SECTION C APRIL 4, 2013

SPORTS
PREVIEW
Boys: Pages 2 and 6
Girls: Page 2
Boys: Page 3
Girls: Page 3
Pages 1 and 6 Pages 1 and 6
Page 4 Pages 4 and 6
by DAN CONDON
Sports Editor
Lakeeld 662-5442
Family Den tist ry
Debby Christopher, D.D.S.
302 Second Street - Jackson
847-3317
www.christopherdental.com
Left to right:
Jaime Leiding,
R.D.H.;
Jesse Anderson,
R.D.A.;
Dr. Debby
Christopher;
Marilyn Reese,
Receptionist.
wwwerichsontruchsnpartscom
wwwitowingandservicecom
Acres Uf Used Heavy Duty Truchs
Truch Parts and Heavy Equipment Parts
Full Range Uf Heavy Duty Service
Repair and Recovery Services

1
(:

)achson MN
Cravel Landscaping Roch For Sale
April 4 vs. Adrian
April 8 vs. Windom
April 11 vs. Worthington
April 15 at New Ulm
April 20 vs. Pipestone (doubleheader)
April 23 at Redwood Valley
April 25 vs. Mt. Lake Area
April 26 at Fairmont
April 29 at Martin County West
May 2 at Luverne (doubleheader)
May 3 at Red Rock Central
May 7 at Worthington
May 9 at Windom
May 11 vs. Maple River
May 13 vs. Southwestern United
May 14 vs. Redwood Valley
May 16 at Marshall (doubleheader)
May 25 - June 6 Section Tournament
June 13-14 State Tournament
JCC baseball schedule
Head coach: Trent Sukalski
Jackson 507-847-2200
Lakefeld 507-662-6611
sanfordhealth.org
April 9 vs. Luverne (doubleheader)
April 15 vs. Blue Earth Area
April 16 at Fairmont
April 18 at Redwood Valley (doubleheader)
April 19 vs. Martin County West
April 30 vs. Marshall (doubleheader)
May 2 at Pipestone (doubleheader)
May 6 at New Ulm
May 9 vs. Worthington (doubleheader)
May 11 JCC Tournament
May 16 at Windom (doubleheader)
May 21-30 Section Tournament
June 6-7 State Tournament
JCC softball schedule
Head coach: Shelly Hotzler
Jackson 507-847-2200
Lakefeld 507-662-6611
sanfordhealth.org
Photo by Dan Condon
Returning letter winners for the Jackson County Central baseball team are (front, from left): Brady Bass and Taylor
Christopher. Back: Josh Thaemlitz, Tanner Menke and Kyle Luhmann. Missing: Zach Copley.
Photo by Dan Condon
Returning letter winners for the Jackson County
Central softball team are (front, from left): Jasmine
Erickson and Brooke Klontz. Middle: Jordian Tirevold,
Moira Carlson and Adriane Rentschler. Back: Brittany
Woodke, Marita Rasche, Lydia Brandt and Mackenzie
Reed. Missing: Jenna Stade.
by DAN CONDON
Sports Editor
BASEBALL SOFTBALL GOLF TRACK AND FIELD
A group of six seniors
all with considerable varsity
experience has the Jack-
son County Central softball
team thinking about its frst
trip to the state tournament
since 2005.
Along with the six se-
niors, the Huskies return
two others who played quite
a bit last spring, giving JCC
a veteran bunch ready to
give Pipestone a run for
the Southwest Conference
championship.
The Huskies will know
exactly where they stand
against the Arrows and New
Ulm a perennial power
in the section when JCC
faces both in a span of fve
days in early May.
The Huskies are at Pipe-
stone on May 2 and then go
to New Ulm May 6.
Thats a big week, JCC
head coach Shelly Hotzler
said.
Hotzler said a powerful
offense will lead the way for
the Huskies, but her team is
pretty well rounded.
Six seniors have JCC softball eyeing section title
Huskies could
battle Pipestone for
top spot in SWC
Our offense will be
strong, she said. They
believe they can hit. Our de-
fense should also be pretty
good with that many re-
turners.
The Huskies return four
players who hit .338 or bet-
ter, led by senior catcher
Marita Rasche. Rasche led
the team with a .413 aver-
age last season and drove
in 26 runs.
Senior Brooke Klontz
hit .386 last spring with 17
runs batted in, senior Jas-
mine Erickson hit .347 with
14 RBI and senior Lydia
Brandt hit .338 with 15 RBI.
Brandt will patrol center
feld for the Huskies, with
Erickson at shortstop and
Woodke at third base.
Klontz, who will pitch
and play frst base, will lead
off for the Huskies, likely
followed by junior Brit-
tany Woodke, who had an
on-base percentage of .407
last spring.
Rasche, Erickson and
Brandt will team up to give
the Huskies a scary top of
the order.
What will be the key,
Hotzler said, is the bottom
of the order.
Whoever can hit will
play, she said.
Filling those spots will
be any combination of se-
nior Jenna Stade, senior
See JCC SOFTBALL on C6
Page 5 Page 5
After keeping their hopes
of a Southwest Conference
championship alive until
the fnal inning of confer-
ence play last season, the
Jackson County Central
baseball team hopes to keep
its recent run of success go-
ing at least another season.
The Huski es won 12
games last spring and were
9-3 in the conference, fn-
ishing in a tie for second.
But this years JCC base-
ball team will have a much
different look that last
springs after the departure
of six seniors.
That means the Huskies
graduated 64 percent of
their hits, 64 percent of
their runs and 65 percent of
their runs batted in.
We had six seniors last
year who were all good
baseball players, head
coach Trent Sukalski said.
We lost a lot of good base-
ball players. Well have dif-
ferent players, but well miss
those seniors.
Thankfully for the Hus-
kies, there are some big bats
back to help carry the team.
Seniors Kyle Luhmann,
Loss of six seniors leaves
gaps for JCC baseball team
Huskies hoping six
returners can carry
team this spring
Taylor Christopher, Zach
Copley and Tanner Menke
all hit at least .322 last sea-
son and combined to drive
in 39 runs.
Luhmann hit .417 last
spring before an injury de-
railed his season after three
games. The speedster will
patrol center feld for the
Huskies and play some
short stop.
The sure-handed Chris-
topher will be the teams
regular shortstop and Men-
ke can play just about any
