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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10, 2021
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
RAIDERS READY TO RESUME PLAY AFTER YEAR OFF
Addie Sanford fields the ball during softball practice Wednesday, Feb. 17, at Central Lakes College in Brainerd. Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
By Jeremy Millsop Sports Editor Ray Austin and his Central Lakes College Raiders softball team were just returning from an eight-game road trip in Florida. As the team was arriving at the Minneapolis airport, everyone’s phone was pinging with announcements. The NCAA announced it canceled March Madness. News of other events being canceled bombarded social media. The Raiders knew their future as a team wasn’t good. In fact, when the team returned to the college little did they know that would be the last time they would meet. “We actually never got back together after we got back to the college from the airport,” Austin said. The college was closed and the students were never allowed back on. “That was unfortunate because the Florida trip is where you learn your team and who can do what. I felt we were a really good team last year. We came back from Florida 1-7, but we played all Division I and II JUCO teams and we played really well. It
Raiders roster
Sophomore: Cassidy Zontelli (shortstop), Haley Youngbauer (outfield) Second-year freshmen: Sarah Kossan (pitcher, outfield), Jenna Gratz (pitcher, infield), Katie Johnson (outfield, infield), Lexy Swanson (infield) First-year freshmen: Sydnee Johnson (infield), Chloe Munsch (outfield) Addie Sanford (pitcher, infield), Rebecca Maurer (catcher, utility), Koral Tepley-King (catcher, outfield)
was really sad that those girls never got to play. I think we would have contended for the region championship for sure last year.” Because of COVID-19, the team wasn’t able to come together until practice began a few weeks ago. Austin said while he communicated with players by phone or text, he had no real contact with his roster. “We had no fall ball, no fundraising, no camps and no team dinners,” he said. “Those are all real chances to get to know your team and for the girls to get to know each other and the coaches and me and my wife. It’s really tough. We’re learning about each other right now. A lot of the kids I spoke to on the phone or texted and that was my only contact with them throughout this entire thing.”
Austin is relying heavily on returning sophomores Haley Youngbauer and Cassidy Zontelli. Youngbauer is a center fielder from Verndale. Zontelli is a Brainerd High School graduate who will handle the shortstop duties. “Cassidy and Haley are both going to have to play big roles and it’s ironic because they both are very quiet people,” Austin said. “But they are both first ones in the gym and the last ones out. They lead by example. Cassidy will take ground balls until my hands are bleeding from hitting them to her and then she’ll want more. Haley is an outfield and she absolutely hates indoor practice because there’s not a lot we can do. We design a lot of drills for the outfielders that revolve around footwork and drop steps and alignment to the ball
Raiders schedule March 13: vs. Riverland at RCTC Dome, 6 p.m. March 13: vs. Gogebic at RCTC Dome, 8 p.m. March 26: vs. Anoka-Ramsey at Rosemount Irish Dome, 1:15 p.m. March 26: vs. St. Cloud Technical at Rosemount Irish Dome, 3 p.m. March 26: vs. Dakota County Technical at Rosemount Irish Dome, 4:45 p.m. April 3: vs. Dakota County Technical at RCTC Dome 3 p.m. April 3: vs. Anoka-Ramsey at RCTC Dome 5 p.m. April 14: at Hibbing (2) 3 p.m. April 15: hosts St Cloud Tech (2) 3 p.m. April 17: hosts Mesabi Range (2) noon April 18: hosts Rainy River (2) noon April 21: at Northland (2) 3 pm. April 25: at University of Minnesota Morris JV (2) 1 p.m. April 28: hosts Hibbing (2) 3 p.m. May 1: at Mesabi Range (2) noon May 2: at Rainy River (2) noon May 5: hosts Northland (2) 3 p.m. May 15: hosts Anoka-Ramsey (2) 1 p.m.
