GATORS SOFTBALL PREPARING
Coming off a second consecutive season in which the Gators lost in the Section Championship game the BGMR Softball Team is looking to take the next step and get back to the state tournament. BGMR lost two outstanding players to graduation in Bailey Bergeron and Jaeden Blawat. The Gators also lost two other starters from last season as an all-section player decided she no longer wanted to be a part of the program and Morgan Anderson suffered a torn ACL during basketball. Despite losing 4 starters BGMR returns several key components to their team and if spring training preparation is any indication the Gators will be one of the teams to look out for in Section 8A. Section 8A continues to improve each season and the parity is becoming more evident. Either way the Gators will have their work cut out for them as they try to make a run at the section championship.
The Gators will be coached by Kent Christian who is in his nineteenth year and assisted by David Blazek, Kent Janicke, Meghan Kvien and Haley Price. The Gators have a record 43 players in grades 7-12 who are out for softball. Within this group there is a good mix of girls who have been around the program for quite some time and a good nucleus of young talent.
Once the weather finally warms up and the frost is out of the ground the Gators will have a mix of veteran players and players who are chomping at the bit to get some varsity time. Fortunately for the Gators the quality of players seems to be high. The Gator coaching staff will take a long look at each position as the regular season begins. Here is a position by position look at the Gators.
FIRST BASE: Blawat played some games at first but Anderson and Paige Taggart also saw time there. With Anderson being unavailable because of the injury Taggart will be relied on to handle first base. She had a huge offensive season last year and will again be looked at to provide some pop into the Gator lineup. Taggart however needs to continue to improve defensively. Backing up Taggart could be Megan Larson, Amy Svir, Brenna Dallager, Hannah Anderson or Molly Janicke. Fortunately for the Gators they have some options at first and this will be one of the key positions the Gators need to fill.
SECOND BASE: Tori Mekash will be the Gators starting second base person on opening day. Mekash is an outstanding fielder and last year had a nice season offensively. Her strength is her athleticism which is a key to playing a good second base. Backing up Mekash will be Janicke and Abbie Brockhouse. Although Janicke will be looked at to fill one of the outfield spots she is able to step in at second. Offensively she will need to show that she can hit at the varsity level. Brockhouse also has a nice glove but just needs to gain some experience which will more than likely come at the J.V. level
SHORTSTOP: Emily Anderson will be counted on to be the Gators starting shortstop. Anderson has big shoes to fill as she will be taking over the spot from Bergeron as Bergeron is now playing college softball. Anderson is a tremendous athlete and was a starter for the Gators in the outfield last year. She will need to cut down on her strikeouts but the sky is the limit for Anderson. When not pitching Aunica Novacek will play short and Anderson will move behind the plate to give the Gator catcher a break. Backing up Anderson and Novacek is Gracei Gullikson. Gullikson has had a great spring so far and has turned some heads with the coaching staff. Dallager could also fill in a pinch.
THIRD BASE: A spot in which the Gators have been fortunate enough to have some outstanding players is now an area of hot competition. The Gators are looking to replace an all-section player and in doing so will be inexperienced at the hot corner. 3 players have emerged in the competition at third and so far they each bring something different to the team. Larson has shown a nice bat but a consistent glove needs to develop. Julia Stenberg also has shown signs of nice play but the coaching staff is looking for more consistent play both offensively and defensively. Dallager looks real strong at third but has little to no varsity experience so the step up to the varsity level would be a big one. Dallager however looks like she is ready to make that jump. Third base will be the spot to keep your eye on as the coaching staff sorts through what looks to be some great options.