position. Copley will play
frst base when he returns
from an injury that kept
him out all of the basketball
season.
Menke hit .322 a year ago
and was second on the team
with 21 RBI. Copley batted
.382 with 10 runs scored last
spring.
Seniors Brady Bass and
Josh Thaemlitz will play
outfield, with Thaemlitz
also in line to see time at
second base. Thaemlitz hit
.294 and drove in six runs
for the Huskies last season.
Junior Mitchell Macek
will be behind the plate and
juniors Josh Christoffer and
Jordan Biehn can both play
second base.
Juniors Zach Paulson
and Jeremiah Flatgard can
both play first base and
junior Brock Schuett can
play third base or outfeld.
Junior Peter Nasby will get
time in the outfeld.
Junior Darnell Taylor-
Breck will play right feld
for the Huskies.
Were a lot more inex-
perienced this year than
we were last year, Sukalski
See JCC BASEBALL on C6
C2 Thursday, April 4, 2013
Sports Preview
Farmers and
Mer chants
State Bank of Al pha
A Century Bank
F.W. Striemer, Founder Helen Striemer Meium, Pres i dent
507-847-3620
www.famstatebankofalpha.com
Independent and locally owned for 102 years
JACKSON FEED, LLC
We Try Harder
Industrial Pky.
Jackson, MN
(507) 847-2590
800-967-2032
Sales And Service
Car Wash And Laundromat
301 N. Hwy. 86, Lakeeld, MN
UNITED PRAIRIE
INSURANCE
330 Main Street
P.O. Box 1208
Lakeeld, MN 56150
Phone: (507) 662-5640
April 6 at Worthington Tournament
April 11 at Spirit Lake (girls only)
April 12 at Estherville Lincoln Central (boys only)
April 15 Fairmont (boys at home; girls at Fairmont)
April 16 at Marshall
April 18 at Worthington
April 23 at Martin County West
April 26 vs. Windom
April 29 at Spirit Lake (boys only)
April 30 at Redwood Valley
May 2 at Red Rock Central
May 3 vs. Estherville Lincoln Central (girls only)
May 4 at Fairmont Tournament
May 7 vs. Luverne
May 9 vs. Pipestone
May 17 at Blue Earth Area
May 20 SWC Tournament (in Marshall)
May 23 Sub-Section Tournament (in Bufalo Lake)
May 30 Section Tournament (in Willmar)
June 11-12 State Tournament
JCC golf schedule
Head coach: Keith Eggink
Jackson 507-847-2200
Lakefeld 507-662-6611
sanfordhealth.org
Photo by Dan Condon
Returning letter winners for the Jackson County Central girls golf team are Alison Benson (from left), Shelby Benson, Annika Lilleberg, Abby
Brinkman and Lexie Hoffman. Missing: Abby Benson.
Photo by Dan Condon
Returning letter winners for the Jackson County Central boys golf team are (front, from left): Kyle Edlin, John Marker, Kyle Kapplinger and Joe Brinkman. Back: Austin Olson, Matt Ringkob, Jack
Ringkob and Kyle Christopher.
Depth will create a com-
petitive atmosphere around
the Jackson County Central
boys golf team, and thats
just fne with frst-year head
coach Keith Eggink.
Eggink has nearly a doz-
en kids vying for varsity
spots, with just three pretty
much locked up.
Eggink said senior Kyle
Edlin and sophomores Jack
Ringkob and Joe Brinkman
will make up half of the six
varsity spots.
They are pretty solid
based on what they did last
year, Eggink said.
Brinkman qualified for
the section tournament for
the third straight season last
spring and was medalist in
four meets. Edlin also quali-
fied for the section meet
and he and Ringkob were
both tied for second on the
team with an average of
44.2 strokes per nine holes,
trailing only Brinkmans
42.0 average.
The trio helped JCC go
6-3 down the stretch to fn-
ish the season at 6-6 last
spring. They, along with
everyone else who played
on the Huskies varsity team
last year, return with hopes
of picking up where they
left off.
While the frst three spots
are determined, the rest will
likely change all season.
This year, were 10 or
11 deep that could play for
the varsity, which is a nice
problem to have, Eggink
said. I want to give every-
Huskies relying on depth to strengthen boys golf team
Nearly a dozen
golfers vying for
six varsity spots
by DAN CONDON
Sports Editor
body an opportunity to see
what they can do. They all
deserve that opportunity.
Because of that, Eggink
said the varsity spots in each
meet wont be determined
solely on qualifying rounds.
Thats not fair on a one-
day deal, Eggink said.
Some kids, when they get
on varsity, the pressure gets
to them. Some kids, when
they get that chance, they
step up and play better.
Vying for the remain-
ing varsity spots are senior
John Marker, junior Kyle
Christopher, junior Chris
Baker, sophomore Kyle
Kapplinger, sophomore
Austin Olson, sophomore
Zach Schwarting and fresh-
man Matt Ringkob.
Were fairly deep, Egg-
ink said. Im sure theres
going to be some disap-
pointed if they dont get the
varsity spot every time. But
well see how they respond
if they are moved down.
Do they mope around or
do they work hard and try
to get better and get back
that spot?
Marker, Christopher,
Kapplinger, Olson and Matt
Ringkob all got varsity ex-
perience last year, with
Marker averaging 46.2 shots
per nine holes.
If any of those boys step
up, Eggink thinks the Hus-
kies can compete with just
about anybody on their
schedule.
Joe, Kyle Edlin and Jack
are all capable of hitting 40
consistently, Eggink said.
If one or two guys step up
and get right around that 40
mark, well be pretty tough
to beat. I hope we can throw
160 out there at some point
this season.
Eggink said Marshall is
JCC girls have one big hole to fll on golf team
Kaylee Benson
graduated, but the
Huskies return
everyone else from
team that won the
sub-section title
by DAN CONDON
Sports Editor
Theres just one hole to
fll on the Jackson County
Central girls golf team, but
its a big one.
The Huskies return ev-
eryone to a team that won
the sub-section champion-
ship last spring except for
five-time state qualifier
