Noxon-Thompson Falls baseball see big turnout

Before the season begins, the Noxon-Thompson Falls boys baseball team knows it has a daunting challenge ahead. 

Now in their second year of varsity baseball and their co-op arrangement with Class B Thompson Falls, the Noxon-based Red Devils are enthusiastic about a large turnout of players, the majority of them from Noxon. 

And while head coach Lucas MacArthur is reluctant to single out any one player in the spirit of team play, he is no doubt excited about the popularity of the still new varsity sport, which plays and practices at a city park in Noxon. 

“I am excited to have all of my returning players back (from last year)," MacArthur said. “Obviously, I am glad to see so many of our senior athletes on the field, but everyone who played last year will be contributing this year and I am excited to see them out.”

Last year, the first year of varsity high school baseball for the co-op team, they finished with a 3-7 record, 1-6 in the Western Conference. 

The league championship and state title were won for the second straight year by Polson, which rolled up a 6-0 Western conference record on their way to the state title. 

Frenchtown was second in the West with a 5-1 record and Ronan was third at 2-5. 

With a year of varsity experience under their belts, MacArthur’s crew is eager to get the season underway. 

“This year,” he said, “We will be better about understanding (baseball) situations. Many of our players last year hadn’t played the year or years before. This year, every one of my returning players will have a better understanding of situations and how to react to them.”

Emphasis this spring has been on all phases of the game, including the basics of hitting, pitching and fielding, MacArthur said. 

“In this game, there is never just one thing you will want to improve on,” he added. “We always need to get better at batting, pitching and fielding. We will continue to work on those areas.”

And MacArthur knows he is in the same conference as the two-time defending state champs, who look to be strong again this year. 

“We are in a new conference this year. There are many teams that will be a huge challenge for us,” he said. “We are in the same conference as Polson, and they will definitely be a difficult task for us.”

Despite the challenges, MacArthur, who is also Noxon’s head football coach, is ready to take on the challenge. 

“My goals are the same as always,” he said. “Noxon has been coming together really well in the last few years, whether it’s football, basketball, etc., we have been making strides in our sports programs. My goal is to continue that and provide a great experience for these young athletes.” 

The Red Devils are scheduled to play Plains tonight (March 25) in Plains, then travel to Bigfork for their next game, April 3. 

In the game versus Eureka, the hometown Lions scored a 16-0 win, but MacArthur took it in stride and focused on getting better.

"It was a tough outing, we had a lot of crazy error that cost us runs," the coach said. "We learned quite a bit of what we need to do. It's a tough conference but we will be alright.  We started that way last year but ended up in a much better place."    Noxon Baseball Coach Lucas MacArthur discussing tactics with his players. (Tracy Scott/Valley Press)
 Tracy Scott