GATOR SOFTBALL FACING NEW CHALLENGES



COUGARS END GATORS SEASON

The Cougars from Ada-Borup made the Gators softball season come to a screeching hault with a 9-1 victory over the Gators. What appeared to be an evenly matched semi-final tournament game turned into a blowout when the Gators committed seven errors and were unable to muster any offense of Cougar starting pitcher Ashley Klevgaard. Klevgaard used s variety of off speed pitches to keep the Gators off balance and allowed only 5 hits in route to the complete game victory. Leading the Gators offensively was Jessica Peterson who managed two hit.

The Gators defense was less than desirable. BGMR committed 7 errors which led to 5 unearned runs. Gator starting pitcher Tiffany Novacek threw well but did not get much support and took the loss.

BGMR 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 Run 5 Hits 7 Errors

ADA/BORUP 0 4 2 2 1 0 9 Runs 11 Hits 1 Error

Novacek and Campbell

Klevgaard and Vega

Wp Klevgaard

Lp Novacek (13-4)

After starting the season 2-4 the Gators managed to go 12-4 in their next 16 games and finished with an overall record of 14-8. Highlights of the season were winning the Coaches Classic Softball Tournament and a regular season sweep of Roseau.

Completing their careers with the Gators are senior players Cassy Campbell, Jessica Peterson, Katie Hamness, Alysha Korbl, Elle Kern and senior managers Ashley Filpula, Erika Peterson and Lexi Langaas. They will be sorely missed.

The Gator Softball team would like to thank the community for all their support this past season. Without you the season wouldn’t have been as enjoyable as it was.

GATOR SOFTBALL WIN OPENING ROUND PLAYOFF GAME

Using solid pitching, good defense and quality hitting the BGMR softball team opened up tournament play with an impressive 10-4 victory over the Northern Freeze. The Gators technically scored an upset over the Freeze who were ranked #2 in the subsection pod with the Gators being ranked #3.

Gator starting pitcher Tiffany Novacek went the distance. Novacek allowed 4 runs on 7 hits and did not walk a batter. Novacek also managed 6 strikeouts against a solid Freeze lineup.

The Gator defense behind Novacek was stellar. Defensively the Gators shined committing only two errors.

Offensively the Gators had quality at bats all day against Freeze starting pitcher Ashley Hestedkind. The Gators managed 10 hits and 7 walks off Hestekind who has been one of the better pitchers in the area. Leading the Gator offensive surge was Lindsey Daignault, Elle Kern, Anna Wicklund, and Jessica Peterson, who each had two hits.

With the win the Gators move into subsection semifinal play and will take on Ada-Borup with a chance to advance to the subsection championship game and a trip to the section tournament.

BGMR 1 1 3 0 2 3 0 10 Runs 10 Hits 2 Errors

FREEZE 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 4 Runs 7 Hits 8 Errors

Novacek and Campbell

Hestekind and Halverson

Wp Novacek (13-3)

Lp Hestekind

GATORS SPANK RAMS

The BGMR Gator softball team finished regular season play with a 12-2 thrashing of the Roseau Rams. The Gators had 9 hits and got solid pitching and good defense to sweep the season series from the Rams.

Gator starting pitcher Tiffany Novacek went the distance in the game shorten to six innings because of the 10 run rule. Novacek did not record a strike out but did not allow a walk either and allowed only 4 hits from a potent Ram team.

BGMR was led by Cassy Campbell who had 2 hits and 4 RBI and Katie Hamness who collected two hits. Six other Gators starters had hits.

With the win the Gators finished the regular season at 13-7. The Gators will now open tournament play where they will have to travel to Newfolden to take on the Northern Freeze.

BGMR 0 5 2 0 3 2 12 Runs 9 Hits 2 Errors

ROSEAU 0 1 0 0 1 0 2 Runs 4 Hits 4 Errors

Novacek and Campbell

Hendrickson, Erickson (6) and Broten

Wp Novacek (12-3)

Lp Hendrickson

SACRED HEART TAKE CARE OF GATORS

In a battle for the #1 seed in the upcoming playoffs the Eagles from Sacred Heart used a 8 run sixth inning to beat the Gators 14-7. BGMR had leads of 5-0 and 7-2 but were unable to overcome the poor umpiring and offensive barrage by the Eagles.