Kaylee Benson.
You cant replace her,
frst-year head coach Keith
Eggink said. Were not go-
ing to have that one person
you know every meet is go-
ing to be in the hunt, if not
be medalist. If the other
girls can lower their average
by two strokes, we can make
up for that.
The girls hoping to keep
JCCs recent run of success
going are juniors Emma Lil-
leberg, Lexie Hoffman and
Shelby Benson, sophomore
Alison Benson, freshmen
Emmalie Benson and Abby
Brinkman and eighth-grad-
er Abby Benson.
Theyre young, but most
of them played a lot of sum-
mer golf, Eggink said.
And all seven got at least
some varsity experience last
season.
Alison Benson returns
with the lowest average as
she shot 49.8 strokes per
nine holes last season. Lil-
leberg was just behind at
50.4, with Hoffman (51.4),
Abby Benson (51.5), Shelby
Benson (52) and Brink-
man (52.8) all averaging
below 53.
Lilleberg earned honor-
able-mention all-confer-
ence honors last season.
Eggink said repeating last
seasons 5-1 record in the
Southwest Conference isnt
out of the question for this
years team.
We can compete in the
conference, he said.
Last season, the only
conference loss came to
Windom as the Huskies
went 9-2 overall. JCC fn-
ished second to the Eagles
in the conference meet just
before winning the sub-
section.
The girls competed pret-
ty hard last year, Eggink
said. If they could drop a
couple strokes each one
of them were going to
be solid.
Eggink said winning an-
other sub-section title is a
realistic goal for his team.
Winning the sub-sec-
tion, thats a distinct pos-
sibility, he said, adding
Minnewaska Area remains
the favorite to win the sec-
tion championship.
Eggink admits hes not
qualifed enough to make
major changes to the swing
of any JCC golfer, but has
somebody who is.
We have it set up that
Randy Rohlfsen of Emerald
Hills is going to come for
a couple clinics to go over
things like that with the
kids, Eggink said. As far
as telling them to change
their swing, I dont want to
do that. That wouldnt be
benefcial to them.
Eggink also has Jor-
dan Kocak as an assistant
coach and said he will
communicate with former
head coach Mike DiBri-
to and former assistant
Brett Benson to get advice.
Eggink said his role is more
to manage the team more
than anything but said hes
looking forward to his frst
year as head coach.
It should be fun, he
said.
The Huskies are sched-
uled to open the season with
a tournament Saturday in
Worthington. The confer-
ence opener is April 18 at
Worthington and the home
opener doesnt come until
the Huskies host Windom
on April 26.
See JCC BOYS GOLF on C6
C3 Thursday, April 4, 2013
Sports Preview
Flower
Market
516 South Highway, Jackson, MN
507-847-3610
1-800-757-3611
171 Industrial Parkway, Jackson
507-847-4011 866-363-5225
Free Delivery
Free Estimates
Hours: 7:30-5:30 Mon day-Friday
8:00 -12:00 Sat ur day
Jackson
Building Center
A Division of Overson Lumber Company, Inc.
Drafting Ser vic es
Available
Jacksons Only Locally
Owned and Operated
Financial Institution
414 Second Street
Jackson, MN 56143
(507) 847-4714
A Community Service Since 1892
SAVINGS & LOAN
ASSOCIATION
SAVINGS & LOAN
ASSOCIATION
Cars
Boats
Snowmobiles
Campers
Consumer
Loans
rrr rrr
Trucks
Trailers
Garden
Tractors
Plus
More!
ATVs
Motorcycles
Motor Homes
110 S. Main Street
Lakeeld MN
507-662-5161
www.kozyheat.com
April 2 at Luverne
April 4 at Mt. Lake
April 12 at Mt. Lake
April 15 at Windom
April 23 at Slayton
April 25 at Fairmont
May 3 at Fairmont
May 6 State True Team
May 9 at Worthington
May 13 at Windom
May 16 SWC Meet (at Redwood Valley)
May 23 Sub-Section Meet (in Windom)
May 30 Section Meet (in Benson)
June 7-8 State Meet (Hamline University)
JCC track and feld schedule
Head coach: Rafe York
Jackson 507-847-2200
Lakefeld 507-662-6611
sanfordhealth.org
Photo by Dan Condon
Returning letter winners for the Jackson County Central girls track and field team are (front, from left): Angela Handzus, Makenna Donnelli, Annika Lilleberg, Julie
Schumann, Jenna Hartzler and Corri VanderWoude. Back: Christina Henning, Riley Schneekloth, Jessica Jandera, Jade Holthe, Jessica Voehl, Sydnee Donnelli and Samantha
Swift. Missing: Kayla OConnor.
Photo by Dan Condon
Returning letter winners for the Jackson County Central boys track and field team are (front, from left): Ryan Salzwedel, Jordan Snyder, Izaac Lucht, Brady Place, Paden Moore and Warren Darling.
Back: Tanner Post, Austin Bell-Pixler, Darnell Taylor-Breck, Jon Harmening, Matt Schmit, Nolan Hohenstein, Austin Hinkeldey and Matt Strom.
The Jackson County Cen-
tral boys and girls track
and field teams are near
mirror images of each oth-
er, with both teams relying
on sprints and feld events
to rack up points this spring.
Both teams have good
numbers this season and
head coach Rafe York ex-
pects both to get contri-
butions from a variety of
athletes.
If thats the case, big
things could come from ei-
ther or both teams.
The goal for either team
is to get to true team state
and get as many kids to the
state meet as possible, he
said.
Boys are balanced
The JCC boys track
and feld team returns its
top three scorers from a
team that won the sub-
section title a year ago,
but lost five of its top 10
point-getters to graduation.
Sophomore Warren Darling
led the team with 176 points
last year, edging senior Ja-
son Vongsavanh.
While Darling had the
point title, Vongsavanh pro-
vided the biggest individual
highlight of the season by
winning the section cham-
pionship in the 400-meter
dash. Vongsavanh placed
eighth in the race at the
state meet.
Junior Darnell Taylor-
Breck was third on the scor-
ing list last season (148),
junior Izaac Lucht was sev-