OUTFIELD: The injury to Morgan Anderson hurt the Gators a great deal. The coaching staff knows that Anderson will be diligent in her rehab and will be an added bonus to BGMR next year. With that being said BGMR is looking at two newcomers to the outfield. The lone returning outfielder is centerfielder Katie Howell. Howell took the starting centerfield job last season and ran with it. She had a solid offensive season and will be looked at to cover more ground than ever with two inexperienced outfielders to her right and left. It looks like left field is going to be manned by Taylor Becker. Becker is a solid athlete but outfield is relatively new to her. Fortunately she was able to gain some experience there last summer so the growing pains should not take too long. Janicke looks to have the inside track to right field. Janicke is solid on things hit to her but she too is relatively inexperienced. Several players are pushing for time in the outfield. Johanna Jacobson has shown some pop with the bat but needs to work on her throwing and defensive skills. Nadja Melby has come a long ways since she started playing but needs to gain more game experience. Kelly Parnow seems to swing a good bat but getting more aggressive defensively will be a key. Amy Svir is taking some reps in the outfield and looks like she can get after the ball. Isabella Grafstrom has a nice bat but she too needs to become more aggressive defensively. Rachel Peterson, Josee Locken, and O’Brien Stromsodt are quiet players who can make the routine plays. With so many girls looking for time in the outfield however it may be tough for them to see time at the varsity level. Each has a tremendous upside and if they continue to work on their game will be valuable to the Gator program.
CATCHER: Lyndsey Anderson returns to be the Gators primary backstop. Anderson is a three year starter and handles the pitchers well. She showed flashes of outstanding offense and is a player who when a big hit is needed will find a way to get one. Emily Anderson will backup Lyndsey. Also vying for time will be Hannah Anderson and Danielle Hoyer. It could be said that the Gators will go with the law firm of Anderson, Anderson, Anderson and Hoyer behind the plate. Hannah seems to have overcome some arm issues and has begun swinging the bat really well. Hoyer has a riffle of an arm and some pop in her bat. She does need to become more consistent in all phases of the game. PITCHER: In fast-pitch softball the name of the game is pitching. The Gators return Aunica Novacek as their primary pitcher. Novacek has been relentless with her throwing this past off season. She seems to have developed some different pitches which will help as the Gators see some tough teams. Novacek is as good as they come when she is hitting her spots and offensively the coaches believe Novacek with any luck at all will have a huge season. Taggart will also pitch for the Gators. Taggart has looked good this spring but will need to develop a more consistent changeup to go along with her strong fastball. Rachel Peterson has also worked extremely hard in the off season and may see some varsity time. Stenberg is a strike machine as she comes in and just gets people out so she too could toe the rubber on the varsity. Megan Larson is a nice looking pitcher but may need time to develop on the j.v. and Brenna Dallager has the toughness to be a good pitcher and is fighting for varsity time somewhere in the line-up.
A fastpitch team is only as good as its pitching so developing pitchers and getting more junior high girls who are willing to make the sacrifice to become good pitchers is a high priority for the coaching staff.
Any team that has won two consecutive section championships has to be considered the favorite and such is the case with the Red Lake Falls Eagles. Sacred Heart returns standout pitcher Hannah Reimer who will keep any team in a game. Norman County East-Ulen Hitterdal is always a team to reckon with as they have good pitching and a potent offense. Norman County (Ada and Norman County West) return several starters and outstanding athletes and Lake of the Woods seems to have their program on the upswing. There is no easy path but the Gator girls look up to the challenge and will give it all they got to bring back the section title to Gator land.
Now all the Gators need is some warmer weather and a dry field and the Gator Softball march will be on. GATOR NATION needs to come out and watch this team as the season progresses. The Gator softball team is a hard working, hardnosed group who realizes the tradition that has been established with the softball program. Because of this they want to continue the winning ways and become the best team that they can be.
The BGMR Softball Program would also like to take this time to invite you to view their website. The address is: http://www.middleriver.k12.mn.us//Domain/87
This site will give you an inside view to the Gator program and current record holders, pictures, game schedule and other information. A person can also access the site by going to the GMR school website and clicking on activities and selecting softball.
Remember “GATORS SOFTBALL, ALL IT TAKES IS ALL YOU GOT!”
GATORS LOSE OPENER
After 18 practices the BGMR Gators Softball Team was elated to get outside and finally see some game action. Unfortunately the Gators dropped their season open to perennial Section 8A power Norman County East-Ulen Hitterdal by a score of 4-2.