Gator starting pitcher Tiffany Novacek was cruising along until the 5th when the Eagles had 4 hits and scored 4 runs. Sacred Heart tacked on 8 runs in the sixth when they had 5 hits and 4 walks.

Offensively the Gators were led by Elle Kern who was a home run short of hitting for the cycle and Anna Wicklund who had 2 hits. With the loss the Gators will probably drop to the #3 seed and will travel to the Northern Freeze for the first round of the subsection playoffs on May 23.

BGMR 3 0 2 0 2 0 0 7 Runs 9 Hits 3 Errors

SACRED HEART 0 0 0 2 4 8 14 Runs 15 Hits 4 Errors

Novacek, Wicklund (6) and Campbell

Stocker and Norton

Wp Stocker

Lp Novacek (10-3)

GATORS FINISH SECOND IN GATOR CLASSIC

BGMR used victories over East Grand Forks and Blackduck to propel themselves into the championship game of the Gator Classic where they lost to a solid Norman County East/Ulen Hitterdal team. The Gator J.V. followed a similar path to the championship game and also lost to NCE/UH.

Although they started off slow the Gators eventually beat East Grand Forsk 16-6 in a game shorten to 5 innings because of the 10 run rule. BGMR starting pitcher Tessa McKeever struggled with her control, walking 8 but gave up only 1 hit and picked up her first varsity pitching win.

BGMR managed 9 hits and 10 walks off Green Wave starting pitcher Kalie Jordahl. Jessica Peterson had 3 hits and Kaley Mekash added 2 hits and 3 RBI’s to lead the Gators.

EAST GRAND FORKS 2 0 1 1 2 6 Runs 1 Hit 1 Error

BGMR 1 6 2 2 5 16 Runs 9 Hits 2 Errors

Jordahl and Nelson

McKeever, Wicklund (5), and Campbell

Wp McKeever (1-0)

Lp Jordahl

Although they were out hit by Blackduck the Gators used 7 walks and made the most of their 3 hits to beat Blackduck 9-4. Offensively the Gators had one hit each from Elle Kern, Lyndsey Daignault and Kaley Mekash.

Defensively the Gators committed 2 errors in the last inning but otherwise played flawless. Gator starting pitcher Tiffany Novacek went the distance to pick up her 11 win of the year. Novacek struck out 7 and gave up only 4 hits and 2 walks. With the win the Gators won their pool and moved on to faced Norman County East/Ulen Hitterdal.

BGMR 0 0 3 2 1 2 1 9 Runs 3 Hits 2 Errors

BLACKDUCK 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 4 Runs 4 Hits 6 Errors

Novacek and Campbell

Kelsey Carlson, Carrie Carslon (7) and Strate and Lindsey Carlson (6)

Wp Novacek (11-3)

Lp Carlson

NCE/UH showed why they are ranked second in state in Class A with a hard fought 4-2 win over the Gators. NCE/UH managed to break a 2-2 tie with 2 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Down 4-2 in the last inning BGMR managed to load the bases with one out but the Titans stifled the rally and ended the game with a double play.

BGMR starting pitcher Anna Wicklund held the Titans to just two unearned runs for three innings but was forced out of the game with a sore shoulder. 8th grader Rushelle Flaten relieved Wicklund and was brilliant. Flaten also allowed two unearned runs with both coming in the sixth inning.

Offensively the Gators had 5 people with 1 hit each. Tiffany Novacek and Jessica Peterson each knocked in a run.

BGMR 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 Runs 5 Hits 5 Errors

NCE/UH 2 0 0 0 0 2 4 Runs 4 Hits 2 Errors

Wicklund, Flaten (4) and Campbell

Wentz, Johnson (5), Wentz (7) and Nelson

Wp Johnson

Lp Flaten (0-1)

Other Tournament Scores:

Northern Freeze 6 Red Lake Falls 3

Blackduck 8 EGF 7

NCE/UH 19 Red Lake Falls 0

NCE/UH 10 Northern Freeze 0

Northern Freeze 19 Blackduck 0 (Third Place)

Red Lake Falls 12 EGF 2 (Fifth Place)

WARROAD HANDLES GATORS

Warroad showed why they will be a favorite in Section 8AA softball with a 6-1 pounding of the Gators. BGMR managed only 2 hits off Warrior starting pitcher Vanessa Storey. Storey struck out 6 in route to the complete game victory.