enth (80) and junior Matt
Schmit was eighth (69).
Those fve are expected
to lead a group of Hus-
kies that should be solid in
nearly every event.
Darling, Vongsavanh,
Lucht and Taylor-Breck are
all sprinters, as are junior
Brady Place, sophomore
Andrew Hesse and fresh-
men Keegan Moore and
Ryan Salzwedel.
Darling and Taylor-Breck
made up half of the 4x100-
and 4x200-meter rel ay
teams that both won sub-
section championships last
season.
Our sprinters are very
solid, York said.
Schmit will compete in
hurdles and discus. Also
doing hurdles will be ju-
niors Jon Harmening and
Jeremy Ringgenberg and
sophomore Dustin Heiden.
Similar strengths for JCC track and feld teams
Both teams aiming
for trip to the state
true team meet
by DAN CONDON
Sports Editor
Running middle-distance
races will be Vongsavanh,
senior Tanner Post, sopho-
more Paden Moore, Heiden
and eighth-grader Matt
Strom. Distance runners
are seniors Jordan Snyder
and Jan-Jaap Keizers, ju-
niors Brad Gustafson and
Jordan Ringgenberg and
freshman Gabe Baker.
Competing in throwing
events for the Huskies will
be senior Wayne Fisk, ju-
niors Nolan Hohenstein,
Christian Akers and Austin
Bell-Pixler and sophomores
Brandon Schmit and Nate
Horn.
Hohenstein won the sub-
section championship in
shot put last season and
Bell-Pixler was the discus
champion at the sub-section
meet.
The group of jumpers is
nearly as big, led by Taylor-
Breck, Harmening and se-
nior Austin Hinkeldey. Also
competing in jumps are
Salzwedel and Gustafson.
Taylor-Breck finished
third at the sub-section
meet in triple jump last
season.
Our throwing crew is
gigantic, York said. They
made some strides last year.
Our jumpers are pretty
good, too.
Keegan Moore will pole
vault, but hes the only one
returning with experience
in the event.
Were rebuilding our
pole vaulting group, York
said. But weve got a lot
of young guys that want to
do it.
York said there could also
be some middle school stu-
dents who eventually make
their way into the varsity
meets.
With so many options to
fll relay teams, York said he
will use a variety of combi-
nations.
Last year we changed
the lineups quite a bit, he
said. I want to keep an
open competition for ev-
erything.
Shuffing different run-
ners in and out of relays can
only beneft the team in the
long run, York said.
Getting more guys into
the relays means more guys
are doing the handoffs at
full speed, he said. That
means more guys are ready
if we need them.
Girls are loaded with speed
Speed is important in
track and the JCC girls
team has plenty of it. The
Huskies bring back seven
of their top 10 scorers from
a year ago, including their
top four scorers.
Those four seniors
Sydnee Donnelli and Jes-
sica Voehl and sophomores
Julia Schumann and Riley
Schneekloth happen to
make up the 4x100-meter
relay team, which won the
Southwest Conference and
sub-section meets last sea-
son.
On the girls side, we
return our entire 4x1 team
from last year, so thatll
probably remain the same,
unl ess someone real l y
proves she needs to be on
it, York said.
Along with the relay title
at the sub-section meet,
Donnelli won the 100-me-
ter dash and long jump in
the meet.
S c h n e e k l o t h a n d
Schumann both return to
compete in sprints and re-
lays and Voehl will compete
in nearly every feld event
for the Huskies.
Also in the top 10 for
scoring last season were
eighth-grader Annika Lille-
berg, juniors Corri Vander-
Woude and Christina Hen-
ning and sophomore Jessica
Jandera.
Lilleberg runs middle-
distance races, as does
sophomore Sarah Brandt
and eighth-grader Kayla
OConnor.
Li l l e be r g won t he
800-meter run at the sub-
section meet and teamed
up with Henning and ju-
nior Samantha Swift to
win the 4x800-meter relay.
OConnor and Jandera
made up half of the 4x400-
meter relay team that won
the sub-section champion-
ship.
Our 4x8 will be pretty
solid, York said. Weve
got fve or six girls battling
for it, so nobodys a lock
yet.
Vander Woude, Jan-
dera and freshman Emma
Pohlmann all compete in
hurdles, with Jandera also
doing distance events and
Pohlman competing in dis-
cus.
Other distance runners
are senior Angela Hand-
zus, juniors Henning and
Swift and sophomore Jade
Holthe. Handzus will also
compete in pole vault.
Joi ni ng Pohl man i n
throwing events are juniors
Jenna Hartzler and Kenna
Bannister and Holthe.
Jumpers joining Donnelli
are OConnor, freshmen
Makenna Donnelli and
Sydney Nyborg, Hartzler
and Voehl.
Completing a solid group
of sprinters are Makenna
Donnelli and freshman An-
nie Gee.
Luverne will be tough
York said Luverne is one
of the area teams to beat for
both the JCC boys and girls.
Murray County Central also
presents a challenge for the
boys.
Luverne is always a jug-
gernaut, York said. MCC
is tough. As far as in the
area, those two are really
tough.
The Huskies will need
to get by both in order to
qualify for the state true
team meet.
I really like the true
team meet, York said.
Track is one of those things
where its all about the end.
Everything leading up to
there is a good buildup.
York is assisted at the
varsity level by Kerri Kocak
(distance runners), Jack
Walsh (throwers), Saman-
tha Frings (sprinters) and
Greg Maday (pole vault-
ers).
C4 Thursday, April 4, 2013
Sports Preview
April 2 vs. Luverne
April 9 vs. Edgerton
April 11 at Adrian
April 12 at Worthington
April 13 at Wabasso tournament
April 15 vs. Russell-Tyler-Ruthton
April 16 vs. Mt. Lake Area
April 18 vs. Murray County Central
April 23 at RRC/WWG
April 26 at Martin County West
April 29 at Martin Luther/GHEC
April 30 at Edgerton
May 2 vs. Adrian
May 3 at Madelia-Truman
May 6 vs. Windom
May 7 at Mt. Lake Area
May 9 at Murray County Central