and they’ve been doing such a great job. “Sarah Kossan has been around the program for a long time just because her sister played here. Her being a home-schooled kid she would tag along with her sister. She would be on road trips with us so she’s kind of a sophomore by default. All the returning freshmen still played three-quarters of the year last year, but just didn’t get to play in many games. The leadership is there.” Kossan is a second-year freshman from
1 pitcher, I think, on our roster. All three of them are equally good and have the same amount of compete in them. I think we’re going to be just fine. They all throw a fastball and a changeup. We’re working on a rise ball and things that move. Sarah has really done a great job with her changeup over the offseason. She’s got just the right amount of speed change. “Jenna is probably one of the hardest throwers, which does come with some wildness. She throws hard, but doesn’t
Raiders softball
Head coach: Ray Austin, fifth season Career record: 79-47 2020 record: 1-7 overall Returning players: Cassidy Zontelli, Haley Youngbauer, Sarah Kossan, Jenna Gratz, Katie Johnson, Lexy Swanson Assistant coach: Ashley Erickson, Carlie Sweet (volunteer), Lindsey Jourdan (volunteer)
Motley. She’ll pitch and when she’s not pitching she’ll make up one of the fastest outfield trios Austin has fielded since he started coaching at Central Lakes. Kossan and Youngbaurer will be teamed with Chloe Munsch, another Brainerd High School graduate. Kossan, whose sister Lisa played at CLC and is now on the Bemidji State University roster, is one of three pitchers the Raiders will place on the mound. Jenna Gratz is a righty from Oregon. When she’s not pitching she’ll share third base duties with Addie Sanford, who is a first-year freshman righty, who graduated from Brainerd last year. “We don’t have a No.
Austin
always know where it’s going, but she is very effective and she’ll be fine. Addie is just fundamentally sound. She’s worked with her grandfather, who was a fast-pitch guy from way back, and she’s just very fundamentally sound. She throws a lot of strikes and I’m excited to see what she does in a game.” At catcher, CLC will have three options. Rebecca Maurer, Koral Tepley-King and the third option being Kossan. “Rebecca had a pretty substantial ankle injury as a younger player and hasn’t played softball in quite some time, but she’s really good from what I’ve seen. She’s fundamentally
sound behind the plate. She receives well. She just has to get used to playing with that ankle again and trusting it. Hitting-wise, she’s really making strides. I think she’ll be in the mix to be the catcher. “Koral has Brainerd roots, but she came from Kentucky. She didn’t catch much there, but because she told me she knows how to catch she’s in the mix. It’s kind of the way things work in junior college.” Katie Johnson will man first base and when Kossan is pitching might move to the outfield. “She can play a lot of positions. She was helping out catching in the bullpen earlier in the season. She had some concussion issues in basketball last year so we’ll really try to avoid having her catch in a game. She has really good hands and can pick balls out of the dirt and is used to receiving a ball. She’ll be just fine at first.” Another utility-type player will be Lexy Swanson. Austin said she’ll likely play in the infield, but could be moved around a lot. “She has a really good swing,” Austin said. “The last game of the year last year she made really solid contact and I was seeing really good things from here. We’re really glad she is back. “I think top to bottom we have a really strong 11 and we’ll contend in the MCAC North Division. Offensively we’re going to be strong. We have really good team speed, too. We’re going
SOFTBALL: Page 5
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COLLEGE BASEBALL
RAIDERS HOPE TO USE DEPTH TO THEIR ADVANTAGE IN 2021
Central Lakes College Raider Eli Roberts prepares to hit a ball during practice, Tuesday, Feb. 23, in the gymnasium at the college. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
By Conrad Engstrom Sports Writer In the brief eightgame schedule the Central Lakes College Raiders played last year, head coach Brian Voigt liked what he saw. With most of his team back from the shortened 2020 season, along with four players back for a third year, Voigt is excited to get back on the field. “A lot of guys are hungry to play and I felt like our spring break record did not emulate the type of team we had because we always play teams that are on scholarship,” Voigt said. “We didn’t lose very many players and added some players that give us depth at all positions.” That depth is a new wrinkle for the 2021 season thanks to the COVID19 pandemic wiping out last season and giving student-athletes an extra year of eligibility. “It’s not your typical freshman class,” Voigt said. “We have a lot more returners in a year and then you add in a good crop of true freshmen and you have three classes where you can add them in and out. It’s depth we haven’t had before and it’s definitely helping our pitching staff.” Pierz graduate Preston Rocheleau is one of the three-year sophomores and will be in the middle of the lineup and atop the pitching rotation for the Raiders. In Rocheleau’s lone start last season, he gave up six earned runs on 12 hits in a loss. At the plate, he hit for a .368 average with two doubles in 19 at bats. As a freshman in 2019, Rochleau pitched 52 2/3 innings, which was the third most on the team,