Defensively the Gators seemed to be sleep deprived and slept through the first four innings committing 4 errors and missing other numerous chances to get outs.

With the loss the Gators record dropped to 10-5

Warroad 3 0 0 1 1 0 1 6 Runs 10 Hits 0 Errors

BGMR 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 Run 2 Hits 4 Errors

Storey and Storey

Wicklund, Novacek (5) and Campbell

Wp Storey

Lp Wicklund (0-3)

GATORS POUND MUSTANGS

Using their biggest offensive output in three years the BGMR Gator softball team pounded the Red Lake County Central Mustangs 29-3. The Gators left little doubt in this one as they scored 10 runs in the first and third innings in route to the 5 inning victory.

Eight of the nine Gator starters had at least 1 hit. Gator leadoff hitter Cassy Campbell had three hits and scored 5 times to lead the Gators. Katie Hamness also scored 4 runs. Lyndsey Daignault was 3 for 5 and scored 3 times.

Gator starting pitcher Tiffany Novacek pitched 4 strong innings not allowing a run and striking out 5. Reliever Tessa McKeever pitched the fifth. Three runs were plated by the Mustangs McKeever but struck out 3.

BGMR (10) 1 (10) 6 2 29 Runs 16 Hits 2 Errors

RLCC 0 0 0 0 3 3 Runs 2 Hits 8 Errors

Novacek, McKeever (5) and Campbell and Flaten (4)

Jensen, Unavailable and Pelateir

Wp Novacek (10-2)

Lp Jensen

BGMR is hosting the Seventh Annual Gator Classic Softball Tournament this weekend. 6 teams will compete in the tournament. The Gator Softball Program hopes you can show your support by attending some if not all the tournament games. Following is the tournament schedule:

VARSITY TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

DIAMOND 1 (POOL 1)

9:00 RED LAKE FALLS VS. NORTHERN FREEZE

11:00 NORMAN COUNTY EAST VS. RED LAKE FALLS

1:00 NORTHERN FREEZE VS. NORMAN COUNTY EAST

3:00 THIRD PLACE POOL 1 VS. THIRD PLACE POOL 2

DIAMOND 2 (POOL 2)

9:00 EAST GRAND FORKS VS. BGMR

11:00 BLACKDUCK VS. EAST GRAND FORKS

1:00 BGMR VS. BLACKDUCK

3:00 SECOND PLACE POOL 1 VS. SECOND PLACE POOL 2

5:00 FIRST PLACE POOL 1 VS. FIRST PLACE POOL 2

JUNIOR VARSITY TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

DIAMOND 1 (FOOTBALL FIELD)

9:00 EAST GRAND FORKS VS. BGMR

11:00 BLACKDUCK VS. EAST GRAND FORKS

1:00 BGMR VS. BLACKDUCK

3:00 SECOND PLACE POOL 1 VS. SECOND PLACE POOL 2

5:00 FIRST PLACE POOL 1 VS. FIRST PLACE POOL 2

DIAMOND 2 (BASEBALL FIELD)

9:00 RED LAKE FALLS VS. NORTHERN FREEZE

11:00 NORMAN COUNTY EAST VS. RED LAKE FALLS

1:00 NORTHERN FREEZE VS. NORMAN COUNTY EAST

3:00 THIRD PLACE POOL 1 VS. THIRD PLACE POOL 2

GATORS CONTINUE WINNING WAYS

The BGMR Gator Softball team continued their winning ways with an 11-5 victory over the Eagles from Red Lake Falls. BGMR fell behind early but bounced back and won in thrilling fashion with five runs in the top of the seventh inning.

