COACHING A SPRING SPORT IN DULUTH!

One of the benefits in moving into our new addition last fall for me has been a window that allows me to see outside. It is the first time in my 10 years here that I've been able to do that. An a day like today I'm not so sure that's much of a benefit. As I write this I'm staring out that window looking at blizzard conditions which are forecast to last into tomorrow. My colleagues, who normally stop by my office to say hi and check in on how the season is going seem to be avoiding me lately. Hmmm....I wonder why that is?

If John Baggs were here right now I know exactly what he would be saying, "turn a negative into a positive". He never had a problem building a successful program in a less than ideal climate. So I will remain optimistic and take on the challenge.

Since returning from our spring trip we have identified some areas that we feel we need to improve on, so have spent the past two weeks addressing those areas. The first being our defense. We went back to the basics and really focused on looking the ball in and our footwork. I think we made improvements as wee committed no errors in our doubleheader against UW-Eau Claire on Sunday, but I still feel like we left a lot of outs on the field so we will continue to work in that area.

Our pitchers have also been working on trying to control the zone. We just haven't been consistent enough throughout a game. It seems every mistake they make are hit hard and then decent pitches are turning into Texas Leaguer's and swinging bunts. We haven't had a lot of things go our way, but good teams make their own breaks so we will keep plugging away.

Hitting has been very inconsistent this season, although I feel we have faced much better pitching than we did last year at this point. Last Sunday I felt we put together better at bats but didn't have much to show for it with only five hits in the doubleheader, but I am seeing signs of good things. To be honest that is the one thing I like about being indoors, I've always felt it's easier to get more swings inside so we will continue to work at it.

So, as the March goes out like a furocious, hungry, man-eating lion, all I can say is bring it on. We can't control the weather, but we can control our attitude toward it. As a matter of fact, I'm rewriting our Saints Softball Mission to include...we will become the northernmost softball program to win a National Championship.

Rain, snow, wind, cold does nothing but fuel our fire!

This picture was taken yesterday (March 30, 2009),
before the snow!

Weiss UMAC Offensive Player of the Week

Chelsey Weiss, senior outfielder from Brainerd, MN, was named the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week following the Saints spring break trip to Dallas, Texas. As the leadoff hitter, Weiss accumulated a .474 average over the six game span.

HIDDEN BLESSINGS AND THE PRESIDENT!

Today we were hopeful to finally get on the field. It was cold but not raining when we woke up. U of Dallas didn't see it that way so we were postponed again.

Sitting indoors for another day was not an option and practice outdoors sure beats indoors, but we are at the point were we need to just play. Despite that, we headed to the field to get some BP in.

It wasn't the greatest of circumstances. About 40 degrees, very soggy ground, and two cages. One with a cement floor and the other with a some wrinkled up turf. But it always seems like when you least expect it great things happen.

Whenever one of the players makes a connection between what we are trying to teach and what they are actually doing we call it a 'epiphany'. What usually happens is I see the 'lightbulb' go on inside their head and then announce it to the team....."Ding, ding, ding....'so and so' just had an epiphany." And that's what happened today. Freshman Sam Quenette had that lightbulb turn on and things started to make sense. She then stepped into the cage and probably had her best round of BP of the year.

We had a few other players have some 'mini' epiphany's today, so I think we are on the verge of some great things happening at the plate. All the more reason to play a game.

Tomorrow's forecast is for a 90% chance of rain....but it is suppose to stop by mid-afternoon so we hope to get a game or two in.

Off the field there really is never a dull moment. The Three Amigo's (see previous posting) are forever entertaining. Right now the thing that seems to be occupying their time is to cut up softballs and turn them into bracelets. Now, any former Saints knows my obsession with softballs. I once 1)accused the team of 'taking' a case of balls from the cage only to find out later that they were there all the time, 2)wrote each persons number on a ball so they would know which one was theirs, 3)gone into players ball bags and taking all the balls out. And, 4)just before break I went into the locker room and gathered up almost two buckets of balls. Wow...I really do have a ball problem, don't I. But seriously, Mya and Kayla, you can only play with one at a time.

