Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Spring has sprung... and is almost over?

So I was completely wiped out after our 10-hour drive home from Branson (and the subsequent drive back from Mitchell to Sioux Falls and back that same day/night to watch my friend's band play) and meant to blog that next day or early that next week. Well, that's been two weeks ago now, and I have slipped into forgetting to blog again. I swear I'll do better the rest of the spring.

Anyway... I don't want to lapse back to the national tournament too much but... I thought we had Northwood. We got it down to a three-point game, then couldn't score. I think if we would have tied that game or even taken a small lead, we would have had it. They were cocky, and you can't tell they weren't used to losing, or even playing close games. One thing I noticed down there is that teams and coaches are generally very, very friendly. They're excited to be in Branson at the national tournament, and they'll sit there and chat with you about the teams, the weather, their trip, their season, where you're from, anything. Northwood did not give off that vibe. They seemed stuck up, like they thought they were better than everyone. Which, yes, they were good. Very good. But very beatable.

Anyway... that's over and done with. Great season for the Tiger men. The offseason has been good to them, too. Brady Wiebe earned All-America First Team honors -- the third All-American honors of his career. Coach Shane Murphy signed Luke Bamberg and Kris Menning, a duo of high scorers and talented players from nearby Corsica/Stickney. Those two, along with Jalen Voss, should mean good things for the future of the program.

And now, it's baseball/softball season. Which seems nuts. We've actually had a handful of home baseball games, though. They haven't been particularly warm, but DWU is playing baseball in March in South Dakota, which is fairly impressive. The softball team hasn't been so lucky, but is hoping to change that Friday with a doubleheader against Peru State.

The baseball team has struggled a bit this season, mostly because it is very, very young. There are only a handful of upperclassmen on the team, and some of those upperclassmen are seeing playing time for the first year, so they don't have that big-game experience. Thomas Pickett and Ethan Opsahl have both excelled, though. Both have won a GPAC Pitcher-of-the-Week award after big performances. Opsahl leads the league with 38 strikeouts and Pickett is second with 31.

The softball team is also young, but experienced because these kids have been playing since they were freshmen. Brandi Nekrassoff earned GPAC Pitcher-of-the-Week honors last week for her part in helping DWU sweep previously undefeated Nebraska Wesleyan.

I know it's only the end of March, but graduation is April 30, so spring sports are coming to a close rather quickly! Which is nuts to think about.

Like I said, I promise I'll blog more this spring season. Who ya rootin' for?

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