The Gators managed to score 11 runs on only 5 hits. They were aided by 7 walks and 5 Eagle errors. BGMR starting pitcher Anna Wicklund struggled early but settled down and pitched 5 strong innings. Relief pitcher Tiffany Novacek pitched the final two innings to pick up the win. Wicklund and Novacek combined to strike out 13 Eagle hitters. With the victory the Gators pushed their winning steak to 7 games and their overall record to 9-4

BGMR 0 1 1 3 1 0 5 11 Runs 5 Hits 1 Error

RLF 2 4 0 0 0 0 0 6 Runs 6 Hits 5 Errors

Wicklund, Novacek (6) and Campbell

Chaput and Eckstein

Wp Novacek (9-2)

Lp Chaput

GATORS DESTROY FALCONS

The BGMR Gator softball team braved the wind and cold to pick up a 23-5 win over Fertile-Beltrami. BGMR scored 4 runs in the first, 10 in the second and didn’t look back as they rolled to a 23-5 win. BGMR managed 12 hits on the day and were led by Kaley Mekash who had 3. Cassy Campbell and Lyndsey Daignault each contributed two hits and Campbell scored 5 times. Gator starting pitcher Tiffany Novacek pitched 3 innings to pick up the win and Anna Wicklund worked the remain two innings.

BGMR 4 10 2 2 5 23 Runs 12 Hits 3 Errors

FERTILE 1 0 1 0 3 5 Runs 6 Hits 13 Errors

Novacek, Wicklund (4) and Campbell

Unavailable

Wp Novacek (5-2)

Lp Rice

GATORS WIN FIRST ANNUAL COACHES CLASSIC

On a dreary cool day the Gator softball team came to play and won the Section 8A Coaches Classic going 3-0 in the tournament. The tournament, which was held in Greenbush, feature the BGMR, Northern Freeze, Waubun, and Lake of the Woods.

BGMR used a couple Freeze miscues and snuck out a 6-5 victory over the Freeze. BGMR had a 4-0 lead going into the top of the fifth when the Freeze exploded for four runs and tied the game. Gator starting pitcher Anna Wicklund was cruising along until the fourth inning when it appeared she tired. Wicklund pitched 4 2/3 hitless innings against a very good Freeze line-up. Tiffany Novacek relieved Wicklund and worked the final 2 1/3 innings to pick up the victory.

Offensively the Gators were led by Katie Hamness who contributed a run scoring double and a two run single. Kaley Mekash also continued her hot hitting with a single and double. With the victory the Gators put themselves in position to win the subsection pod regular season championship which will be on the line when the Gators play Sacred Heart on May 11.

FREEZE 0 0 0 0 4 0 1 5 Runs 4 Hits 5 Errors

BGMR 0 2 0 2 0 2 6 Runs 6 Hits 2 Errors

Hestekind and Richard

Wicklund, Novacek (5) and Campbell

Wp Novacek (6-2)

Lp Hestekind

In the second game of the round robin tournament BGMR pounded out 9 hits and were aided by 6 Waubun errors in an 8-2 victory. Gator starting pitcher Tiffany Novacek picked up her second win of the day when she threw a complete game 2 hitter.

BGMR scored two runs in the third with the big hit coming from Elle Kern. Kern who has battled a slump most of the season knocked in two runs with the hit. BGMR added to their lead with a 3 run fourth. Kaley Mekash had a RBI single and two runs scored on a wild pitch and an error.

Cassy Campbell, Lyndsey Daignault and Mekash each had two hits on the day for the Gators. With the win the Gators pushed their season record to 7-4.

BGMR 0 0 2 3 0 1 2 8 Runs 9 Hits 2 Errors

WAUBUN 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 Runs 2 Hits 6 Errors

Novacek and Campbell

Wozhiak and Stoalbemer and Unavailable

Wp Novacek (7-2)

Lp Wozhiak

BGMR and Lake of the Woods each entered the final game with 2-0 records thus facing off for the tournament championship. The Gators got another quality pitching performance from Tiffany Novacek and used stellar defensive in route to a 2-1 championship game victory. Novacek pitched a complete game 4 hitter and did not walk a batter to push her record to 8-2.

BGMR had only three hits on the day but used a walk, LOW error and base hit by Anna Wicklund to scored 2 runs in the third.

Novacek and her Gator buddies made the runs hold up has LOW had only 2 runner reach past second base.

With the win the Gators moved their season record to 8-4.

LOW 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 Run 4 Hits 4 Errors

BGMR 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 Runs 3 Hits 2 Errors

Krystal Confield, unavailable and Kintessa Confield

Novacek and Flaten

Wp Novacek (8-2)

Lp Unavailable

Other Tournament Scores

Lake of the Woods 9 Waubun 4

Lake of the Woods 14 Northern Freeze 3

Northern Freeze 8 Waubun 1

GATORS WHALLOP WOLFPACK

BGMR continued their winning ways with a 13-1 victory of Kittson Central. BGMR starting pitcher Tiffany Novacek threw a complete game no hitter, striking out six and walking 2. Novacek faced only 1 batter over the minimum but lost her bid for a shutout when the Gators committed an error in the 5th inning.

