competing against,” Kinzie said.  

Despite not having much experience playing with one another, the North All-Stars showed great chemistry and won both of their games on Saturday to finish first in the debut tournament.

Kinzie played shortstop for the team throughout the tournament.

In their opening game of the tournament the North squared off against the All-Star squad from the south of the state, winning the semifinal competition 5 to 2.

Kinzie’s team progressed to the final round where they were able to triumph over the West All-Stars to take home the championship in the all-star studded event.

Despite the time and effort she has put into the travel team and the all-star squad over the summer, Kinzie is still very proud of what the girls of the Plains Trotters accomplished earlier in the year.

“It was an awesome season, the girls really came together,” Kinzie said.

Kinzie is looking forward to her senior year at Plains High School in the coming school year.

She plans on playing with the basketball team in the winter and rejoining the Plains Trotters for another campaign next spring.