May 14 vs. RRC/WWG
May 16 vs. Tracy-Milroy-Balaton
May 17 May 30 Section Tournament
June 6-7 State Tournament
SWU softball schedule
Head coach: Angie Rogotzke
J&K Discount
Tire & Auto
WE EMPLOY
TECHNICIANS
Jim Polzine
Any Size, Any Brand, Any Problem
Well keep you rollin
1010 Chapman Ave.
Heron Lake, MN
(507) 793-2624
Q Worry-free Windshield Installation
From paperwork to windshield installation, we do
it all!
Q Diesel Preventative Maintenance
Headquarters
Cutting edge technology
High-pressure systems on diesel engines
BT 6 fuel injection service
Over the road, industrial, agriculture, diesel
cars, and pickups.
Q On-the-farm A/C Diesel Fuel
System Service
Avoid expensive diesel repairs, call us!
Q Engine
Overhalls
Q Transmission
Repairs
Q Tune-ups
Q Exhaust
Q Brakes
Q Tires
Q Alignments
Q Diagnostics
Q 3-yr./100,000-mile
Transmissions
Available
Through the frst couple
weeks of practice, frst-year
head coach Angie Rogotzke
has had a hard-working
group of softball players at
Southwestern United.
They re dedicated,
Rogotzke said of her squad,
which was scheduled to
open the season Tuesday
against Luverne.
Photo by Dan Condon
Returning letter winners for the Southwestern United softball team are Kassaundra Rossow (from left), Ida Rogers-
Ferguson, Kristin Liepold, Jenny Jimenez and Mariah Crowell.
Wildcats excited for improvements on softball diamond
SWU girls working
hard for new coach
by DAN CONDON
Sports Editor
Rogotzke is in her frst
season as a head coach af-
ter serving as an assistant
at Jackson County Central
for 10 seasons. She has been
emphasizing hitting and de-
fense so far in an attempt
to create an all-around
player.
So far, the defense has
looked good, even with
minimal time outside to
practice.
For us, our defense is
going to be solid, she said.
Theyre willing to do what-
ever they have to do to stop
the ball.
Utilizing that defense will
be important, and starts
with freshman Ida Rogers-
Ferguson throwing strikes.
Rogers-Ferguson pitched
116 2/3 innings for SWU
last season, picking up the
win in all six Wildcat vic-
tories.
Our pitching has to be
strong or well struggle,
Rogotzke said. We have to
throw strikes.
Rogers-Ferguson will
have an infield defense
of junior Kristin Liepold
at third, freshman Megan
Haberman at shortstop,
freshman Andrea Hin-
keldey at second base and
sophomore Rachel Math-
ias at first. Catching the
sophomore hurler will be
eighth-grader Samantha
Obermoller.
In the outfeld will be se-
nior Kassaundra Rossow in
left, seventh-grader Stepha-
nie Kazemba in center and
eighth-grader Kaylan Un-
tiedt in right feld.
Also competing for play-
ing time in the outfeld are
junior Mariah Crowell,
sophomore Kaylnn Droll
and seniors Maria Lopez
and Malin Klemmetson.
Senior Jenny Jimenez can
play the infeld and outfeld
for SWU.
Rogotzke said Rogers-
Ferguson will bat in the
leadoff spot for the Wild-
cats, with Obermoller, Hin-
keldey and Liepold in the
heart of the lineup.
Its a lineup Rogotzke
hopes can take advantage
of its speed.
Were going to play
small-ball, she said. We
want to be aggressive on the
base paths. We are quick.
The Wildcats are a young
team, but Rogotzke said
they are willing to learn
and work hard in hopes of
improving on the six wins
from a season ago.
The ultimate goal is to
do better as a team than
last year, Rogotzke said.
Do they have potential?
Absolutely.
That potential could turn
into talent if the Wildcats
continue to work hard and
stay as enthused as they
have been so far.
They are so willing to
l earn, Rogotzke said.
Theres no complaining.
They know they want to be
good; they want to be better
than before.
Rogotzke expects her
team to steadily improve as
the season goes along, with
goals of knocking off peren-
nial Red Rock Conference
powers Murray County
Central and Edgerton on
the way to competing for
the conference champion-
ship.
If we keep improving,
we can be contenders in
the conference, she said.
There were a lot of games
last year where they made
one mistake to give up the
lead and never got it back.
The Wildcats will get an
early look at Edgerton as
SWU hosts the Eagles next
Tuesday in Brewster, where
all of the Wildcats home
games will be played. The
frst game against MCC is
April 18, also in Brewster.
Rogotzke cant wait to
face those teams and the
rest of SWUs opponents.
Im excited for the year,
she said. I want to see what
these girls can do. Whats
fun is they all want to do
well.
Rogotzke is assisted by
Doyle Zellar. There is no
offcial junior varsity sched-
ule because of a lack of
players, but SWU and its
opponent will play a few ex-
tra innings after each game
for the younger players to
get some action.
Photo by Dan Condon
Returning letter winners for the Southwestern United baseball team are (front, from left): Jacob Post, Austin Rossow, Mark Ferguson and Stuart
Schumacher. Back: Isaac Fest and Aaron Fest. Missing: Kraig Stenzel, Dakota Schmid, Erik Jass and Justin Jass.
April 4 vs. Worthington
April 8 vs. Minneota/Lincoln HI
April 9 at Edgerton
April 11 vs. Adrian
April 15 vs. Windo
April 16 at Mt. Lake Area
April 18 at Murray County Central
April 20 at Martin County West Tournament
April 22 vs. Luverne
April 23 vs. RRC/WWG
April 26 at Russell-Tyler-Ruthton
April 29 at Martin Luther/GHEC/Truman
April 30 vs. Edgerton/Southwest Christian
May 2 at Adrian
May 7 vs. Mt. Lake Area
May 9 vs. Murray County Central
May 13 at Jackson County Central
May 14 at RRC/WWG
May 18 at Canby
May 18 vs. Lac qui Parle Valley (in Canby)
May 22- June 6 Section Tournament
June 13-14 State Tournament
SWU baseball schedule
Head coach: Blaise Jacobsen
2013-Spring-Sports-Preview
SWU-Baseball-Schedule
P
r
o
u
d

