Sports

Unflashy DCB looks for good team play

By Matthew Semisch

03/17/2015

If you’re looking for flashy baseball that’s individual-based and not team-focused, you aren’t likely to find it at Dakota College at Bottineau (DCB) this spring.

First-year head coach Dano Fagerlund doesn’t believe that his team is set up to operate like that. There isn’t any one star on the team that fans and opponents will need to look out for, and he expects his Lumberjacks to succeed using a team-based approach.

“We’re going to be a ruthless team and I don’t want to say a dirty team but one that’s good at having the fundamentals down pat,” Fagerlund said. “We don’t have a superstar and we have a bunch of puzzle pieces to make one big thing as opposed to having one big piece and people around it. 

“Everyone’s equal, and we have kids who are good one particular position, and I’m already seeing that we have a team that’s going to bare down and dig to get what it wants.”

Last season saw the Jacks finish with a 5-23 record, but two of those five wins came at the Region XIII tournament in Williston.

“Last year, the guys developed a good sense of where they were going, and this year it’s about keeping that moving forward and making the team better,” Fagerlund said. “Every year has been a stepping stone, where a couple years ago was probably below average and then last season was better, and we seem to be getting better baseball players year on year, and it’s looking like that’s what we have again this year. 

“I don’t know if I would say we’re building off of last year because it’s not the same exact team that was here last year, but we are working on setting higher goals and working to accomplish those.”

DCB will have more than its fair share of youth this season, as the Lumberjacks have 11 freshmen on their 2015 roster. 

One such player is freshman catcher and pitcher Lee Schneider. The Bottineau High graduate will catch some games and pitch others, and he appeared as a relief pitcher last Tuesday in a 9-8 victory at Bismarck State.

DCB’s top returning pitcher is sophomore Nick Riglin. In seven outings on the mound last season, he posted a team-best 5.14 earned-run average (ERA).

Brett Hebel (8.34 ERA in eight games in 2014) and Cody Newberry (12.12 ERA in six games) are the two other returning members of the Jacks’ pitching staff.

Sophomore catcher and infielder Jesse Turner will be one of DCB’s leading returners on offense. 

Of last year’s freshmen that are back this season, Turner led them with a .271 batting average and .361 on-base percentage from 85 at-bats.

Solid fundamentals on both sides, Fagerlund said, will be key to his team’s success this spring.

“We’re looking to be a team that’s solid offensively and solid defensively,” he said. “We want to be the best team we can be, and we’re not full of superstars but if we can be the best teammates we can be, we’ll have a good team this year.”