This afternoon we were honored to be in a the presence of Dr. Larry Goodwin, the President of CSS. Dr. Goodwin and along with Gary Garlie from Institutional Advancement hosted the team and their parents and family at a very nice restaurant. The food and conversation were great. Thank you to Dr. Goodwin and Institutional Advancement. We were honored to have spent time with you.

As always, stay tuned.

NOT WHAT I WAS HOPING FOR!

I now know that Dallas, Texas will not be a destination point for my retirement. I need warm weather. I know those of you in Minnesota are shoveling out of a March Blizzard, but seriously, you've come to expect that. When I get in a bus and travel 17 hours south I EXPECT, I don't know, maybe at least 60 degrees. I don't think I'm asking that much, am I.

Today I woke up to 39 and rain and more rain and more rain. But it did warmed up to 43....woooo, hoooo!

Tonight's games were postponed and I'm hopeful we can get them in tomorrow.

Tune in.

ONE AND COUNTING!

It is well documented that I have never, in all my 30 year of softball, hit a home run over the fence. Yes, I've hit some long balls in my days of no helmets and wooden bats, but they always came on 300 foot fields. And with the blazing speed of my youth I managed to circle the bases a time or two. But never ever have I got to take the glorious jog around the field celebrating the round tripper....until today!

So, here's my story. Last year we started another softball tradition. THE HOME RUN DERBY! Following a practice on spring break, we serve up FBMB's (that's Fast Ball, Meat Ball)on a silver platter for anyone who has the muscle to try and poke one out. For the record, the field dimensions at today's field were 190 down the left field line, 205 to right, 225 to center. The fence is 10 feet high so it's no easy poke.

All the players went first and despite a couple of wall bangers, and warning track flies, no one hit one out. Rilee then stepped up to the plate and hit two bombs that were no doubters off the bat. Good for you Rilee, ya still got it. Boyd took his swings and made us all field good by saving his power for another day. And then it was my turn. Rilee insisted I use "the bat". A 2006 Easton Synergy 34x26. That's a pretty big bat for an frail old soul like me, but how can you argue with someone who her senior year hit six consecutive homeruns and just hit two more bombs.

Everyone else got 5 swings, but since I'm the coach I get to make up my own rules so I declared I got 10 swings. Swings one threw six were uneventful, a bit anxious and out in front, a couple of decent fly balls, but nothing threatening. Then lucky number seven! Boyd served it up and I launched it into the left center field seats. Off the bat I thought it had a chance, but seriously I never hit one out before so I wasn't sure what it was supposed to feel like. It just kept going and going and going and pretty soon it disappeared behind the fence. Are you kidding me? The crowd (players) went crazy. I dropped the bat in disbelief, and started my long-awaited home run trot. With arms in the air I circled the bases and when I rounded third the whole team was waiting for me at home, then an emphatic stomp on home plate, hoots and hollers, high fives! What a feeling!

Oh, it counts, you bet it does. Game or no game. I once said that WHEN I finally did hit my home run I would circle the bases, walk to the bench, grab my glove and be done with softball forever. That was then. Now that I've experienced the thrill, I think I'll stick around and try and do it again next year.

Sidebar: Not 10 seconds after I crossed home plate a campus security guard walked into the dugout and asked me if I was the coach. Apparently, all the noise and commotion we were making didn't go unnoticed by the schools Athletic Director and I was warned if we didn't settle down we wouldn't be able to come back and practice....way to rain on my parade! TRUE STORY!

A Day in the Sun

Rolled into the Econolodge (high class) last night at 8:15 last night. It's amazing to me how hotels insist you send a rooming list then when you get there they take 30 minutes to check you in. Aside from me kicking Rilee in a bit of Guitar Hero it was an uneventful night, at least from my standpoint.

Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day (70degrees) after a cool start (48). Saw Northwestern beat Tennessee 11-3, a pretty ugly game and then Northwestern beat Oklahoma 1-0. It was nice to sit in the sun and watch some pretty good ball.

