Helena parents race to fund high school baseball before board vote
Helena parents are trying to raise $115,000 before June 9, when trustees will decide whether school-sponsored baseball joins Helena’s sports lineup.
Helena families are racing to finish a $115,000 fundraising push before the Helena Public Schools Board of Trustees votes on whether baseball will become a school sport next spring. Supporters say Love For the Game Baseball has already raised more than half the total, turning what began as a parent campaign into a test of whether community fundraising is now the price of entry for athletics in Helena.
The board is scheduled to meet June 9, 2026, at 5:30 p.m. at Lincoln Center, 1325 Poplar St. in Helena. That meeting could determine whether Helena High School and Capital High School finally add baseball at the school level, making them the only two Class AA schools in Montana without the sport. Right now, Helena families who want organized baseball have to rely on the city’s long-running American Legion system or send players to neighboring districts that already field school teams, including East Helena and Townsend.
Brian Solan, one of the parents leading the effort, said the goal is to show the trustees that there is broad support for the sport. He said backing has come from families, businesses and American Legion parents, and that school-sponsored baseball would give more kids a chance to play while extending the season for more students across the city’s three high schools.
The question is not just whether Helena can fund the first year. It is whether the city wants a lasting varsity pathway or a one-time fix that still leaves equity, access and district support unresolved. Helena American Legion Baseball Post 2 now operates three teams, the Senators, Reps and Independents. The Independents are limited to players enrolled in grades 7 through 10, while the Class AA level in the Montana-Alberta American Legion Baseball Conference is a senior league for teams whose players come from high schools with combined or total enrollment above 1,000 students.
That structure matters because current Legion participation in Helena is under 50 players, while school-sponsored baseball could open the door to more than 100 athletes across Capital High, Helena High and East Helena. The state’s high school baseball system is still young but expanding: the Montana High School Association says the first sanctioned state tournament was held in 2023 with 25 schools fielding 21 teams, and 10 more teams joined for the third varsity season in 2025.
The 2026 MHSA baseball season began practice March 16, with first competition March 26 and the state tournament set for May 28-30. If Helena adds the sport, the city would join a growing statewide model, but the bigger decision remains local: whether baseball becomes part of the public-school system, or stays dependent on parents who can raise enough money to get it started.
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