Helena's Anna Cockhill earns first-team All-Big Sky softball honors

Anna Cockhill’s rise from Helena Capital High standout to first-team All-Big Sky selection gave Montana softball another hometown name to celebrate on April 30. The Helena native became the fourth player in Grizzlies history to earn first-team conference honors, a milestone that links one of Lewis and Clark County’s best-known prep athletes to the program’s strongest season in years.

Cockhill’s honor came as Montana put together a major conference awards haul. The Grizzlies landed four first- and second-team selections, their most since 2021 and the third-most in program history, and all six Montana players recognized by the league were underclassmen. The awards were voted on by Big Sky head coaches, who could not vote for their own student-athletes. Stef Ewing shared Coach of the Year honors with Idaho State’s Andrew Rich, while Kailee Mejia was named Freshman of the Year and Carah Sweet shared Co-Newcomer of the Year honors.

For Helena fans, Cockhill’s path still carries the imprint of Capital High. She was a three-time all-state shortstop for the Bruins and delivered a walk-off hit in the bottom of the eighth inning to win a state championship in Helena, a moment that still stands as one of the defining plays in local prep softball. At Montana, she had already shown her value as a freshman in 2025, when she started every game at shortstop and batted leadoff while earning honorable mention All-Big Sky recognition. That combination of reliability, defense and table-setting at the top of the lineup made her one of the program’s most trusted players.

Cockhill is also the daughter of Bill Cockhill, the former Griz wide receiver and coach who served as offensive coordinator on Montana’s 2001 national championship football team, tying her honor to another chapter of Griz history. For younger players in Helena and across Lewis and Clark County, her path shows what can happen when a local standout carries her game from Capital High to the conference stage.

Montana’s surge has been just as notable as Cockhill’s individual rise. Picked last in the preseason poll, the Grizzlies finished the Big Sky regular season 9-6 and tied for second, their best conference finish since 2017 and second-best in program history. Montana also snapped multiple long losing streaks during league play and headed to the Big Sky Softball Championships in Pocatello, Idaho, where the champion will earn the conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament bid. The tournament was set for May 4-7 at Idaho State’s Direct Communications Field at Miller Ranch Stadium, with Montana still in position to chase its first regular-season Big Sky title.