Raiders roster
Sophomores: Jake Kapphahn (pitcher/shortstop), Hunter Wicklund (outfielder/pitcher), Phillip Zynda (catcher), Preston Rocheleau (second base/pitcher) Second-year Freshmen: Eric Martin (pitcher/infielder), Jack Suska (infielder), Thomas Kossan (utility), Reese Kapsner (outfielder/pitcher), Luke Girtz (outfielder/pitcher), Sam Jensen (pitcher), Jonathan Lerma (pitcher), Nick Proshek (utility), Justin Houge (infielder) First-year Freshmen: Mason Argir (outfielder/pitcher), Adam Braun (outfielder), Eli Roberts (outfielder), Ben Anderson (catcher), Kyle Baker (infielder/pitcher), Nolan Notch (infielder/ pitcher), Juan Ramirez (infielder), Gunnar Wicklund (infielder), Daevion King (pitcher), Jaime Werne (infielder), Rique Martin (outfielder), Kyle Strecker (pitcher), Kyle Brandt (utility), Ben Dornseif (pitcher), Jared Goodman (pitcher), Michael McGraw (infielder), Rylee Rauch (infielder/pitcher)
and posted a 3.93 ERA which was second best. He’s a natural leader,” Voigt said. “He’s pretty quiet, sometimes you want him to speak up more. All four of those guys who are back for a third year have been able to help corral everyone on what’s expected from them.” Rocheleau will be at second base with fellow third-year sophomore Jake Kapphahn at shortstop. Kapphahn will have a similar role to Rocheleau by hitting in the middle of the order and carrying his fair share on the mound. “To return those guys up the middle and they have been our three and five hitters is huge,” Voigt said. “We return those key guys in the middle of our order and in key positions on the field.” In seven games last season, Kapphahn, a Little Falls graduate, did not quite heat up hitting for a .188 average with three hits and one home run in 16 at bats. As a freshman in 2019, Kapphahn was second on the team with a .376 average in 125 at bats. He led the team in extra base hits with nine doubles, three triples and four home runs. “He can drive the ball out of the park and into
the gaps,” Voigt said. “He’s really good at the knowledge of the strike zone, too.” On the mound as a freshman, Kappahahn pitched 31 1/3 innings and posted a team-best 2.87 ERA. Voigt expects him to play more of
normal college parks.” With the Rocheleau-Kapphahn-Zynda combination in the middle of his batting order, that veteran presence gives Voigt some relief in filling out his lineup card. “It’s borderline relaxing,” he said. “To have guys who have proven they can do it and bring that presence in the middle of the order and that maturity brings some calm that is needed on the baseball field. Every year, you’re looking for who can be in the middle of your lineup and to have guys returning in that spot makes everything else a little bit easier.” Gunnar Wicklund is an
Raiders baseball
Head coach: Brian Voigt, fifth year 2020 record: 1-7 overall Returning players: Jake Kapphahn, Hunter Wicklund, Phillip Zynda, Preston Rocheleau, Eric Martin, Jack Suska, Thomas Kossan, Reese Kapsner, Luke Girtz, Sam Jensen, Jonathan Lerma, Nick Proshek, Justin Houge Assistant coaches: Andrew Crecsi, Skylar Mursu
a one- to two-inning type role this year with the added depth he’s accumulated. “It’ll be nice to have him at the back half of the pitching staff,” Voigt said. “He’ll be kind of a closer-like pitcher.” Raiders’ catcher Phillip Zynda, from Austin, Minn., is another thirdyear sophomore who will be a power hitter in the middle of the Raiders’ order. In seven games last season, Zynda hit .421 with four extra-base hits and five RBIs. “He’s your classic four-hole hitter,” Voigt said. “He’s a guy who was off to a great start last year and ended up with a few triples that would be home runs in
Voigt
incoming true freshman from Brainerd who Voigt called a catcher by trade, but he wants to see him at first base for his club to get his left-handed bat in the lineup. “To get his bat in the lineup will add some
“The outfield is truly a big, talented group for us,” Voigt said. “We return the three guys who were out there last year who all had great eight games last year. We added a couple of good players out as well.” Adam Braun is one of those additions to the outfield who adds a power element. “He’s a powerful left-handed hitter,” Voigt said. “He can mix in the outfield and can swing the bat extremely well and he’s shown that.” Brainerd graduate Eli Roberts is another good hitter who can crack the outfield rotation as well as Arizona native Rique Martin who Voigt called a “natural outfielder.” “When you add how they swing the bat and hopefully ending up on second base to begin with,” Voigt said of his outfield, “it makes pitchers get worried and makes hitting for the rest of the team easier. Especially with our home field, and how big our field is — defensively it’s huge. We never got to see the team speed out there last year.”
