With each signing the Purple make their draft board becomes clearer. Which is to say that this week didn't make it much more obvious the direction they are likely to go as they only signed DL Jullian Taylor. If you weren't familiar with him, you are not alone. He hasn't played since tearing his ACL in Dec of 2019. Perhaps KA-M knows something that no one else in the League does as he was with San Fran at that time. It would be a good story if he makes the 53 but it's more likely that he's just a camp body.
In any case, this week brought a double-shot mock.
As with several of the other entities, NDSU had to navigate the slings & arrows of early Spring weather this week. Tuesday that meant ⚾️ cancelling their date with the Gophers while softball had their chance at a three-game sweep of Kansas City nixed Sunday. Of the 17 D1 home openers the team has won 15, just think about that! On the other diamond Cade Feeney spun a gem to get a split Saturday and they came back from a 6 - 2 deficit Sunday to win 8 - 7 as Tristan Roehrich had eight strikeouts over six innings of relief work. That came after Logan Williams was named League Athlete of the Month for his 22 RBI/17 hit/8 HR March.
The day before the track teams were in Bismarck for UMary's open. Both the women & the men performed as well as you might think.
Beyond the lines 🏈 had 47 members included on the Conference Honor Roll.
🏀 also was not yet done with the spotlight as Rocky Kreuser & Tyree Eady were among the Academic All-League. Then came another loss for the hoops as Kyan Brown rejoined his former head coach's staff with Omaha. Obviously that means he will be back in the SHAC next season but it remains to be seen whether he will get the main job when or if Dave Richman is hired by a different institution.
Eight games for the softball team, all losses this week.
🎾 was able to add another victory to their season total against Crookston 5 - 2. They were limited to just the one though as Bemidji finished with a 4 - 3 advantage Sunday.
The 🏃 teams were also in action Saturday as they traveled to UMary. Lead once again by Chris Cook & Shyrone Kemp they won eight events.
Sunday also included a trip to the Western edge for the ⛳️ team as they played at Dickinson State.
Beyond the lines, the Fire Breathers added to their ranks from the East side of the River.
A year in the making, the three finalists for athletic director were also announced.
Concordia's week began with the naming of a new boss for the men's 🏒 team, Kirk Olimb. You can read the full bio but it seems as though the college found someone who will continue to rise through the ranks.
Baseball & softball each got some swings in Saturday, with mixed results, while the 🏃 teams were at St. John's for the weekend.
The winding journey of the regular season came to a conclusion today. In anti-climactic fashion the final game was rendered inert as Denver locked up the sixth seed so the Howl will host the Cutters Tuesday evening. Winning that would get them into position for a first round matchup against Memphis. They are the most desirable of all the possible opponents for this group's first playoff appearance. For however long the rest of the season goes they will have the services of veteran big man Greg Monroe who re-signed with the team Thursday & got some run Sunday before the game was handed to the end of the bench. If the starters bring it on Tuesday like the reserves did in the second half against Chicago then Los Angeles will be in for a rough time! With a major comeback Sunday night they secured the franchises first top scoring offense in the Association ever.
Once again delayed by weather, Minnesota had it's first game Friday against Seattle. Contrary to a frequent talking-point, the first two games were of the pitchers-duel variety. Over the long haul the deficiencies of the pitching staff will likely be revealed. But if the bats are able to replicate Sunday's type of production (six home runs) once or twice a week then they will at least be an exciting watch all season!
The night before the Bolts took the ice for their first game of the week they were confirmed as a playoff member. Whatever enthusiasm they may have been able to extract from that was doused as they dropped Friday night against Waterloo, 4 - 3 in a literal shootout. It was only the second time this season that they've been forced into that prolonged of a contest. The next day, in Des Moines, they lost in wire-to-wire fashion, 4 - 1. With five games to go in the regular season they aren't quite backing in just yet but the team hasn't won consecutive games in more than a month so they aren't exactly peaking either.
Another week, another addition to the roster, this time with an uber-familiar last name, times two in fact. Tuesday they signed Peter Maris to his first un-affiliated minor league contract. Then, before the clock struck midnight Sunday, they re-signed Bret Helton for his fourth season. The season prep took another step as they began the process of filling game day positions.
Reminder that scores are added daily plus there's a new home for recruiting news, so check back often!
As is always the case to begin Spring, this week had many interruptions but still managed many highlights. In his first two track meets ever Paul Olson set five school records for Kindred to help them dominate their final indoor meet. Northern Cass also managed some top finishers at Concordia. Shanley also had a few top performers in Dickinson.
On the diamond Kindred started the season 2-0 with a 10-run win over Velva & a one-hitter of Park River. Oak Grove had a similar experience in Enderlin as they hung 22 runs on their hosts and followed it up with a 3 - 0 win in the rematch.
Saturday in Sioux Falls North came out swinging but weren't able to hold onto their advantage against Roosevelt. The same cannot be said of the Deacons as they blistered the ball to a 17-run win over Washington. West Fargo also managed a six-score W over Lincoln.
None of the performances are on the level with what West Fargo did to Shanley though, 26 - 0 Saturday.
Beyond the lines, this Summer's Shrine Bowl rosters were announced.
With a month to go until their first match the club added five more members to it's men's team while the women don't kickoff until June and have yet to announce their roster.
Comments