S
p
o
n
s
o
r
s

o
f

S
W
U

W
i
l
d
c
a
t
s
408 Tenth Street
Worthington, MN
507-372-2966 or
1-888-835-8909
Rosso
Performance
Heron Lake, MN
(507) 831-5079
www.rossoperformanceus.com
Racing Engines, High Performance
E85 Carbs and transmissions!
P
r
o
u
d

S
p
o
n
s
o
r
s

o
f

S
W
U

W
i
l
d
c
a
t
s
First-year head coach
Blaise Jacobsen is getting
help from a variety of areas
as he looks to turn around a
Southwestern United base-
ball team that went 2-17
last spring.
Jacobsen, who has been
an assistant for the Wildcats
SWU baseball team to rely on pitching and defense
Wildcats getting
tips from a lot of
area baseball minds
by DAN CONDON
Sports Editor
for a few years, has head
coaching experience after
being the player-manager
for the Jackson Bulls last
summer.
Jacobsen has had several
of his teammates work with
the Wildcats already this
season and has even more
scheduled to help.
Andy Wolf has been at
practice and Marcus Schul-
tz has volunteered nearly
everyday and will be at
Wildcat games. Ryan Ra-
sche and Matt Prunty have
also pitched in to help the
Wildcats.
Add in assistant coach
Lucas Knutson, who Jacob-
sen said lives and breathes
baseball, and the Wildcats
have plenty of baseball
knowledge to soak up.
There are a ton of base-
ball guys around giving
them ideas, Jacobsen said.
We want them to be think-
ing about baseball.
Al ong wi th thi nki ng
about baseball comes play-
ing smart baseball.
Jacobsen doesnt expect
his team to outhit its oppo-
nent, but wants the Wildcats
to have productive at bats.
To track that, he is using a
system that tracks quality
at bats.
Its a point system that
has nine opportunities to be
successful, Jacobsen said,
listing earning a walk, mov-
ing a runner over or seeing
a lot of pitches as examples
of having a quality at bat.
Its about mentally fnding
a way to help the team.
The Wildcats will also
rely on speed on the bases
to try to generate some
runs.
Because the team could
struggle scoring runs, Ja-
cobsen has been emphasiz-
ing pitching and defense
so far this spring, adding
his group of infelders look
pretty solid.
A lot of these guys can
scoop it up pretty well, he
said. Pitching, were going
to feature the strike.
Jacobsen said with good
defense and smart base-
ball, the Wildcats can be
successful.
Were not going to beat
ourselves, he said. Were
going to beat them by put-
ting the ball in play and
getting on base. If we lose
because of errors and walk-
ing people, weve got to fnd
new kids.
Just who will be on the di-
amond was still up in the air
last week, though. Because
of limited time to practice
outside, Jacobsen wasnt set
on his lineup. But thats OK
because it will change as the
season goes along.
Jacobsen said he is going
to treat the season the same
way the Bulls do: with three
separate seasons. The frst
part of the season will have
everyone get playing time
to see who will play where.
Toward the end of the regu-
lar season the Wildcats will
have a set lineup and then
comes the playoffs, when
Jacobsen hopes the Wild-
cats will be tough to beat.
We dont have a lot of
experience, he said. Our
goal is to get better. From
the beginning to the end
of the year, I want to get
better.
Jacobsen said junior Aar-
on Fest figures to be the
teams No. 1 starter, fol-
lowed by senior Jacob Post
and sophomore Dakota
Schmid. Last season, Fest
had an earned-run average
of 1.73 in 24 1/3 innings.
Post pitched 17 1/3 innings
last season and senior Justin
Jass pitched 18 2/3 innings.
The Wildcats also add se-
nior Andrew Kramer, who
joins the team and will pitch
as a reliever.
The infeld will have se-
nior Mark Ferguson at frst
base and likely senior Stuart
Schumacher, senior Blake
Glaser or senior Luke Veith
at second base. At third
could be Fest, Ferguson or
Schmid, with Jass or Fest at
shortstop.
Outfelders are Jass, se-
nior Erik Jass, senior Kraig
Stenzel, senior Austin Droll,
Ferguson, Glaser, Schum-
acher, Veith and Schmid.
Senior Austin Rossow
will see time as the teams
designated hitter.
Also hoping for playing
time are sophomores Isaac
Fest (infeld), Jacob Gett-
zler (outfeld) and Hunter
Timko (infeld/outfeld).
Justin Jass hit .297 last
season and had an on-base
percentage of .348. Post had
an OBP of .328 and Erik
Jass had an OBP of .408.
Jacobsen said the team
is ready to begin its season,
which was scheduled to start
Tuesday.
Everybodys excited,
See SWU BASEBALL on C6
C5 Thursday, April 4, 2013
Sports Preview
35419 State Hwy. 60
Heron Lake, MN 56137
1-800-742-8092
Fax: 507-793-2710
www.cargillag.com
274 10th Street, P.O. Box 258
Heron Lake, MN 56137
507-793-2334
Member F.D.I.C.
Jackson Lakeeld Heron Lake
507-847-4200 507-662-6621 507-793-2285
Costello, Carlson
& Butzon, LLP
ATTORNEYS AT LAW
Patrick Costello Hans Carlson
Christophe Butzon Candy Riordan
by Jean Leopold
891 1st Ave., Heron Lake
793-2651
OPEN 7 A.M.10 P.M., 7 DAYS A WEEK!
Catering Gas E85
Groceries Food
Contact us for
your special
occasions!
P & Js Mini Mart
and
Special Event Catering
March 28 at BEA Indoor (in Mankato)
April 4 at Mt. Lake
April 12 at Mt. Lake
April 16 at Slayton
April 18 at Jackson (Junior High)
April 22 at St. James (Junior High)
April 25 at Mt. Lake
April 29 at Worthington (Junior High)
May 2 at Slayton (Junior High)
May 10 Junior High RRC Meet (in Mt. Lake)
May 13 at Windom
May 16 Red Rock Conference Meet (in Slayton)
May 23 Sub-Section Meet (in Windom)
May 30 Section Meet (in Benson)
June 7-8 State Meet (Hamline University)
SWU track and feld schedule
Head coach: Gary Hildebrandt
2013-Spring-Sports-Preview
SWU-Track-Schedule
P
r
o
u
d

S
p
o
n
s
o
r
s

o
f

S
W
U

W
i
l
d
c
a
t
s
Heron Lake, MN
507-793-7400
Proud sponsor of
SWU Wildcat Track!
April 2 at Red Rock Central
April 11 vs. Hills-Beaver Creek
April 15 vs. Adrian and Southwest Christian
April 22 at Windom
April 23 vs. Murray County Central
April 25 vs. Hills-Beaver Creek
May 2 at Adrian (vs. Adrian and Southwest Christian)
May 14 RR Conference Tournament (at Prairie View)
May 22 Sub-Section Tournament (at Worthington CC)
June 11 and 12 State Tournament (Pebble Creek)
SWU golf schedule
Head coach: Ray Hassing
2013-Spring-Sports-Preview
SWU-Golf-Schedule
P
r
o
u
d