BASEBALL: Page 5
Raiders schedule Saturday, March 27, at Rochester (2) 2 p.m. Sunday, March 28, at Rochester (2) noon Tuesday, March 30, at Riverland (2) 2 p.m. Saturday, April 3, hosts Anoka-Ramsey (2) noon Monday, April 5, hosts Rainy River (2) 1 p.m. Saturday, April 10, at Northland (2) 2 p.m. Sunday, April 11, at Northland (2) 2 p.m. Thursday, April 15, hosts Itasca (2) 1 p.m. Saturday, April 17, at St. Cloud (2) 1 p.m. Sunday, April 18, at St. Cloud (2) 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 21, at Itasca (2) 1 p.m. Saturday, April 24, hosts Minnesota State (2) 1 p.m. Sunday, April 25, hosts Minnesota State (2) 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 28, at Rainy River (2) 2 p.m. Saturday, May 1, hosts Northland (2) 2 p.m. Sunday, May 2, at Northland (2) 2 p.m. Saturday, May 8, at Minnesota State (2) 1 p.m. Sunday, May 9, at St. Cloud (2) 1 p.m.
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power for us,” Voigt said. “He had a really good junior season at Brainerd and lost his senior season.” Jaime Werne, a true freshman from Serra Vista, Ariz., is another player looking to get time at first base for the Raiders. The outfield is led by the fourth thirdyear sophomore Hunter Wicklund. The Brainerd graduate uses his speed both in the outfield and on the basepaths. Last season, he hit for a .333 average in 21 at bats. As a freshman, he hit .311 in 74 at bats and stole 14 bases which was third best on the team. “He’s a good leadoff/nine-hole hitter for us,” Voigt said. “In that abbreviated season, he goes back and forth and can turn over a lineup for us and has some good speed for us.” Luke Girtz is a second-year freshman who led the team in hitting last season in the short season. The Pierz native hit for a team-leading .478 average with 11 hits and six RBIs. Girtz plays in the outfield alongside Wicklund. Reese Kapsner, also from Pierz, is another second-year freshman returning to the outfield for the Raiders.
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COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL
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Central Lakes College head volleyball coach stands in the gymnasium of the college Wednesday, Feb. 24. Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
PETERSON’S QUICK ADJUSTMENT HAS RAIDERS SITTING GOOD By Jeremy Millsop Sports Editor
For the first time in a while, Jane Peterson feels on top of things. The head coach of the Central Lakes College Raiders volleyball team accepted the fact she wasn’t going to have a competitive season quickly and then went to work on the future. For the first time in as long as she could remember she has eight confirmed players on her roster already. That’s the most she’s had at this point in the year in a while. Plus, she’s really happy with the quality of student-athletes she’s getting. Ironically she can thank COVID-19 for that. “I do know that I have found a few more people who are willing to consider a local community college because of cost,” Peterson said. “Most of the people that I recruited this year are high academic people. Not most, all of them actually. Because of all the online classes, I think most people are looking at the advantages of staying closer to home. If things are still going to be online, as I’m sure some of them are, then why not do it cheaper from home. “I had many more conversations with people about just the financial efficiency of going to CLC and for those students looking at specific programs or have specific academic goals. That might be because they came to visit earlier like the people who were on the ball looking for a college and were doing it earlier. I had the time to connect with them earlier than usual. There is definitely a trend this year that I have recruited more people that have a high academ-
ic goal. That I’m really looking forward to — being around a bunch of motivated students.” The Raiders will have two players who played on the 2019-20 team returning. One player who was a freshman this fall and attended some open gyms and team functions before everything closed completely will also return. Then Peterson went out and signed five incoming freshmen to give her eight players on the roster already. “I would say this is earlier than ever before that we have eight committed people,” Peterson said. “It’s not unusual to have a couple, but I can’t remember a time when we had this many. I feel like we’re in a really good place right now. We have eight people who are all quality people and people I’m excited about being around.” The Raiders landed former B r a i n erd Warrior setter Grace Peabody and Crosby-Ironton’s set- Peabody te r/ h i tte r Jacey Rydberg. Fellow local player Tori Plemel has also committed. The 5-foot-10 hitter played for Lake Region Christian School last fall. Rounding out the recruits is all-state player Megan Rinicker from Henning and Ellie Sutton from St. Anthony. Despite a solid core of commitments, recruiting has been an adjustment for Peterson and her coaching staff. “The campus visits were definitely very different because they didn’t get a chance to meet players on those visits,” Peterson said. “Also, the visiting of