Although the Gators scored 13 runs they only had 4 hits and were aided by 8 walks and 4 Wolfpack errors. Kittson Central starting pitcher Rachel Noel struck out 7 Gators batters but did suffer from a lack of control. Four different Gators had hits but the big blow was off the bat of Novacek who had a 2 run triple.

KC 0 0 0 0 1 1 Run 0 Hits 4 Errors

BGMR 0 5 4 4 13 Runs 4 Hits 1 Error

Noel and Manly

Novacek and Campbell

Wp Novacek (4-2)

Lp Noel (0-2)

The Gators will be hosting the FIRST ANNUAL SECTION 8A COACHES CLASSIC softball tournament this weekend. Teams participating in the tournament will be BGMR, Lake of the Woods, Waubun and the Northern Freeze. Games will start at 10:00 a.m. and will run most of the day. Come and enjoy some fine fastpitch softball.

GATORS REBOUND WITH WIN

The BGMR softball team got back on track with a hard fought 6-3 win over a young Red Lake Falls club. The Gators managed only 6 hits on the day but were aided by 4 walks and were aided by 5 Eagle errors. Kaley Mekash led the Gators with two hits and Lyndsey Daignault provided the biggest hit of the day for the Gators when she launched a two run triple to break a 2-2 tie in the fourth inning.

Gator starting pitcher Tiffany Novacek went the distance striking out 6 and walking 1. With the win the Gators record improved to 3-4.

RLF 2 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 Runs 6 Hits 5 Errors

BGMR 1 1 0 2 2 0 6 Runs 6 Hits 3 Errors

Chaput and Chaput

Novacek and Campbell

Wp Novacek (3-2)

Lp Chaput

GATORS GET SMOKED

The BGMR Gator softball team continued their horrid play with an uninspired 15-2 loss to Warroad. The Gators committed 9 errors in just 5 innings and managed only one hit off Warrior starting pitcher Vanessa Storey.

The Gators, who appear to be struggling with their confidence, struck out nine times and managed only 4 base runners all night. The lone hit for the Gators came from Elle Kern.

BGMR 0 0 0 2 0 2 Runs 1 Hit 9 Errors

WARROAD 2 3 0 (10) 15 Runs 8 Hits 2 Errors

Wicklund, Novacek (3), Wicklund (4), Novacek (4) and Daignault

Storey and Storey

Wp Storey

Lp Wicklund (0-2)

GATORS PICK UP FIRST WIN OF THE YEAR

The BGMR Gator softball team picked up their first win of the year with a 17-3 tromping over Red Lake County Central. The Gators managed only eight hits but were aided by 8 walks and 6 Mustang errors. Tiffany Novacek led the Gators offensively with 3 hits. Kaley Mekash added two hits and Elle Kern had 3 RBI’s.

Gator pitcher Tiffany Novacek pitched 3 and 2/3 innings in relief to pick up the victory and push here season record to 1-1.

RLCC 0 0 0 1 1 1 3 RUNS 2 HITS 6 ERRORS

BGMR 4 4 3 6 17 RUNS 8 HITS 3 ERRORS

Gustafson, Pelletier (4) and McMullan

McKeever, Novacek (2), Wicklund (5) and Campbell, Daignault (5)

Wp Novacek (1-1)

Lp Gustafson

FREEZE HAMMER GATORS

The Northern Freeze made a statement that they will be a team to be reckoned with in Section 8A with a convincing 11-1 victory over BGMR. The Freeze pounded out 17 hits and used good pitching and defense to dispose of the Gators in 5 innings. The only Gators to manage hits were Cassy Campbell, Elle Kern and Anna Wicklund. Meanwhile 8 of the 9 Freeze starters had at least one hit and were led by Jerica Olson who was 3-4.

