Warrior Baseball News and Notes (as of 5/12/08)

**RIDGEWATER CLAIMS 4TH STRAIGHT REGION XIII CHAMPIONSHIP, ADVANCE TO THE "SERIES" FOR THE 6TH TIME!**

For the 4th year in a row, and the 6th time in the last 7 years, Ridgewater has claimed the Region XIII championship and will be heading to the NJCAA World Series.  The road back to the "series" was not easy, as Ridgewater needed to come back through the losers bracket to claim the region title. Ridgewater had to defeat Dakota County twice in the championship series to advance, and they did just that by the scores of 10-3 and 16-11.  Dakota County had knocked the #2 nationally ranked Warriors to the losers bracket by defeating them 5-1 in the first round of region play.  Ridgewater now will play at 7 pm on Saturday night in Tyler, Texas vs. Hudson Valley CC (NY).  All games will be broadcast live on the internet, and also live game stats are available during the game as well.  To get this information and also the brackets, please go to the tournament website at: http://www.tylerbaseball.com/worldseries    

"Unbelievable, just a complete team effort", commented Head Coach Dwight Kotila.  "To come back through the losers bracket and play the way the guys did is such a credit to them and their determination. I am extremely happy for our team, but also our sophomores, who have worked so hard to get back to the World Series again."

**WARRIORS CLAIM MCCC CHAMPIONSHIP, REGION TOURNAMENT NEXT**

The Ridgewater Warrior baseball team (29-4-1 overall) captured the Minnesota Community College Conference (MCCC) championship this past weekend at Faber Field in St Cloud, Minnesota.  The Warriors defeated Rochester CC in the first round 13-3, then defeated Itasca CC 15-0 to gain a spot in the championship game.  Ridgewater faced Northland CC in the title game, coming away with a 6-0 victory.  For all 3 games, Ridgewater outscored their opponents by a margin of 34-3.   Next for Ridgewater is the NJCAA Region XIII Tournament this coming Friday-Sunday, May 9-11, and will be hosted by Ridgewater College.  Ridgewater has won the Region XIII championship 5 of the past 6 years, and is the 3 time defending champion.

"It was a great performance by our whole team this past weekend, " stated Head coach Dwight Kotila.  "Our main goal was to qualify for the regional, which we did, but also to try and win the conference championship.  All 3 phases of our game was clicking - offense, defense and pitching.  Hopefully we can continue our strong play at the regional tournament this weekend."

**WARRIORS RANKED #2 IN FINAL NJCAA POLL**

The Warriors are ranked #2 in the final regular season NJCAA national baseball poll released April 30, 2008.  Ridgewater received 2 first place votes in the voting, and currently stands at 26-4-1 overall.  To see the latest NJCAA poll, go to   http://www.njcaa.org/sports.cfm?sid=9&divid=3&gender=m&slid=3&menu=2 

**WARRIORS CLINCH 9TH STRAIGHT DIVISIONAL TITLE!**

Ridgewater clinched their 9th consecutive MCCC Southern Division Championship by defeating Minnesota West CC 12-1 and 13-4 on Tuesday April 22.  The Warriors (25-4-1 overall, 12-2 MCCC) will complete their regular season with 6 home games beginning Thursday, April 24 vs. Iowa Lakes at 3:00/5:00 pm at Green Lake Diamond in Spicer.  On Friday, April 25, the Warriors host St Johns University JV at 4:30/6:30 pm at Taunton Stadium in Willmar, then conclude their divisional play on Sunday, April 27 with a doubleheader vs. Riverland CC at 1:00/3:00 pm, also at Taunton Stadium in Willmar.

"Despite having horrible spring weather with numerous games being cancelled, the players really worked hard to stay sharp and focused on our team goals," stated Head Coach Dwight Kotila.  "To win nine (9) consecutive MCCC Southern Division Championships is pretty remarkable, and is a credit to all the great players we have had in our program in my ten years here."