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apartments or where they might live was very different because there wasn’t anyone living in Brainerd as usual. I did have one former player who was living in an apartment across the street so we could go visit her. That was difRydberg ferent.” Peterson said the majority of the time the recruits spent with academic counselors and tour guides. Peterson said she felt it was her job to get the recruits in the door and then she handed things off to her players to sell the experience. “Usually I just let players tell them how it is because that’s just way more meaningful than to have me talk about how great we are,” Peterson said. “I would work to get players to visit and then once they visited I really relied on my players to do the recruiting because they’re better at telling people how much fun it is here and why they would want to come.” Peterson said it was also harder getting to certain games because of fan restrictions at high schools and then interacting with the athletes on a personal level was almost impossible, but she said the fact she didn’t have a season or her own team to worry about she felt more prepared with the recruiting process. “I had a lot more time to message people, email people, or talk to coaches,” Peterson said. “I feel like I spent a lot more quality time recruiting this fall than before. It just felt like I was really on top of it because that was the priority. I didn’t
have a team to worry about so that made it easier.” The continued unknowns still concern Peterson, but they also give her hope at selling CLC. She does hope the questions get answered soon so recruiting can return to normal, but she doesn’t see that happening in the near future. “I think it will be the same because there will still be uncertainty about what next fall is going to look like,” Peterson said. “For 18 year olds, what is the vaccination rate? What position are colleges in? Are all college employees going to be vaccinated or not? Because there is still this uncertainty that’s what is difficult because people are hesitant to make a decision because there are so many unknowns.” Peterson’s ability to adjust to her circumstances quickly could result in quality results next fall, but she still felt the effects of not having a season. “Personally, just for a little bit it was difficult and then I got used to it,” Peterson said. “I’m on sabbatical this year so I’m not teaching. I knew my fall was going to be different. I was just going to coach and not teach. I was looking forward to being able to totally focus on volleyball for a little bit. I knew my fall was going to be different so I was ready for that, but then the thing that was hard was not having the team to be around every day. I’m used to every fall of my life since I was 15 of being part of a team. I missed that. I missed being part of a team.” JEREMY MILLSOP may be reached at 218-855-5856 or jeremy. millsop@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at twitter.com/jeremymillsop.
Central Lakes College head football coach Greg Medeck in the school weight room Wednesday, Feb. 24.
MEDECK ITCHING TO GET BACK ON THE GRIDIRON By Conrad Engstrom Sports Writer When Central Lakes College Raiders football head coach Greg Medeck puts the headset on to coach in Week One of the 2021 season, it’ll be the first game he’s coached in three calendar years. Medeck took a leave of absence for a season in 2019 and interim head coach Robb Kolodziej led the Raiders to a 6-5 record, including a MCAC Championship. In 2020, Medeck was set to return, but COVID19 wiped the football season away delaying his return to the sidelines an extra year. He never anticipated taking two years off. “I try to focus on the student-athletes, but personally, yeah, it’s been tough on me,” Medeck said. “I’ve been eager to get back to my craft and I’m craving the return to normal as much as the next guy.”
