Most Jefferson High students walk out of school after the final bell and onto the practice field, or over to the gym. For junior Glory Tietje, getting to softball practice is a bit more of a trek – and requires leaving school early.
“I miss my last period of the day and then take the bus over here,” Tietje said, referring to her ride up to East Helena to join the Vigilante squad. “It’s a lot, but it’s worth it.”
East Helena High softball is a cooperative team – a relatively common solution in population-poor Montana – that includes six players from Jefferson High, some 25 miles south in Boulder. For the Vigilante co-captain, the daily travel and shared participation have strengthened bonds on and off the field.
“I really like it,” she said. “We get to travel together, and that helps build connections. And playing with the East Helena girls, it honestly feels like I go to the school.”
Pitcher and shortstop Josie Jerome, an East Helena High sophomore and team captain, felt much the same. “It’s definitely fun getting to play with girls we don’t get to spend our entire day with,” she said.
Co-head coach Jayden Quinn underscored just how much the East Helena High Vigilantes need their Jefferson High teammates. “If we didn’t have them, we wouldn’t have a varsity squad right now,” she said. “They’re carrying a big weight on their shoulders this year.”
They’ve carried that burden well in the season’s early days.
After reaching the State Tournament last season, East Helena softball enters 2026 in a different place, but with many of the same goals. Led by scorching hitting from JHS junior co-captain Sloane Ostby (6 for 9, 6 runs scored) and JHS senior Olivia Campbell (5 for 8, 4 RBI), the Vigilantes opened with two wins and a loss over the weekend, offering an early glimpse of their potential – and potential areas of improvement.
East Helena wasted no time making a statement in its opener last Friday, rolling to a 15-0 win over Park High School behind a balanced offensive effort and strong pitching that led to an early ending as East Helena reached the 15-run mercy rule.
The conference contest was a rematch of the game that sent East Helena to State last spring, and one that co-head coach Krystal Smith said could act as a barometer of this year’s squad. If accurate, the Vigilantes will be very happy with the results of that early test.
East Helena collected 14 hits in the game, with multiple players contributing throughout the lineup. Ostby led the way with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate, while freshman Jordan Lamping tossed three scoreless innings.
The next day brought a different kind of test.
On Saturday, East Helena dropped a 12-10 decision to Havre despite another strong hitting performance. The Vigilantes jumped out early, building a 6-1 lead in the first, and later regained control with a 10-6 advantage. But they were unable to close it out.
Havre chipped away late, capitalizing on defensive miscues and timely hitting to erase the deficit and take the lead in the final innings. East Helena finished with 14 hits for the second straight game, with multiple players recording multi-hit performances, and Lamping struck out 11 over seven innings from the mound.
But the Vigilantes bounced back later that same day with a 9-6 win over Beaverhead County, showing resilience after the loss. East Helena fell behind early but answered throughout, taking control with a five-run fourth inning.
Lamping drove in three runs in the win, while Jerome earned the victory with a complete-game effort on the mound. That three-game stretch reflected what Smith and Quinn have seen in this group early on.
“I think it’s continual progression,” Smith told The Monitor. “Every week, we’re getting better.”
East Helena is navigating more than just a new season. The program is also adjusting to a new coaching structure, with Smith and Quinn sharing head coaching duties after previously working with the program at the junior varsity level.
The transition, Smith said, has been relatively smooth. “I feel like the JV coaches have always played a role in supporting varsity,” Quinn said. “As far as what happens on the field, not much has changed.”
What has changed is the roster. After graduating five seniors last year, the Vigilantes are leaning on younger players and hoping new contributors step into bigger roles. The squad, which includes just one senior, multiple freshmen and three eighth graders, badly needs varsity-level experience. That reality has meant a new approach.
“You reset,” said Quinn. “We don’t worry about who isn’t on the field. You pour into the girls that are here and willing to show up every day. That’s where your focus has to be.”
Fortunately, the blending of players from different schools seems to be a runaway success. All signs suggest the team’s already melding as the season kicks off.
“All of us are really close,” Tietje said. “There’s no drama. We all support each other.”
That chemistry will be crucial as the Vigilantes develop. East Helena’s mainly underclassmen lineup puts added emphasis on leadership from players like Jerome and Tietje.
“I don’t think one person can do it,” Jerome said. “It’s going to take all of us to get to where we want to go.”
While the team may look different than last year’s State qualifier, the expectations remain.
“Our goal is to get back there,” Smith said. “It might take some time, but we want to be playing our best softball by the end of the season.”
The Vigilantes know they can score runs and compete with strong opponents. The next step is finding consistency as a younger group gains experience.
“Our model this year is commit, connect, compete,” Quinn said. “We want to commit to what we’re doing, connect as a team and then go out and compete every pitch and every play.”
Through the first weekend, the Vigilantes have already started to show what that can look like.
“We’re all really hyped up,” said Tietje.