**WARRIORS COMPLETE SUCCESSFUL SPRING TRIP**

Ridgewater returned from their 9 day spring trip to Cocoa Beach , Florida with a 7-2-1 record.  The successful trip included wins over Monroe CC (NY) who is ranked #7 in NJCAA DII and was in the NJCAA DII World series last spring; Baseball Academie of Canada whose roster is made up of the elite 18-22 year olds from the province of Quebec; Alfred State (NY) and Prairie State (ILL) both NJCAA DII schools; and an 8-inning tie with Chesapeake College (VA) an NJCAA DI school.  The Warriors also defeated Camden County CC (NJ), Minot State-Bottineau, and Miami - Middleown CC (OH).  

"Going into the spring trip we knew we had a very strong schedule to play," stated Coach Dwight Kotila.  "To play like we did was very promising, especially with the performances of our pitching staff and our team defense.  Offensively we have some work to do, but overall I was pleased with our efforts."

**WARRIORS SWEEP ANOKA RAMSEY IN SEASON OPENER**

The Ridgewater baseball team opened up their 2008 season by sweeping Anoka Ramsey CC by scores of 13-2 and 9-3.  The games were played at the Hubert H Humphrey Metrodome.  In game one, starting pitcher Brad Haag (St Cloud Apollo) pitched 4 hitless innings and combined with Nick Locnikar (Albany) to limit Anoka Ramsey to 1 hit overall in a game shortened to 6 innings due to the10-run rule.  Offensively the Warriors were led by 3B Matt Bauer (Tracy/Milroy) who went 4-5 with 2 doubles and 3 RBI's.  Shortstop Jeff Brooks (Forest Lake) got the Warriors started with a long home run in the 2nd inning, and DH Jeff Haag (Eden Valley/Watkins) was also 2-3 with 2 RBI's as the Warriors had 12 hits in the game.

Game 2 saw the Warriors score 6 first inning runs and then cruised to a 9-3 win in a game shortened to 5 innings because of scheduling conflicts at the metrodome. Starting pitcher Chad Willenbring (Cold Spring) pitched the first 3 innings, giving up 1 earned run while striking out 3 to pick up the victory.  Offensively Ridgewater was led by shortstop Jeff Brooks who was 2-3 with an RBI, and Mike Riewer (Bertha Hewitt) who was 2-3 with a triple and RBI. Overall the Warriors banged out 10 hits in the 5 inning game.

"It was nice getting a couple games before we leave for Florida," stated Head Coach Dwight Kotila.  "Our hitters and pitchers got some valuable reps in, and I felt we swung the bats pretty well and our pitchers did a good job of working ahead in the counts."

**4 RIDGEWATER PLAYERS NAMED TO 2008 NJCAA PRESEASON ALL AMERICAN TEAM**

The 2008 NJCAA DIII Preseason All American Team released February 12, 2008 includes four players from Ridgewater College:.  Named to the preseason NJCAA Preseason All American Team were:  P Chad Willenbring (Rocori), P Brad Haag (St Cloud Apollo), 1B Keaton Gustin (Holdingford), and OF Matt Bauer (Tracy Milroy).  For a complete look at the NJCAA press release and the entire team, go to:  http://www.njcaa.org/Teams/baseball/2008/DIIIPreseasonBaseballAll-Americans.pdf    

**SPRING TRIP SCHEDULE SET, WARRIORS WILL PLAY 10 GAMES AT COCOA BEACH EXPO**

The game schedule for the Warriors' spring trip to Cocoa Beach, Florida is now set and can be viewed on the schedule/results page.  The Warriors will play 10 games at the Cocoa Beach Expo College Baseball Tournament, beginning with their first game on Saturday March 15 vs. Monroe CC (ranked #8 in NJCAA DII).   The total schedule includes games vs. teams who played in the NJCAA World Seriessuch as Massasoit CC (ranked #7 in NJCAA DIII), , as well as other top juco's from the nation.

"Our goal each year is to play a strong non-conference schedule so we know what to expect come playoff time," stated Head Coach Dwight Kotila.  "That's why I am excited for our schedule in Florida because we will be facing a top program each and every game.  It will definitely give our players and coaching staff an early idea of where we are at and what we will need to work on as the season progresses."

