Bison
The bitterness of failure and the sweetness of possible success. In a sentence, that's how I would encapsulate NDSU's week. Off the mixed bag that was the Softball team's weekend in Arizona I wondered how the Baseball team would stack up once they rolled the balls out in Tulsa. Not well, to put it simply. They managed to win their first one against Western Illinois but then dropped both of the next two. At least they didn't have to wait around only to lose to ORU again...
So that was the bitter, what about the sweet? That came courtesy of the men & women of the Track & Field events. I already posted about them so do check it out if you want my thoughts!
Vikings
Not much to report from the Purple front save the first formal steps toward a Super Bowl appearance. I've heard too many stories over the years of workout warriors looking great at this time of the year to put much stock in rumors and speculation about certain rookies but with the workouts officially underway, couldn't bring myself to fully exclude them this week.
Twins
So it may not be 2016 bad but pretty much all the signs indicate that the team will not reach the post season this year. Stupid. I liked a lot of the players that they brought in and the future is still bright but they're just lacking either from the mound or from the batting box. When one is going well the other isn't & vice verse! It's not June yet so there's a lot of time to get it turned around but it's not good right now.
Dragons
MSUM may have only had a pair of athletes in the division two championship but that pair made strong showings for the school. First came Brian Huber in the Long Jump, then Josh Young in the 1,500. Huber brought home the title while Young finished eighth, which was good enough for inclusion on the All-American's list. So that's pretty darn close to going 2-2 and deserves every bit of attention that those finishes receive!
Cobbers
Concordia can be credited with one of the most surprising sports stories that will happen for any of the programs in the area, regardless of the level! In a mere one month of competing in the Decathlon Matt Bye went from a non-performer to 15th best at the division three national meet. It's yet another great story about sports in the area! Check out the full story! It was the high point of the school's effort at the La Crosse field's but not all that there was. Despite being stricken with the flu, Bailey Hovland managed to finish with the seventeenth best toss in the Hammer Throw. I think that puts them firmly on the seat of most unique championship performances, but I'm sure an even more unusual cocktail of facts will come to pass at some point, for one of the schools in the area. Until then, the Cobbers have that crown!
Redhawks
The Red Birds opened their home schedule on Friday and promptly won the series. Sunday afternoon left them with the chance to pull off the sweep but it is still TBD. Maybe they can be the competitive Baseball team that we deserve! That's TBD too though. Either way, they will still make for a great evening option over the next few months.
High School Sports
The biggest story from the prep scene came courtesy of Fargo North Softball. As crazy as it seems because of the late Winter, it's already playoff time and the Spartans managed to be the first to defeat West Fargo in post season Softball. The state tournament has yet to unfold but it's still the main story from this week in high school sports.