PL Missoula PaddleHeads

Longrie Looks to Brings Spark to PaddleHeads Pitching Staff as Season Approaches

Published on May 19, 2022 under Pioneer League (PL)
Missoula PaddleHeads News Release


Missoula, MT - The Missoula PaddleHeads Professional Baseball Club is hard at work preparing for Opening Day in the Garden City and have taken the field at Allegiance Field at Ogren Park. The PaddleHeads held their first full team practice of the spring Monday and will continue with daily practices, and exhibition games leading up to the start of the season on May 25.

There were a lot of familiar faces on the field as returnees like Jayson Newman made their first appearance in Missoula since the Game 1 of the Pioneer League Championship Series. It would not take Newman long to showcase what made him a fan favorite in 2021 either as he would take the mound in an intrasquad exhibition Monday pitching a scoreless frame. While returnees will surely make an impact on the 2022 roster, newly acquired talent brought into Missoula also seem primed to help the PaddleHeads to more success this season. Southpaw Quentin Longrie looks to be a player that just may be toward the top of that list.

The native of Mission Viejo is just getting started in his professional career after concluding his collegiate career last spring at the University of Southern California. After being acquired by the New York Boulders of the Frontier League via trade in the offseason, Longrie will now look to make his first impact in professional baseball in Missoula.

Making the transition from the beaches of California to mountains of Big Sky Country is surely a big transition for anyone. Especially for someone like Longrie who had not spent a lot of time in Montana before signing with the PaddleHeads. But the city of Missoula has quickly made an impression on the JSerra Catholic product since arriving for spring camp. The Garden City will not provide an atmosphere that is remotely close to the one Tinseltown did. This is good news in the eyes of Longrie.

"It is awesome to be in a city that embraces local sports so much like Missoula does," Longrie said. "Playing at USC, we didn't always get a lot of fans at our games because there were so many other events going on at the same time. Being in a smaller town that really embraces their team is really a blessing. I'm really excited to interact with the fans, and hopefully give them something to cheer about."

In Longrie's final season with the Trojans, the left-hander would enjoy a breakout season out of the bullpen finishing with a 1.82 ERA in 24 '..." innings. For his successes, Longrie was acknowledged as a PAC-12 All-Conference Selection in 2021. But it was not always smooth sailing for the promising prospect who dealt with numerous road blocks on his journey to professional baseball.

The COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges for people for numerous reasons. For Longrie, it presented a mental hurdle that was affecting his performance on the field. Instead of letting these issues linger, Longrie decided to seek out help, a decision that is often hard for anyone to make. Instead of being afraid of how this decision might affect others' impression of him, he had the strength to take on this adversity head on.

"During the COVID year, I was really struggling," Longrie said. "At the end of that season my coaches recommended that I start seeing a sports psychologist so I did. I would continue to visit with him weekly throughout that offseason, and the 2021 season at USC. That made a big difference for me. I think that it is so important to have that available to players. A lot of players grow up thinking that if they talk that makes them weak. To me it makes you stronger because it allows you to see what your weaknesses are. This allows you to turn those weaknesses into strengths."

The PaddleHeads will look to continue their winning ways in their title defense in 2022.

Bolstered by a spring training roster that features 10 returning players from last season, the Championship DNA of the PaddleHeads remains intact. Longrie is excited to add to this tradition of winning in the Garden City with his new teammates.

"I noticed that the returning players on the roster are passionate about the PaddleHeads, and the city of Missoula right away," Longrie said. "I hope I can help the team in any way I can. I want to build upon what this team was able to do last year. I just want to win so my main goals definitely are in line with the returning players."

Catch Missoula in action in its final home exhibition game of Spring Training on Friday May 20 as the PaddleHeads will welcome the Idaho Falls Chukars to town. Entrance into the ballpark will be set at $5 with all of the proceeds going to the United Way of Missoula County. You can also stream the game live on gopaddleheads.com.

The PaddleHeads will open the regular season opposite the rival Billings Mustangs on Wednesday May 25. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. Get your tickets for opening night, and every game this season at gopaddleheads.com.

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Pioneer League Stories from May 19, 2022


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