For parents seeking hotel information, please go to the Cocoa Expo housing link at:  http://www.cocoaexpo.com/housing/CollegeBBSTHousing.htm   Ridgewater is staying at the Country Inn/Suites in Cape Canaveral.

 

**WARRIORS RANKED #3 IN NJCAA PRESEASON BASEBALL POLL**

The 2008 Ridgewater Warriors are ranked #3 in the nation in a preseason baseball poll released by the NJCAA on February 1, 2008.  This marks the 9th straight year that the Warriors have been ranked in the top 10 nationally, and are coming off a 2007 season in which they finished 7th at the NJCAA World Series - their 5th appearance at the "series" in the last 6 years, and third in a row.  The Warriors also won their 9th consecutive MCCC Division Championship in 2007.

Ridgewater opens the 2008 season in the Minneapolis Metrodome on March 9 vs. Anoka Ramsey CC, then fly to Florida to take part in the Cocoa Beach Expo March 13-21, 2008.  The complete NJCAA press release is listed below:

NJCAA Service Bureau
February 01, 2008

Defending DIII Champ Tyler Starts 2008 with Top Ranking

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Feb. 1, 2008 ) - The 2007 season was a memorable one for Tyler Junior College (Texas). The school hosted the NJCAA Division III World Series for the first time and their own Apache baseball won the tournament in its first ever appearance. The 2008 season looks to be just as promising for Tyler as they begin their title defense with the No.1 ranking.

Last year's runner-up Joliet Junior College (Ill.) is second in the pre-season rankings, followed by Ridgewater Community College (Minn.).

Tyler welcomes back five starters from last year's 46-12 championship team. Among those returning is 2007 Metro Athletic Conference MVP and Third-Team All-American outfielder Clint Stroud (6'2"/180 lbs). Stroud was one of the top hitters in the NJCAA last season posting a .398 batting average with 55 RBI and four home runs.

Apache head coach Jon Groth also gets back two All-MAC pitchers in Michael LaCourse (6'1"/ 170 lbs) and Cooper Page (6'/180 lbs). The two hurlers combined for a 14-0 record and 102.1 innings of work. LaCourse posted a 2.54 ERA, while Page had an ERA of 3.04.

No one likely has more talent returning than the Wolves of Joliet as six starters and 11 players overall return from last season's Region 4 championship team. Head coach Wayne King has to be excited for the 2008 season as he welcomes back 2007 Third-Team All-American short-stop Ed Koncel (6'4 "/205 lbs; .311 BA, 43 RBI), All-District catcher Casey Colbert (6'1"/185 lbs; .302 BA, 32 RBI) and All-Region 4 outfielder Alex McCluskey (6'/180 lbs; .331 BA, 39 RBI).

The Wolves also return All-Region pitcher Dillon Roark (6'2"/180), who went 5-2 last season with a 2.14 ERA in 54 innings of work.

Another team loaded with returning talent is Ridgewater College. The Warriors welcome back a total of 1 2 players, including nine starters, from last year's 38-8 Region 13 championship team. Head coach Dwight Kotila has led Ridgewater to the DIII JUCO World Series five times in the last six years. Coach Kotila gets All-Region 13 pitcher Chad Willenbring (6'3"/185 lbs; 4-0, 0.93 ERA) back to lead his pitching rotation as well as Brad Haag (5'11"/180 lbs; 3-0, 2.67 ERA).

The Warriors will also have a solid batting lineup with the return of 2007 First-Team All-American Keaton Gustin (5'10"/230 lbs) who hit .403 with nine home runs and 51 RBI. Second-Team All-American outfielder Matt Bauer (6'2"/215 lbs) also returns after posting a .405 batting average last year with seven home runs and 38 RBI. Another big bat returning is All-Region 13 short-stop Tyler Horning (5'10"/175 lbs) who hit .400 with 21 RBI.