It's rapidly becoming a tradition to hold our first practice on the crappiest field we can find. Last year, in Dallas, we practiced at a private high school. Boyd and I pulled a drag around the field to smooth it out as best we could. The outfield was a bit rough and to top it off there were gale force winds. It seems to me a couple of the infielders took some wicked hops of the dirt.

Today, after driving around for 45 minutes we could only find a high school baseball field. It was freshly dragged but I can’t imagine any baseball team had played there in a long time; a bit rough to say the least. I think the outfield had it worse, trying to navigate sections of dirt and clumps of grass. Funny thing is no one seemed to mind considering it was 70 and sunny and it wasn’t the Wellness Center. There should be no complaints the remainder of the year of bad fields and bad hops after practice on that field.

Tomorrow we are off to Dallas.

ROAD TRIPPING

Somewhere in the middle of cattle country I've had my fill of Fern Gully which is a movie, for the 99% of you who have no idea what I'm talking about. Modern technology now offers us wireless on the bus so why not take advantage of it, since we are paying for it.

If you haven't figured out by now we are on our way down to Dallas for our spring trip. The plan was to stop at Missouri Western (Jen Bagley, a former TC Thunder teammate is the coach there) to get a practice in, on real dirt! Of course it's was raining when I call Jen to tell her we were not going to bother to stop and then as luck would have it within 30 minutes it stopped raining and the temp rose about 30 degrees. Is that a sign of things to come!

I intended to line up 5 doubleheaders but could only find 3 teams brave enough to play us so tomorrow we will spend the day in Oklahoma City watching Tennessee, Northwestern and Oklahoma play at USA Hall of Fame Stadium. That's where the College World Series is played. I thought it would be a great experience for our players to watch some Div. I ball at a great venue. Monday morning we'll stop by the Oklahoma City Bombing Site Memorial and then head down to Dallas where we will spend the week. We'll get at least three practices in before we play so hopefully we'll get the "I'm outside for the first time and acting like I've never fielded a ground ball or fly ball before blues" out of the way.

By the way, we picked up three amigo's along the way. Please let me introduce Señor Solin, Señor Gordon and Señor Swartz as the newest members of the team. Not sure what position they play yet but they look talented, don't they!

Tune in!

Saints picked to finish 2nd in UMAC Conference

St. Scholastica was picked to finish second in the 2009 UMAC softball regular season according to the preseason coaches' poll. The Saints received 44 points and two first place votes following a season in which they recorded a 16-5 record in the UMAC conference. The Saints finished third last season after winning 11 consecutive UMAC championships prior to 2008.

Northwestern College was picked to finish first after compiling a 19-2 record against conference foes last year. They return eight starters from last year's championship team.

Northland College was picked to fnish third followed by Martin Luther College, University of Minnesota-Morris, Bethany Lutheran College, Presentation College and Crown College.

The non-conference season will begin in mid to late March.

UMAC Preseason Poll (First place votes)
48 Points - Northwestern College (6)
44 Points - College of St. Scholastica (2)
37 Points - Northland College
26 Points - Martin Luther College
25 Points - University of Minnesota, Morris
23 Points - Bethany Lutheran College
13 Points - Presentation College
8 Points - Crown College

Jenkins and Wollak Named UMAC Pitcher, Player of the Week.

Following a 4-1 record over the weekend at the Finlandia Tournament in Michigan, the Saints found two of their own earning UMAC Player and Pitcher of the Week awards.

Kayla Jenkins, a sophomore pitcher from Esko, MN was named UMAC Pitcher of the Week. She compiled a 2-0 record while allowing no earned runs and held opposing batters to a .176 average.

Freshman Brynn Wollak (Hugo, MN) garnered the UMAC Offensive Player of the Week award with a .462 batting average which included two home runs (first of her career) and 7 RBI.

The Saints will be back in action on Wednesday March 11th against the University of Dallas in Dallas, Texas. Check back for updates!