S
p
o
n
s
o
r
s

o
f

S
W
U

W
i
l
d
c
a
t
s
Heron Lake, MN
507-793-7400
Proud sponsor of
SWU Wildcat Golf!
Photo by Dan Condon
Members of the Southwestern United golf team are (front, from left): Nikkole Walker, Blaike Smith and Naomi Thatcher. Back: Lee Marki, Colin Meinders, Logan Ellenbecker,
Clay Salzwedel, Walker Crocker and Josh Radke. Missing: Kyle Wendland, Kailey Wendland and Emma Roos.
Submitted photo
Members of the Southwestern United track and field team are (front, from left): Brianna Prestin, Jade Rohrbauck, Alyssa Post, Taylor Johanning,
Rachel Salentiny and MaKayla Edwards. Middle: Head coach Gary Hildebrandt, manager Odalys Ramaros, Brittany Peterson, Cheyenne Schaffer,
Taryn Crocker, Haily Sanwick, Danielle Ambrose, Bailey Collin and assistant coach Donna Cook. Back: Preston Anderson, Skylar Sheppard, Mic
Ostgard, Zach Lynn, Erik Jass, Justin Jass, Pablo Esqueda, Hunter Zins and Pablo Bolanos.
The Southwestern Unit-
ed golf teams will be a bit
inexperienced this season,
but thats better than the
alternative for Southwest
Star Concept students.
Last spring, SSC students
didnt have the opportunity
to be on a golf team, so
joining with Round Lake-
Brewster was a welcomed
change.
RLB felded a boys team
last season and this spring
will add a girls team.
Head coach Ray Hassing
wants the Wildcats to have
fun all season and to keep
getting better.
Hopefully they have a
lot of fun and improve,
he said.
SSC, RLB join forces to feld Wildcat golf teams
Wildcats will have
full boys varsity
team this spring
by DAN CONDON
Sports Editor
by DAN CONDON
Sports Editor
Full boys team
The Wildcat boys will
feld a full varsity team and
have a few B squad golfers,
as well.
Senior Kyle Wendland
is the leading returner
from last years RLB team.
Wendland advanced to the
section meet last spring
and narrowly missed a trip
to state.
Kyle, he was our leading
golfer last year, Hassing
said. He had a good year
for us.
Joining Wendland on
the Raider team last spring
and now back as Wildcats
are seniors Colin Meinders
and Lee Marki and junior
Logan Ellenbecker.
SSC juniors Clay Salz-
wedel and Walker Crocker
both return to the sport
after previously playing for
SSC. Also on the team is
sophomore Josh Radke.
Colin really improved
for us last year, Hassing
said. Were hoping he con-
tinues to improve and plays
well. Logan loves the game
and has a lot of potential.
Hassing isnt as familiar
with Salzwedel and Crocker
because he hasnt coached
them prior to this season,
but likes what he has seen
in practice so far.
Clay looks like he has
a very good swing, Hass-
ing said.
Smith leads girls squad
Junior Blaike Smith is the
only member of the SWU
girls team with any varsity
experience.
Weve got a lot of be-
ginning golfers this year,
especially on the girls side,
Hassing said.
Joining Smith are sopho-
mores Nikkole Walker,
Naomi Thatcher, Kailey
Wendland and Emma Roos.
Hassing said Smith will
play varsity meets this sea-
son and Wendland could
join her.
Shes got a nice swing,
Hassing said of Wend-
land. Now weve gotta see
how she can score on the
course.
For the other girls, Hass-
ing hopes they can continue
to get better all season.
The other girls will keep
developing and well give
them opportunities to im-
prove on B squad, he said.
Hopefully theyll improve
enough by the end of the
year to play in the confer-
ence and section meets.
Start of season delayed
The Wildcats were sched-
uled to open the season
Tuesday at Red Rock Cen-
tral, but that meet was post-
poned.
SWU will have its home
opener April 11 against
Hills-Beaver Creek. The
Wildcats play their home
meets at Prairie View in
Worthington, where the
Red Rock Conference meet
will take place.
The conference meet is
at Prairie View and sub-sec-
tions are at the Worthington
Country Club, Hassing
said. Those are two cours-
es our kids know pretty
well, so hopefully thatll give
them an edge.
Hassing is assisted by
Jared Bourquin.
Thi s season f or t he
Southwestern United track
and feld teams is about get-
ting better for the Wildcats.
After not having a team
last season, the Wildcats
now have teams of eight
boys and 12 girls with
all but three still in middle
Season of learning expected for SWU track and feld team
All but three
on roster are in
middle school
school.
But thats fne with head
coach Gary Hildebrandt,
who is just excited to have
kids interested in the sport.
Hildebrandt brings 26
years of coaching track and
field to the Wildcats and
has spent 15 seasons as a
head coach. Add in former
head coach Donna Cook as
an assistant and the Wild-
cat coaches have plenty of
knowledge to spread.
That knowledge and ex-
perience will be benefcial
as the Wildcats familiarize
themselves with track and
feld.
Because none of the
Wildcats have lettered
in track and field before,
Hildebrandt has most of
them trying just about ev-
ery event.
For the boys, seniors Erik
Jass and Justin Jass will
both compete in sprints
and jumps. Eighth-grader
Mic Ostgard and seventh-
grader Skylar Sheppard are
also sprinters and seventh-
grader Pablo Esqueda is a
thrower.
The other three members
of the team eighth-grad-
ers Pablo Bolanos, Zach
Lynn and Hunter Zins
will all compete in a variety
of events with hopes of fnd-
ing a specialty.
Hildebrandt said the Jass
twins will team up with Bo-
lanos and Lynn to run some
relay races, especially in
smaller varsity meets.
On the girls team, soph-
omore Hai l y Sanwi ck,
eighth-grader Taryn Crock-
er, seventh-grader Jade
Rohrbauck and seventh-
grader Cheyenne Schaffer
will all compete in a variety
of events.
The Wildcats have some
talented distance runners,
including seventh-graders
Rachel Salentiny, Brianna
Prestin, MaKayle Edwards
and Taylor Johanning. That
gives SWU a chance to run
4x800-meter relay races
in both varsity and middle
school meets.
Johanning will also run
hurdles, as will eighth-grad-
er Bailey Collin. Collin will
also do throwing and jump-
ing events.
Seventh-grader Alyssa
Post, seventh-grader Dani-
elle Ambrose and eighth-
grader Brittany Peterson
are all sprinters. Ambrose
will also compete in throw-
ing events and Peterson will
do jumping events.
Because the team is so
young, Hildebrandt has
scheduled six varsity meets
mostly small meets with
fve or six teams and six
junior high meets.
Thats the way I set up
the schedule, he said of
trying to get his team plenty
of experience without a lot
of pressure.
The Wildcats already had
an indoor meet last week
and are scheduled to com-
pete again today (Thurs-
day) in Mt. Lake.
The junior high Red Rock
Conference meet is May 10
in Mt. Lake and the varsity
conference meet is May 16
in Slayton.
The Wildcats will com-
pete in the sub-section meet
May 23 in Windom and the
section meet is May 30 in
Benson.
C6 Thursday, April 4, 2013
Sports Preview
Member FDIC
GO HUS KI E S !
Jackson 507.847.3010
bankmidwest.com
We understand the vital role
sports play in developing
young minds and bodies.
Thats why Bank Midwest
supports our local athletes.
Its time for your
Enchanted
Flowers & Gifts
415 Second St., Jackson, MN
507-847-5174
GOOD SAMARITAN CENTER
601 West Street, Jackson, MN 507-847-3100
THE PINES
1508 North Highway, Jackson, MN 507-847-5762
19562013
Caring for our communitys loved ones for 57 years.
www.good-sam.com
103 Main Street, Lakeeld
507-662-5418
Bowlers Inn
Great Food and Good Fun at . . .
711 Third Street
Jackson, MN 56143
507-847-4390 800-404-4390
Dr. Clayton R. Lewis
410 North Hwy. 86, Lakeeld, MN
Ph.: 507-662-6227 Fax: 507-662-5251
Lakeeld, MN
507-662-6464
Heron Lake, MN