FOOTBALL: Page 5
ATHLETICS
FALL IS ON AT CLC News became a lot sunnier for the Central Lakes College Athletic Department Thursday, March 4, as the school announced it will move forward with fall sports in 2021. College officials made the decision based on the improving COVID-19 outlook. With safety of student-athletes and the community held with the utmost importance, the college will continue to monitor covid numbers and adjust if necessary. “We are thrilled to get fall athletes back on the field and court,” said CLC President Dr. Hara
Charlier. “These dedicated student-athletes have worked hard in the classroom and they deserve a chance to excel on the field and court, as well. We look forward to cheering on our Raiders this fall!” CLC Athletics Director Jim Russell added, “We are excited to get back to ‘normal’ as much as possible, and getting back on the field or on the court to compete will be amazing. Each of our coaches truly misses leading and interacting with our student-athletes.”
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As far as recruiting goes, Medeck’s coaching staff is still in the middle of it. Although his message hasn’t changed despite the circumstances. “We are anticipating confidently and excitingly a 2021 season,” he said. “For the first time we are going to have three different classes. We’ll put those three classes together and build a program that reflects CLC. The reality is our mission is that the benefit of Central Lakes College being cost effective, close to home, opportunity to support an environment with multiple degrees to pursue… our message hasn’t changed and I’m finding that student-athletes are grasping it cleaner.” Medeck doesn’t know the exact number of third-year student-athletes he’ll have back.
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MEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
RAIDERS’ RUSSELL REVAMPS RECRUITING IN AGE OF COVID-19
Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
Central Lakes College athletic director and head men's basketball coach Jim Russell stands in front of the photos of the 2020 Raiders basketball team Wednesday, Feb. 24, at the college. By Jeremy Millsop Sports Editor Jim Russell’s popcorn intact has lowered, but he’s done more ice fishing than normal. For the first time in 34 years, Russell isn’t coaching basketball and specifically the Central Lakes College men’s basketball team. The decision to not coach wasn’t his but rather a product of COVID-19 and CLC’s decision to not have winter athletics. But it’s not like Russell has been stuck in the fish house all winter. In fact, he’s found other ways to stay close to the game while ramping up recruiting. “Recruiting has changed in a couple of ways,” Russell said. “No. 1, I am able to see some games and I’ve been on the road to see
some games. That part has helped out a lot. The only thing is I can’t have popcorn because places don’t have concession stands. “Recruiting is actually really hard because we have three classes. We have sophomores who would have been sophomores this year who can come back and play next year. We also have a freshmen class that is here and can come back next year and then we have a new set of freshmen coming in. To try to put all those in order it is tough because it’s just a big game at the end for these kids. You have a lot of choices, but you have a backlog. As a coach, you want to be loyal and you want to make sure that you take care of kids that are here. It’s been tough.”
Russell said fan restrictions have also made recruitment difficult. Face-to-face time and firm handshakes are often impossible. Many schools don’t allow any fans. CLC has gone through old game films and has started making small highlight reels of last year and the year before. He’s also become proficient and zoom and Facetime. The Raiders have revamped their recruiting procedures in order to meet and impress players. But not having a team, or a product currently playing is difficult. It’s also hard to know who will be back on the roster next year, how many spots he can recruit for and how many years some players will actually stay. “Those are the big questions people ask,”
Russell said. “‘Who do you have coming back? Who is leaving?’ Those are important questions and it’s hard to answer when you don’t know. When you don’t have the product or games going and other schools are playing it’s difficult. Another question I get asked is, ‘Are you going to have sports? Are you going to be able to have sports next year?’ “There are four schools in our conference that are playing so that’s a tough sell as well.” Russell said a positive approach is to think he’s starting a program from scratch. He said he’s going to have a really good mixture of older players and younger players. There are also those players who might have been expecting a college scholarship, but because of the NCAA’s
decision to allow one more year of eligibility for those players who didn’t get a season there aren’t enough scholarships to go around. “Talent-wise, we’re probably going to end up with more kids that are supposed to be scholarship kids who didn’t get that scholarship because there isn’t enough to go around,” Russell said. “We’ll probably end up with a few of those types of players. I’m hoping overall talent-wise we’ll continue to do what we do and hopefully get better.” Along with recruiting, Russell has stayed close to basketball by doing speaking engagements and helping other programs through clinics. And with 34 years of coaching experience, he’s become a sounding board for other coaches.
“Some programs have also asked me to kind of evaluate their program,” Russell said. “ I’ve assisted them in the coaching or the Xs and Os and working with kids. That part has been really good. Before, I couldn’t do that within my season. That part has been really, really good.” When he’s not thinking basketball Russell said he’s ice fishing. He didn’t say where or how successful he’s been, but there’s no doubt he would rather be coaching. “This is the first time in 34 plus years I’m not coaching and that part of all of this is the most difficult,” he said.