Gator starting pitcher Anna Wicklund was hit hard early but received little help from the Gators defense. The Gators committed 3 errors but were a step slow in trying to make a variety of other plays. With the loss the Gators record dropped to 1-2

BGMR 1 0 0 0 0 1 run 3 hits 3 errors

FREEZE 2 6 1 0 2 11 runs 17 hits 4 errors

Wicklund and Campbell

Hestekind and Halvorson

Wp Hestekind (1-1)

Lp Wicklund (0-1)

GATORS DEFENSE FORGETS ABOUT GAME

In perhaps the worse defensive game the Gators have played in 10 years, a solid Thief River Falls team used the Gator mistakes to take home a 16-2 white washing of the Gators. BGMR committed 14 errors and were lack luster for much of the game. Unfortunately two Gator players had more errors than at bats which was a telling sign of the day.

Offensively Elle Kern and Anna Wicklund each managed two hits. The only other Gator to manage a hits was Alysha Korbl.

TRF 3 1 4 0 3 5 16 runs 12 hits 3 errors

BGMR 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 runs 5 hits 14 errors

Helling, unavailable, and Lara

Novacek, Wicklund (6) and Campbell, Daignault (6)

Wp Helling

Lp Novacek (1-2)

GATORS BOUNCE BACK WITH WIN OVER RAMS

After getting demolished 16-2 by Thief River Falls earlier in the day the Gator softball team bounced back with a resilient 12-11 come from behind win over Roseau.

The Rams held an 11-10 lead going into the bottom of the 6th inning but BGMR managed to score two runs and held on in the seventh to notch their second win of the year.

Jessica Peterson and Tiffany Novacek paced the Gators with two hits a piece. Gator pitcher Novacek did a fine job in relief, pitching 5 innings, allowing 5 runs only one which was earned and struck out 2.

ROSEAU 2 0 6 0 3 0 0 11 runs 8 hits 6 errors

BGMR 0 4 1 4 1 2 12 runs 7 hits 7 errors

Puckett, Erickson (5) and Broten

Wicklund, Novacek (3) and Daignault

Wp Novacek (2-2)

Lp Erickson (0-1)

GATOR SOFTBALL LOSES HEARTBREAKER

The season opener proved that BGMR Gator Softball Team will be a force in Section 8A. The Gators had a 3 run lead going into the bottom of the 7th inning against section power Norman County East but were unable to old the lead and lost 7-6.

BGMR pounded out 10 hits on the day and were led by Kaley Mekash who had three hits and Anna Wicklund and Cassy Campbell who each had 2 hits.

BGMR starting pitcher Tessa McKeever looked sharp early but ran into control problems in the bottom of the second. A costly error by the Gators allowed the Titans to score 3 unearned runs.

BGMR bounced back with single runs in the third and fourth innings and added two insurance runs in the seventh but were unable to stop the Titan offensive attack in the bottom of the inning. The Titans started the inning off with a walk and then 4 consecutive hits allowed the Titans to win the game.

Gator pitcher Tiffany Novacek did at outstanding job in relief but picked up the loss.

BGMR 0 2 1 1 0 0 2 6 runs 10 hits 2 errors

NCE-UH 0 3 0 0 0 0 4 7 runs 6 hits 3 errors

Tessa McKeever, Tiffany Novacek (2) and Cassy Campbell

Brynn Johnson, Kayla Wentz (4) and Ashley Nelson

Wp Wentz (1-0)

Lp Novacek (0-1)

GATORS LOOK TO BUILD ON SUCCESS

After losing in the section championship game last season the Gators are hoping to again make a splash in Section 8A. The task will not be easy as the Gators lost 5 seniors with four of them being starters and 3 of them being pitchers. Lost to graduation were Farrin Foss, Ashley Walton, Missy Bruggeman, Lynsey Roppe, and Angie Flaten. Foss, Flaten and Bruggeman have all moved on to play at the collegiate level and replacing all 5 will be an extremely tough task.

The cupboard is not dry for the Gators as they return 5 starters. Returning varsity players are seniors, Jessica Peterson, Cassy Campbell, Alysha Korbl, and Elle Kern, junior, Kaley Mekash, sophomores, Lyndsey Daignault, Jill Jacobson, Tessa McKeever, and Anna Wicklund, freshman Whitely Aamodt and 8th grader Rachel Flaten. The Gators also have two newcomers to the program in sophomores Tiffany Novacek and Elizabeth Schenkey. The Gators will be coached by Kent Christian who is in his eleventh year and assisted by David Blazek. Because the Gators did lose 4 starters there have been hotly contested battles for every spot in the line-up. The Gators 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: Junior Kaley Mekash will be the Gators starting first baseman. Mekash was a starter last season and will be counted on heavily to pick up any offensive slack. Sophomore Anna Wicklund will back-up Mekash and 7th grader Erin Efta will develop her skills at the J.V. level.

