SPRING SPORTS PREVIEW: BFHS baseball has solid core, state tournament aspirations

The Bonners Ferry High School Badgers Baseball team has championship aspirations this season, with a chance to host superregionals as part of a new state tournament format. 

“I feel really good about this season,” said head coach Tom Turpin, a two-time state champion, once as a player at Moscow High School and once as the BFHS head coach in 2018. “We have a great core; it’s just a matter of executing. We have quite a few pitchers, which is super important nowadays with pitch count. We want to get back to the state tournament. We haven't been there in a couple years.” 

Last season, the Badgers finished 4-20 but had big wins over Sandpoint and Timberlake. A key difference in this year’s roster: experience. Turpin said the Badgers are out to prove they are a competitive team. 

The ballclub has 22 players, including 14 returning players, 10 of which played at the varsity level last year. Its two seniors, Brody Rice and Thomas Bateman, will bring a winning culture to the program coming off their second consecutive basketball state championship, Turpin said. 

“My philosophy is these young men and women, especially in a small town, need to be multi-sport athletes for our athletic programs to be successful,” Turpin said. “Brody will likely be our leadoff hitter. He has a great mindset and he’s fun to be around. Thomas has a nasty knuckleball. It’s sick.” 

The roster consists of eight freshmen, more than a third of the entire team. Some may eventually make an impact at the varsity level this season. 

“With the juniors and the sophomores and even the freshman, we have a lot of standout athletes in the mix,” Turpin said. “It’s just a matter of growth.” 

The 4A state tournament format has changed this season from an eight-team single elimination bracket to a four-team double elimination bracket. The winner of the District 1 region will host a best-of-three superregional series against the winner of District 4.  

A home double-header on April 25 against Timberlake will decide whether Bonners Ferry will host the first ever superregional series, which will take place on May 9 and 10. 

“Our first goal is to win our district, but we have got our work cut out for us before then,” Turpin said. “We'll have 17 or 18 games under our belt before we play our league opponent Timberlake. We want to stay healthy and in tiptop shape.” 

Other notable games this season will be home games against Lincoln County High School on March 29 and Kellogg on April 17. 

The Kellogg game will be the first ever National Guard Day game, where Badgers players will dress in national guard uniforms and red, white and blue to honor local veterans. A local veteran will also throw out the first pitch. 

Opening day is this weekend with road games against Grangeville and St. Maries.