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Whitefish grads play in first Montana Shrine Baseball Classic
Whitefish grads play in first Montana Shrine Baseball Classic
Whitefish grads play in first Montana Shrine Baseball Classic

Published on: 07/16/2025

Description

Three recent Whitefish High School graduates who earned All-Conference honors have been chosen to play in the inaugural Montana Shrine Baseball Classic on Aug. 16 at Three Legends Stadium in Butte. 

Centerfielder Christian Schwaderer, catcher Avery Caton and shortstop Ryan Conklin are on the roster for team West. Mike O'Connell from Miles City Community College will coach for the West, and Kyle Fultz from Dawson Community College will coach for the East. 

This baseball game, like the Montana East-West Shrine Football Game, pits this year’s high school graduates against one another in an East versus West format, although, oddly, players from Columbia Falls will be on team East. The money raised will go to the Shriners Children's Hospital in Spokane.  

“My teammates for this game have been kids I’ve played against in conference for the last three or four years, so it’s kind of cool to have my, I guess, rivals on my team for one game,” Schwaderer said. 

Each high school baseball coach across the state was asked to nominate three players for the honor of playing in the Classic, and the trio of Bulldogs found out a few weeks ago that they had been formally invited. 

The three have been teammates since they played T-ball together, about 14 years ago. 

“It's been really fun to grow up playing baseball with these guys, and now to play one last game together in the Shrine game will be fun,” Conklin said. 

Schwaderer has been practicing in Whitefish with friends, and just a few days after the Classic, he’ll head to the University of North Dakota to study commercial aviation. Caton, who plans on studying aviation management, will be his roommate at UND.

The catcher is looking forward to participating in the inaugural game. 

"I think it’ll be fun,” Caton said of the Classic. “It’s awesome that I get to experience the first one. I’m just excited about that.” 

Since his early days on the diamond, Caton has been a catcher. 

“I've, basically, always been a catcher,” Caton said. “When I was a kid, they needed someone to do it, so I guess I just did it. 

“I just really like catching,” he added. “It’s kind of my spot.” 

During an especially hot day recently, Caton took a turn playing third base and admitted it felt “so weird.” 

To prepare for the game, Caton and Conklin have been playing with the Kootenay Valley Rangers this summer. 

Conklin spent some time playing different infield positions, but for the last two seasons of his high school career, he played shortstop.

“I played it for a long time, so I've grown to be really comfortable there and I really enjoy playing there,” he said. 

A few weeks after the Classic, Conklin will head to La Grande, Oregon, to play baseball at Eastern Oregon University. 

“I'm really excited about that, and I'm excited to play one more game in Montana before I go play in a different state,” he said. 

The three played at Legends Field when they took second place at the state baseball tournament in 2023. They say the balls fly higher in Butte due to the elevation.

“I'm super honored to be a part of this, just to play one last one last baseball game with some of my friends and just go out with one last one last bang,” Schwaderer said.

Players arrive in Butte on Aug. 14 for practice and the banquet on Friday night. Organizers hope to have a parade on Saturday before the first pitch at 4 p.m. 

  0716_Shrine_Classic_2.jpg.1000x1398_q85_  Avery Caton, Ryan Conklin and Christian Schwaderer will play in the Montana Shrine Baseball Classic this August in Butte. (Photo provided)
 
 

News Source : https://whitefishpilot.com/news/2025/jul/16/whitefish-grads-play-in-first-montana-shrine-baseball-classic/

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