SECOND BASE: Losing two time all-stater Missy Bruggeman will be cushioned a bit by the return of Elizabeth Schenkey. Schenkey has played on and off the past couple of years and will be counted on both offensively and defensively. Schenkey is an outstanding athlete who just needs to get game action and learn the game more. Freshman Whitley Aamodt and senior Cassy Campbell could also see time at second. Aamodt is an outstanding player who has developed here skills tremendously. Campbell will be the Gators main catcher so a switch to second will be just to give her legs a rest. 7th Grader Mikaela Janicke is the future Gator second baseman and will hone her skills at the J.V. level.

SHORTSTOP: Senior Jessica Peterson had a tough offensive season last year and will be asked to contribute much more offensively. She has outstanding skills, good range, great arm and average speed. She will add power to the young Gator line-up. Backing up Peterson will be Schenkey, Campbell, and Aamodt. 7th grader Alyssa Olson has a great feel for the game and once she develops more confidence will be a force.

THIRD BASE: After losing two year starter Farrin Foss the Gators will be relying on youth at the critical corner position. 8th grader Rachel Flaten and sophomore Tiffany Novacek will be splitting time at third. Flaten had an outstanding summer and plays beyond her years. Novacek transferred in from Roseau and has been a nice addition to the program. Randi Green and Sarah Ingle are both 7th graders that will develop on the J.V. level.

OUTFIELD: The Gators return two starting outfielders. Left fielder Katie Hamness, had a nice defensive year last season and showed signs of becoming an offensive force. Right fielder Elle Kern was the Gators best hitter last season and will be counted on heavily again this year. Kern needs to continue to improve defensively. Losing centerfielder Ashley Walton created a huge void in centerfield. Looking to step in for Walton will be sophomores Anna Wicklund, Lyndsey Daignault, and Jill Jacobson. Each has shown signs of greatness. Wicklund is a good hitter, Daignault has outstanding speed and Jacobson was brilliant this past summer. Senior Alysha Korbl will also see time in the outfield but will be primarily used as a designated player.

8th grader Carly Schires and 7th graders Aubrey Wahl, Chelsea Jacobson and Brooke Peterson will see time in the outfield for the J.V.

CATCHER: Senior Cassy Campbell will man the catching duties for the Gators. Campbell is a fierce competitor and vocal team leader. She calls an outstanding game, has an above average arm and will also be counted on to pick up some of the offensive slack. Backing up Campbell will be sophomore Lyndsey Daignault. Daignault has all the tools to be a great catcher but needs to gain confidence in her game along with calling a better game. 7th grader Haley Price has the right attitude to be a catcher and will be a big part of the Gator future.

PITCHER: The most important part of fastpitch softball is the pitching position. Perhaps the biggest question mark for the Gators is their pitching staff. Graduating three seniors who pitched, dealt a great blow to the pitching staff but the Gators are extremely happy with their depth at the position. BGMR will throw many pitchers early to see who, if any, can take over the primary roll. Novacek, sophomore Tessa McKeever, Wicklund, Aamodt and Schenkey will all see time on the mound. Each brings a different style which could cause opponents trouble. Gaining confidence in themselves and relying on their pitches will be a key.

The Gators will start the season as a team that needs to find an identity. Defending Section Champion Norman County East will again be the section favorite. Teams such as the Northern Freeze, Sacred Heart and Ada will also field outstanding teams. The Gators hope to improve throughout the season and barring injuries or other unforeseen circumstances should be a extremely competitive team come tournament time. The Gators will show enthusiasm with a desire to win. The Gator softball team will be a hard nosed, intense team that is fun to watch. They will represent the school and communities well.

The players who have chosen to play softball have put in a lot of hard work. We invite all the public to come out and watch athletes who play for the love of the game. Please check the included schedule and mark the home dates on your calendar. The schedule is subject to change. Please call the school and confirm the game if you plan to attend. Team records, stats etc can be checked out on the web at:

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