507-793-2255
John and Dianne
Osterberg
Jackson, MN
507-847-3300
Osterberg
Funeral Home
Established in 1879 by the Sathe family.
Tracy Osterberg
and
Jessica Carlson
507 2nd Street, Jackson, MN
847-9901
Stop in after the game!
Remember our Pillars Bus
for all occasions!
sanfordjackson.org
Jackson
507-847-2420
sanfordjackson.org
Lakeeld
507-662-6611
mysmbs.com
(877) 655-7627
OPEN DAILY
MondaySaturday, 6 a.m.10 p.m.;
Sunday, 7 a.m.10 p.m.
Hwy. 71, Jackson, MN 507-847-2074
LAKEFIELD
326 Main Street
(507) 662-5817 1-800-547-0496
JACKSON
908 Hwy. 71 N.
(Located in Sunshine Foods store)
(507) 847-3282 1-800-824-8428
We plug
teamwork!
www.federatedrea.coop
Jackson 847-3520
202 2nd Avenue North Lakeeld
662-6385
WINTERS
PLUMBING, HEATING
and EXCAVATION
Plumbing
Excavation
Cooling
Drain elds
There are some things in life
you can always rely on.
Ruud is one of them.
Featuring
earth
friendly
refrigerants.
Licensed septic design,
installation
Geo thermal heating
systems
202 Grant Street
Jackson, MN 56143
unitedprairiebank.com
507.847.4700
MEMBER
FDIC
UNITED PRAIRIE
B A N K
he said.
Helping build the excite-
ment are a few new things
Jacobsen will implement.
Each game, a player will
earn the Golden Glove of
the game award and get
to wear a shirt that will be
passed around after each
game.
The team will also make
a trip to Marshall to watch
the Southwest Minnesota
State University baseball
team host Minnesota State
University-Mankato and
will go to Sioux Falls, S.D.,
SWU baseball: Pitching is key
Continued from C4
to watch a Sioux Falls
Pheasants game.
The Wildcats will also
camp out on their feld
in Heron Lake the night
before going to a tourna-
ment at Martin County
West later this month.
Jacobsen said the Red
Rock Conference looks
wide open this spring
and hopes his team can
compete with anyone in
the league.
Its up for grabs, he
said.
Get sports updates for all
Jackson County Central sports
as they happen on Twitter
@PilotSports
Adriane Rentschler, junior
Jayde Price, junior Jordian
Tirevold and sophomore
Mo Carlson.
Stade will play left feld
and Tirevold right, with
Rentschler and Price at sec-
ond base. Carlson will pitch
and play frst base.
Also hoping for playing
time are sophomores Bai-
ley Schneekloth (outfeld),
Rachel Johnson (catch-
er), Kathryn Nasby (out-
feld) and Blaney Markman
(pitcher and outfeld).
Kl ontz, Carl son and
Rentschler all pitched for
the Huskies last season,
with Klontz leading the
way with a 3.33 earned-run
average. She struck out 49
batters in 69 1/3 innings.
Hotzler said the Huskies
have looked good in scrim-
mages so far this season, es-
pecially against Zumbrota-
Mazeppa a team that will
likely be ranked this season.
The last couple scrim-
mages theyve done real
well, Hotzler said.
The Huskies were origi-
nally scheduled to open
the season Monday, but
their game against Mt. Lake
Area was postponed. That
means the season and con-
ference opener will be next
Tuesday as JCC hosts Lu-
verne in a doubleheader.
Pipestone is the fourth
conference doubleheader
for the Huskies and the
twinbill could determine
who earns the SWC cham-
pionship.
I would put us and Pipe-
stone at the top, Hotzler
said.
Hotzler is again assist-
ed at the varsity level by
Cory Pauling, with Wes Al-
bers coaching the B squad
team. Erica Colby and Brit
Schneekloth are coaching
the middle school teams.
JCC softball: Six seniors having Huskies thinking about Southwest Conference and section championships
Continued from C1
the clear-cut favorite in the
Southwest Conference, with
Redwood Valley also in the
hunt for the top spot.
But he thinks his team
can be right in the thick of
things.
We can be just as good
as anybody, he said.
The Huskies also can
compete for the top spot in
the sub-section, where they
fnished third a year ago.
I would think we can
win the sub-section, Egg-
ink said.
While Eggink will deter-
mine varsity spots, he said
the mechanics of the sport
will be left up to others.
Randy Rohlfsen is com-
ing to help the team twice
this spring and Eggink will
leave any possible swing
adjustments up to the Em-
erald Hills professional.
We have it set up that
JCC boys golf: Huskies have a lot of competition for just six varsity spots on the boys golf team
Continued from C2
Randy Rohlfsen of Emerald
Hills is going to come for
a couple clinics to go over
things like that with the
kids, Eggink said. As far
as telling them to change
their swing, I dont want to
do that. That wouldnt be
benefcial to them.
Eggink will also rely on
assistant Jordan Kocak and
said he can get advice from
former head coach Mike
DiBrito and former assis-
tant coach Brett Benson
when needed.
The Huskies open the
season with a tournament
in Worthington Saturday
and then are at Estherville
Lincoln Central April 12.
The home opener is April
15 against Fairmont, with
the Southwest Conference
opener April 16 at power-
house Marshall.
said. We still have quality
kids, we just wont be as
experienced. Well still play
the game the right way.
With so many players new
to the lineup, the Huskies
have been taking their cuts
in the batting cage every
day so far.
We work on hitting a
lot, Sukalski said. We
swing every day and we talk
about the mental approach
to hitting.
The Huskies have also
been working on pounding
the strike zone in their bull-
pen sessions.
JCC baseball: With six seniors graduated, Huskies will rely on group of returners to carry team this spring
Continued from C1
Our pi t cher s have
been working on throw-
ing strikes, Sukalski said.
Thats the basis of our
pitching philosophy is we
want to throw strikes. If we
can throw the strikes and
swing the bat, well be in
good shape.
The Huskies have a wide
group of players to send to
the mound, led by Christo-
pher and Menke.
Christopher pitched 29
1/3 innings last season and
had an earned-run average
of 4.3. In three appearances
last spring, Menke struck
out fve batters and gave up
just one earned run.
Copley also pitched 12
2/3 innings last season and
will be relied on once he
returns.
Also pitching for the Hus-
kies will be Bass, Luhmann,
Thaemlitz and Nasby, with
others possibly getting a
chance as well.
Weve got a lot of guys
that can pitch, Sukalski
said. There are a lot of
guys that we can throw out
there and get people out.
Im encouraged by that.
Because more than half
of the lineup will be var-
sity first-timers, Sukalski
doesnt know exactly what
to expect when the Hus-
kies open the season today
(Thursday) at home against
Adrian.
The big thing right now
is I dont know how good
we can be, he said. Its
too early. I dont know what
this teams capable of right
now.
But Sukalski does expect
his team to improve.
Right now my focus is
on getting better every day;
thats it, he said. Were
trying to get to be a better
baseball team.
With a bit more experi-
ence and the leadership
of the returning seniors,
the Huskies should be able
to battle for another high
finish in the conference.
Im expecting to be very
competitive, Sukalski said.
As far as wins and losses, I
dont want to set a limit on
what we can do.
Sukalski said Marshall,
Worthington and Luverne
are the favorites in the
always tough Southwest
Conference. The first of
those three for the Huskies
will be Worthington, which
the Huskies host April 11.
JCC travels to Luverne for
a doubleheader May 2 and
is at Marshall for a twinbill
May 16.
Sukalski is assisted at the
varsity level by Mike Wi-
erson, with Nathan Boller
coaching the B squad and
Kevin Holm the C squad.
Jim Gumto and Chris Nau-
mann are middle school
coaches.