Overall, six of the eight teams that participated at last year's Division III JUCO World Series are ranked in the pre-season top 15. Brookdale Community College (N.J) is No. 4, Herkimer County Community College (N.Y.) is No. 6, and Massasoit Community College (Mass.) is No. 7.

Place College Location Record Points 1st Pl Votes Last Week
1 Tyler Junior College Tyler, TX 46-12 0 0 0
2 Joliet Junior College Joliet, IL 47-15 0 0 0
3 Ridgewater College Willmar, MN 38-8 0 0 0
4 Brookdale Community College Lincroft, NJ 43-10 0 0 0
5 Eastfield College Mesquite, TX 29-23 0 0 0
6 Herkimer County Community College Herkimer, NY 35-8 0 0 0
7 Massasoit Community College Brockton, MA 33-12 0 0 0
8 Richland College Dallas, TX 39-19 0 0 0
9 Suffolk County Community College-Selden Selden, NY 42-24 0 0 0
10 Erie Community College Buffalo, NY 20-15 0 0 0

 

**2 MORE WARRIORS COMMIT TO 4-YEAR SCHOOLS**

SS Jeff Brooks (Forest Lake HS) and 1B Keaton Gustin (Holdingford HS) have verbally agreed to attend Grand View College in Des Moines, Iowa in 2008.  Both players will receive baseball scholarships to attend Grand View, one of the top NAIA baseball programs in the country.  Gustin, who was a NJCAA 1st Team All American last year as well as NJCAA Region XIII and MCCC Player of the Year, chose Grand View over South Dakota State and North Dakota State.   Brooks, the Warriors starting shortstop last year, picked Grand View over Dakota State University and Bloomfield College (NJ).  

**MORE RIDGEWATER BASEBALL PLAYERS PICK THEIR FUTURE**

Tribune Sports West Central Tribune
Published Tuesday, November 20, 2007

WILLMAR — Five sophomores on the Ridgewater College baseball team have signed with NCAA Division II colleges or NAIA schools and several more are in line to do so. Warriors head coach Dwight Kotila said right-handed pitchers Brad Haag (St. Cloud Apollo), Nick Locniker (Albany) and outfielder/first baseman Matt Bauer (Tracy-Milroy) have each accepted scholarships to play for Southwest Minnesota State at Marshall.  The three Ridgewater student/athletes each signed a letter of intent on Thursday.

Andy Turbak (Watertown, S.D.) will play for Mount Marty College (Yankton, S.D.), also an NAIA member, starting next fall.  Infielder Tyler Horning (Willmar) is being courted by Minnesota State Mankato, Southwest Minnesota State and St. Cloud State.  Keaton Gustin, the first-team All-America first-baseman from Holdingford, has narrowed his choices to South Dakota State, North Dakota State and Grandview College, Kotila said.  Third baseman Michael Riewer (Bertha-Hewitt) is leaning toward North Dakota State, which plays an independent Division I schedule. Second baseman James Gallagher (Montevideo) appears to be headed next to play at Wisconsin-Platteville at the NCAA Division III level.

Finally, Kotila said outfielder Jeff Haag (Eden Valley-Watkins) may walk on at St. Cloud State. He expects pitcher Chad Willenbring (Rocori) to attract interest from Division I when he resumes pitching in spring. The 6-3 right-hander developed shoulder problems during the playoffs last May and didn’t resume light workouts until this fall.

The Warriors have gone to the NJCAA Division III World Series three straight years, and five of the last six years.  In Kotila's nine previous seasons at Ridgewater, over 60 players have received scholarships to continue their baseball careers at various NCAA Division I, II and NAIA schools.   

"Its always exciting to see players from our program get rewarded for their hard work, both on the field and in the classroom," stated Head Baseball Coach Dwight Kotila.  "Not only are the players receiving athletic scholarships, many are also receiving academic scholarships in addition to their athletic scholarship."

Ridgewater begins their season March 9, 2007, against Anoka Ramsey CC in the Metrodome in Minneapolis.  On March 13 they leave for Orlando, Florida, to participate in the Cocoa Beach Expo, where they will play 12 games.