The Gators got off to a shaky start offensively as their first two batters struck out against Titan starting pitcher Rana Opsahl. Little did the Gators know that this would be a sign of things to come as Opsahl shut down the Gator bats in route to a complete game 4 hitter while striking out 13 batters.
With snow around the field the Gators must have thought it was Christmas as they gave the Titans 3 runs in the first inning. Even though they did not commit an error in the first inning BGMR was shaky on defense and the Titans took advantage. The Titans would add an unearned run in the second and that was all they would need to get the victory.
Offensively the Gators struggled. Aunica Novacek led the Gators going 1 for 2 with a walk, Julia Stenberg was 1 for 3 but hit the ball hard each time and Lyndsey Anderson had the lone run batted in for the Gators as she was also 1 for 3.
The Gators are hoping to get in 3 games this week. The Gators are suppose to be at home on Tuesday against the Northern Freeze, Thursday against Roseau and Friday against Red Lake County. BGMR is going to need some major drying weather over the next 2 days to get the games in but they remain optimistic that Mother Nature has decided that enough is enough.
GATORS WIN HOME OPENER
Taking advantage of some inconsistent Roseau Ram pitching the BGMR Gator Softball Team picked up their first win of the year with a 16-4 victory over the Rams. The Gators managed 3 runs in the first, 9 in the second and 4 more in the third in route to the 5 inning victory.
Gator starting pitcher Aunica Novacek was consistent as Novacek pitched 4 innings giving up 2 runs (1 earned) while striking out 4. Meanwhile Ram pitching allowed only 6 hits but also walked 10 batters.
Offensively the Gators were led by Paige Taggart who was 2 for 2. Lyndsey Anderson was 1 for 1 with 3 walks and Emily Anderson was 1 for 2 with 2 walks. The Rams were led by Sarina Goos who was 3 for 3 and Kinzie Degerness who was 1 for 2.
The Gators will continue battle today when the take on the Mustangs from Red Lake County. The Gators did not see the Mustangs last season because of a rainout date so this year could be a challenge. BGMR hopes to continue to improve as the season shifts into high gear.
GATOR SOFTBALL PICKS UP SECOND WIN OF THE YEAR
The BGMR Gator Softball Team was able to take advantage of some youthful mistakes by the Red Lake County Mustangs and cruised to an 11-1 victory over the Mustangs. The Mustangs, who were seeing a field for the first time all season, committed 5 errors and the Gators pounced on those mistakes to score 5 unearned runs in route to the 10 run margin of victory.
BGMR scored 3 runs in the first, another 4 in the third, 2 in the forth and ended the game via 10 run rule with 2 in the fifth.
Gator starting pitcher Aunica Novacek picked up her second win of the year as she threw all five innings allowing 1 unearned run, 2 hits, while striking out 4 and walking 1.
Offensively the Gators were led by Katie Howell who was 3 for 3 on the day and scored 2 times. Emily Anderson and Paige Taggart were the only other Gators to collect hits as BGMR also managed to walk 10 times.
The BGMR softball schedule is changing a lot because of the cold weather. Gator Nation will need to keep their eye on the school announcements for the ever changing spring schedule.
GATORS BREAK THROUGH AGAINST FREEZE AND PICK UP WIN
Playing a game rescheduled from last week the BGMR Gator Softball Team was able to put together a 6 run sixth inning to pull away from a young and salty Northern Freeze team and pick up a 8-2 victory.
Because of limited dates in both teams schedules the Gators travelled to Red Lake Falls to take on the Freeze. The Freeze who, played Red Lake Falls right before the Gators, were coming off a spirited win over the Eagles and looked poised to pull off a sweep on the day when they scored a single run in the first and another in the third. BGMR would match the Freeze with one run of their own in the first and tied the game in the fifth with 1 run. The Gators broke the game open in the sixth with 6 runs. The Gators managed 5 hits in the inning and were aided by a couple Freeze defensive lapses.