Losing the 2020-21 basketball season was a tough pill to swallow for Voigt and his team. “It was understood, but disappointing,” he said. “In the fall, we have been able to have open labs and students can get some shots up and workouts in since there is no practice. It stinks, but we are working through it and going day-by-day and weekby-week in building towards next year.” The 2019-20 Raiders were a young team with six freshmen. Voigt said most of those freshmen will graduate in 2021, so he won’t get them back
for the 2021-22 season. “Definitely devastating to lose it because some of them are graduating due to their academic goals,” Voigt said. “But it’s exciting to see that third-year of development. I’ve seen it on the baseball side and now the basketball side of getting them in the prime. They are getting that maturity of what goes into college athletics.” It makes a big difference in leadership having those thirdyear players since Voigt can’t be with the team right now.
JEREMY MILLSOP may be reached at 218-855-5856 or jeremy. millsop@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at twitter.com/jeremymillsop.
WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL
STREAMING A GAME-CHANGER FOR VOIGT IN RECRUITING find a way to stream t h e i r Central Lakes Colgames for lege Raiders women’s fans, stubasketball head coach dents and Brian Voigt finds himof course self streaming three college Voigt high school girls bascoaches. ketball games at once V o i g t most nights. said he tries to get to Due to limited fan some games to meet attendance, most high with players, but having schools are not allow- the option to sit in his ing many fans per state office and watch mulguidelines. Because of tiple games at a time this, schools have had to is nice. By Conrad Engstrom Sports Writer
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“It’s changed the game from the recruiting aspect,” Voigt said. “Every high school has had to find a way to stream games. I find myself with a computer screen with one game, an Ipad with another and my phone with a third game which is definitely new. There is definitely a lot of talent out there in Minnesota when it comes to women’s basketball and now it’s just finding the right fit
when it comes to CLC.” Voigt mentioned he usually reaches out to recruits after he watches a stream, but still thinks there is nothing like being at a game in person. “It’s nice to go out and see the excitement of sports being played again,” Voigt said. “It’s helping the young ladies to not take sports for granted and realizing when they lost it how much they enjoyed it.”
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Steve Kohls / Brainerd Dispatch
Central Lakes College Raiders pitcher Jonathan Lerma throws during practice Tuesday, Feb. 23, in the gymnasium at the college.
BASEBALL From Page 2
Voigt feels fortunate to have four left-handed pitchers in his rotation and bullpen. He calls having that many southpaws on his roster a rarity. “Usually getting two left-handed pitchers is a good thing,” he said. “We are fortunate enough to have four and to have that quality of pitchers so we can play some matchups and do some things to put them in the
SOFTBALL From Page 1
to be taking extra bases. We can steal when we have to. I’ve never been a big fan of the bunt. I like to score runs the old-fashioned way, but if we can put the ball in play and make other teams make plays that’s good. They will have to hurry. There won’t be a lot of pounding the ball three times and lobbing a throw over to first. They’ll have to really get after it to get us out.” The Raiders have a 29-game schedule this spring. One of the big concerns will be depth. The Raiders only have 11 players. “It’s very concerning because if you get any injuries, we have 11 and if you lose one you’re down to 10 and even I know you need nine to field a team,” Austin said with a laugh. “We’ve been really stressing being ready. You know, getting your arms ready. Getting your legs ready. We’ve had a couple of niks already with some leg injuries. Luckily they happened this week and not a week before our first game. I did the math and we have 10 practices before we play any games. It’s a little concerning, but I think we’re going to
best position to be successful and for the team to be successful. It’s by far the most left-handed pitcher we’ve had.” Jonathan Lerma, native of Tucson, Ariz., is one of those left-handers who pitched a team-high 13 innings last year as one of two Raiders who got two starts. He posted a 2.77 ERA, struck out 10 and tossed two complete games. Sam Jensen is another lefty who started one game last year. Brainerd graduate Mason Argir and Mesa, Ariz., native be ready. “Our pitchers are way ahead of the game and they’ll be just fine. As long as we take care of arms and get kids ready we should be fine.” And they should be eager to play after the cancelation of last season. Austin is grateful for the chance to hit the diamond. But the truth to play will come with many safety responsibilities. “Dealing with the pandemic rules will be a challenge,” Austin said. “Both Brian and I can’t thank the administration enough for really going to bat for us and getting us back on the field. It was right to the bitter end and they made it work. We have a season, but with that season comes some pretty stringent requirements. We are masked up 100% of the time while practicing, playing and on the bus. We test once a week. We’ve been trying to keep the kids as separated as possible so in the event we do have a positive test we can contact trace and maybe only the positive test will have to be quarantined. “Transportation is a crazy obstacle we have to overcome. Our normal mode of transportation is 12 to 15 passenger vans. With the restrictions, only two people can be in one of those fans.