**RIDGEWATER BASEBALL PLAYERS SIGN WITH SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE UNIVERSITY**

Mustang Baseball Inks Three (press release from the Southwest Minnesota State University athletic office):

MARSHALL, MINN.:  Southwest Minnesota State University head baseball coach Paul Blanchard announced the signing of three student-athletes for the 2008-09 academic year.  Infielder Matt Bauer, of Tracy, Minn., and pitchers Brad Haag, of St. Joseph, Minn., and Nick Locnikar, of Albany, Minn., are all transfers from Ridgewater Community College in Willmar, Minn., and will have two years of eligibility.

Bauer, a 6-2, 215-pound left handed hitting corner infielder, is a 2006 graduate from Tracy Area High School.  Bauer led Ridgewater last spring as a freshman with a .405 batting average, .485 on-base percentage and .676 slugging percentage and was named second team All-America.  He also had seven home runs, drove in 38 runs and scored 39 times.  At Tracy Area H.S., he was the Marshall Independent Player of the Year in 2006, while twice earning all-state and all-conference honors.

“Matt is a very strong left-handed hitter,” Blanchard said.  “He has power to all fields and will help us at the corners in the infield and as a DH.”

Haag, a 6-0, 185-pound right hander, is a 2005 graduate of St. Cloud Apollo High School.  He went 3-0 with one save and a 2.67 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 21 innings at Ridgewater in the spring.  In high school, Haag was a two-year letter winner and was named All-Central Lakes Conference in 2004.

“Brad is a quality right handed pitcher that will make an immediate contribution to our starting rotation in '09,” Blanchard said.  “He's proven himself at Ridgewater and we think he'll continue his success as an SMSU Mustang.”

Locnikar, a 6-6, 230-pound right hander, is a 2005 graduate of Albany High School.  He was 2-0 with four saves and a 3.27 ERA in 10 games with 20 strikeouts in 25.2 innings.  Opponents batted just .223 off Locnikar.  In high school, he lettered in baseball and football.

“Nick has great size and has really developed as a pitcher in the last year or so,” Blanchard said.  “We liked his sidearm delivery and see him in a closer role in the future.”

All three players played for coach Dwight Kotila at Ridgewater.
SMSU finished third in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference last spring and opens the 2008 season on Mar. 1 at Pittsburg State (Kan.).

**WARRIOR CLOTHING NOW ON SALE!!**

You can now purchase Ridgewater baseball clothing from Warrior players or the coaching staff.   Items available include:  Embroidered sweatshirts; t-shirts; fleece pullovers; jackets; stocking caps; shorts, and much more.  Check out picture below for a look at the items.  If you have any questions, please contact Head Baseball Coach Dwight Kotila.

Warrior Clothing

 

**FALL PRACTICE BEGINS**

The 2007-2008 fall season began with 56 players attending the first baseball meeting of the fall.  After tryouts were over, the Warrior roster was paired down to 29 players and now everyone is working hard towards their goal of a 4th straight World Series appearance and a run at a national championship. 

"Everyone on this team has high expectations again this year, especially with so many returning players from last year," stated Head Coach Dwight Kotila.  "We not only begun our fall practice season, but the team has also started their 6 am weight lifting/conditioning programs with our strength and conditioning coach Mike Thompson.  The players know that in order to return to the Series and make a championship run, we need to work extremely hard this fall and winter.   I have been very pleased with our focus and work ethic so far."

The annual Ridgewater College baseball scout day will be held on Wednesday, October 10 at 4 pm.  The event culminates the Warriors fall practice season in which the Warrior players will work out and play an intra squad game in front of 4-year college coaches and professional scouts.  This event is an important part of the recruiting process for the Warrior players.

"Our annual scout day provides our players the opportunity to showcase their skills and talents to prospective 4 year schools in an exclusive, invite only, environment," stated Head Coach Dwight Kotila.  "Each year we invite and host around a dozen four-year coaches and professional scouts from around the Midwest to scout and evaluate our players.  It is a main reason that well over 60 of our players the over past 9 years have received baseball scholarships at top NCAA and NAIA schools."

