Hauck led Montana over 14 seasons in two stints, going 151-43 (.778) with eight Big Sky championships and four trips to the national title game.

He retires as the winningest coach in Big Sky Conference history in both overall wins (151) and conference wins (86).

Montana immediately named wide receivers coach Bobby Kennedy as head coach to replace Hauck. The two coached together for two seasons at Washington but 2025 was Kennedy’s first season at Montana. He’s previously coached receivers at Wake Forest, Arizona, Washington, Texas, Colorado, Iowa and Stanford.

Montana finished the 2025 season ranked No. 3 nationally with a 13-2 record. Both losses were to national champion Montana State, including once in the playoff semifinals.

Montana State had a bit of coaching news Wednesday as well; defensive coordinator Shawn Howe is leaving MSU for a job with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Utah Valley currently ineligible for WAC postseason

The Western Athletic Conference has sued Utah Valley University for its $1 million exit fee and, as a result, UVU is not considered a member in good standing, making its sports teams ineligible for conference championship events.

That would include UVU men’s basketball, which is 16-6 and currently tied for first place in the WAC.

The WAC says UVU has not paid its required exit fee as the Wolverines are bound for the Big West Conference come July 1. The conference filed the lawsuit in Tarrant County, Texas.

KSL reports that court filings include outgoing UVU president Astrid Tuminez putting “in writing” on Jan. 22 that her school “will not pay an exit fee.”

Pioneer League names travel team for corporate sponsor

The Pioneer Baseball League announced a team name for the travel team that will barnstorm throughout the league for the 2026 season.

The RedPocket Mobiles will take the field across the PBL’s 11 other cities, providing each additional home games and helping maintain the league’s 12-team schedule. RedPocket Mobile is a California-based mobile phone service provider.

The Mobiles will arrive in Ogden to play the Raptors for just three games June 16-18.

RedPocket Mobiles will be coached by former MLB players Dmitri Young, manager, and Ray King, pitching coach. Former Raptors player Brandon Bohning will be the team’s infield coach.

The PBL says its the first time in more than 100 years that an American professional baseball team has been named for a corporate sponsor, dating back to the Brooklyn Tip-Tops of the Federal League in 1915, named for a bread company.

The longtime, former eight-team Pioneer League has expanded to its historic high of 12 teams in 2025 after being booted from MLB affiliation in 2020 and becoming an independent league. But the fall saw significant changes when the Grand Junction Jackalopes, Northern Colorado Owlz and Rocky Mountain Vibes all ceased operations, with only one relocating.

The league has added two additional California teams in the Long Beach Coast and in the Modesto Roadsters. Long Beach joins the professional baseball scene while Modesto just saw a longtime affiliated minor league club leave town. With 11 teams making scheduling difficult, the league created a travel team as the 12th club.

Moves this offseason mean the Pioneer League will not have a presence in Colorado for the first time since 2011. The Rockies moved its minor league club to Grand Junction ahead of the 2012 season and the Vibes, in Colorado Springs, joined the league in 2019 when the Helena Brewers were moved there as part of a shuffle that removed Triple-A ball from the city.

The makeup of the Pioneer League in 2026 is now as follows, listed by state.

California: Long Beach Coast, Modesto Roadsters, Oakland Ballers, Yuba-Sutter High Wheelers

Idaho: Boise Hawks, Idaho Falls Chukars

Montana: Billings Mustangs, Glacier Range Riders, Great Falls Voyagers, Missoula Paddleheads

Utah: Ogden Raptors

Travel: RedPocket Mobiles