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Daevion King are the other left-handers on the roster who are both true freshmen. Two-year freshman Eric Martin appeared in three games last season, including two starts. The right-hander and Brainerd graduate posted a 6.57 ERA in 12 1/3 innings with seven strikeouts. Nolan Notch and Kyle Baker are other righthanders on the roster. Both will fill in the gaps in the infield when Rocheleau or Kapphahn are pitching. “Kyle Baker has been a
good hitter in the infield and will look to play third base as well,” Voigt said. With a good mix of speed and power, Voigt thinks the style of play for the Raiders will be one with power and aggressive base running. “Almost all the guys can drive the ball when hitting, but can get on base anyway,” Voigt said. “It’s a team that can take on a lot of different identities.” CONRAD ENGSTROM may be reached at 218-855-5861 or conrad. engstrom@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at twitter.com/the_rad34.
He expects it to be about 20 to 25% of the roster. There was plenty of disappointment regarding last season’s cancellation. Medeck said that since Central Lakes is a school that cycles through players every two years every moment is valuable. “It just made it that much more difficult,” he said. “For our returners who were coming off a banner year in 2019 and looking to get back to work, it was difficult for them to have to pause their athletic careers. For our 2020 recruiting class, to go to college and not be able to participate in their sport was equally as difficult. The thing Medeck and his coaching staff miss most is the building connections with their players. “Athletics was never meant to be done virtually,” Medeck said. “It’s
WBB From Page 4
“It can lead to a lot of good things and make seasons a lot more enjoyable for the players and we can relax a little bit as coaches and enjoy our time with student-athletes,” he said. For this season that got canceled, Voigt said he had four incoming freshmen, along with a few recruits who did not
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all about the opportunity to work together to teach, learn and train. Through that you build meaningful relationships and you miss out on that.” The feedback Medeck has gotten from his current student-athletes is the anticipation of a season. “They just want to play,” he said. “They see the light at the end of the tunnel. They want a chance to interact and a chance to practice our craft. They are excited to be back.” It was difficult to not have a season coming off a state championship and what Medeck thought was a good freshman class coming in 2020. “It’s what the game teaches us,” he said. “Control what you can control and that is one of those things you can’t control.” CONRAD ENGSTROM may be reached at 218-855-5861 or conrad. engstrom@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at twitter.com/the_rad34.
enroll in CLC and took a gap year once it became unlikely a season would be played. “Hopefully some of them will be joining us next fall,” Voigt said. “Some didn’t want to start until January and then when the season didn’t start they just were going to wait for next year.” CONRAD ENGSTROM may be reached at 218-855-5861 or conrad. engstrom@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at twitter.com/the_rad34.
Kelly Humphrey / Brainerd Dispatch
Koral Tepley-King catches the ball during softball practice Wednesday, Feb. 17, at Central Lakes College in Brainerd. We’ll have coach buses, which isn’t normally in our budget, but since the other sports didn’t happen we’ve moved a lot of stuff around and made things work. “It was just so important to have some sports
at CLC this year. One reason being, baseball and softball lost a season already. If we lose two it would have been catastrophic. But to go a whole school year without any athletics for the student body and com-
munity to rally around could have been detrimental to the program. We haven’t had our name in the paper at all this year. To just go cold-turkey with no CLC stuff in the paper was tough. We hope the com-
munity hasn’t forgotten about us. We’re going to do our best to compete and make that community proud this year.” JEREMY MILLSOP may be reached at 218-855-5856 or jeremy. millsop@brainerddispatch.com. Follow on Twitter at twitter.com/jeremymillsop.
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