The scout day is also open to the families of the players, friends, and community to attend and watch. For more information, please contact Coach Kotila at 320-222-5568.

**WARRIORS CLAIM REGION XIII CHAMPIONSHIP, HEAD TO NJCAA WORLD SERIES FOR FIFTH TIME!**

The Ridgewater Warriors (38-6) soundly defeated St Cloud Technical College 24-1 in the Region XIII championship game, advancing them to the NJCAA World Series in Tyler, Texas, May 19-26.   The Warriors have now won 3 straight region championships, and 5 of the last 6.   Ridgewater's first round opponent will be Montgomery College - Germantown (Md).  Game time is Saturday, May 19, at 4 pm.  All games will be broadcast via the internet.   For complete tournament information, as well as broadcast information, go to the NJCAA World Series website at http://www.tylerbaseball.com/worldseries .

**RIDGEWATER RANKED #2 IN FINAL NJCAA BASEBALL POLL**

Ridgewater College moved up to #2 in the final NJCAA baseball poll released May 2, 2007.  It is the highest national ranking by the program in school history.  Ridgewater (38-6) received 67 points in the voting.  To see all the polls, go to www.njcaa.org   click on "baseball III", then "polls".

**RIEWER THROWS NO-HITTER AS RIDGEWATER SWEEPS ITASCA CC**

Freshman pitcher Michael Riewer (Bertha Hewitt HS) nearly tossed a perfect game, instead settling for a no hitter as Ridgewater defeated Itasca CC 8-0 to sweep the Vikings.  With 2 outs in the 7th inning, Riewer walked an Itasca batter for the only base runner to reach base.  The next Itasca batter grounded, giving Riewer his no hitter.   Ridgewater defeated Itasca 9-6 in the opener as freshman pitcher Jeff Brooks (Forest Lake HS) picked up the win.  With the sweep, Ridgewater improves to 29-3 overall.

**WARRIORS CLINCH 9TH STRAIGHT MCCC SOUTHERN DIVISION TITLE!**

The Ridgewater Warriors clinched their 9th straight MCCC Southern Division championship with a sweep over Minnesota West CC on Wednesday afternoon.   Ridgewater defeated Minnesota West 4-3 and 7-0 as JaColby Anderson and David Deminsky pitched complete games for the Warriors.

**WARRIORS RETURN FROM FLORIDA 9-1**

The 2007 baseball season began very successfully for the Warriors as they returned from their spring trip to Florida with a 9-1 record.  The Warriors had 2 games cancelled because of darkness and rain, but other than that they had great weather in the Florida sunshine.   Even though the record may not show it, Head Coach Dwight Kotila says there are a few areas Ridgewater must improve on as the season progresses.  "We knew going into the season we were going to be deep in a lot of areas, and that proved to be true", commented Coach Kotila.  "I felt all of our pitchers threw well, and offensively we swung it pretty well.  We do need some work in other areas, but that should come with more repetitions." 

The Warriors hit .358 as a team for the week.  Offensively the Warriors were led by OF Mike Riewer (.579; 4 2B), 1B Keaton Gustin (.455; 3 HR; 1 3B; 13 RBI), and 2B Tyler Horning (.379; 4 2B; 1 3B). The pitching staff had an ERA of 2.71, led by Chris Keonig who went 2-0 with a 0.54 ERA . 

***FORMER WARRIOR PITCHER ETHAN VOGT OFF TO GOOD START WITH GOPHERS***

Former Ridgewater and current University of Minnesota pitcher Ethan Vogt has begun the 2007 season as one of the top starters for the University of Minnesota Gophers.  In his last 2 starts, Vogt has a complete game shutout vs. Hartford (9 innings), then won the Big Ten opener at Penn State University 3-2.  Overall, Vogt is 2-1 with and ERA of 1.91 in 4 starts.   For more information on Ethan and the University of Minnesota baseball team, go to www.gophersports.com .