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Baseball : Cobbers working to improve ranks
Andy Pratt, Staff Writer, 4/25

Concordia baseball put in a busy week last week, playing five games, but winnin only one.

Valley City handed the Cobbers their first defeat of the week on Friday, winning the game 10-8. Valley City jumped out to an early lead, but the Cobbers made an effort to come back with six runs in the last two innings. In the end, Valley City remained in charge.

Outfielder Chris Howell had a big offensive day, going two for two with two runs and three RBIs. Craig Schwantz took the mound for Concordia and came away with the loss, his first one of the year.

The Cobbers hosted the top team in the conference on Saturday in a doubleheader. St. Thomas defeated Concordia, winning the first game 10-8 and the second 5-1.

Concordia took an early 7-1 lead in the first game, but the Tommies came back with four runs in the sixth and five in the seventh to take control.

Howell had another big game, going three for three with one run scored. Outfielder Noah Johnson went two for four with one run scored, two RBIs, a double and a triple.

Pitcher Marty Gray took the loss this time, dropping his record to 1-2.

St. Thomas held the Cobbers to four hits. Scott DeBrito went two for three and hit his second home run of the year.

"On Saturday, we scored many runs in the first game with two outs. That was good to see," pitcher Joe Cuchna said. "In the second game, we just kind of folded."

Concordia defeated Carleton 7-5 on Sunday, getting the only win of the weekend. The game was tied 5-5 in the sixth until the Cobbers scored twice to get the win.

Second baseman Jeremy Holm went two for three, with two runs scored, one RBI and a double. Pitcher Andy Hatlestad gave up only one hit and not runs.

The second game against Carleton didn't go as well for Concordia. The Cobbers lost 5-3. Outfielder Randy Radzidlo hit his second home run of the year in the loss. 

"We need to have a little more enthusiasm by keeping our heads up against all this adversity. We need to go out and have fun and not have one mistake made in a game get us down," Joe Cuchna said. 

Return to Apr.25 index of The Concordian Sports

Softball Mental game key for softball
Jennifer Gayvert, sports editor, 4/25

Cobber softball had a roller-coaster weekend against three conference teams.

Concordia played doubleheaders with Carleton April 19, St. Benedict's April 21 and Macalaster April 23. The Cobbers defeated Carleton, fell to St. Ben's and split with Macalaster.

Concordia won the first game against Macalaster 2-1 but lost the second 5-4. Despite the split, the team said it was generally satisfied. 

"The second one was good, but we had some opportunities that were missed. You can't do that if you want to win," junior pitcher Julie Campion Said. 

Concordia held a consistent lead in the first game but struggled in the second. The team was behind 4-1 but then rallied back with three runs, falling just short of the win. 

"Overall, I think we did really well. Defense held it together and our hitting is starting to come around, " senior infielder Heather Reichow said. 

St. Ben's handed the Cobbers two solid losses on Monday, defeating the Cobbers 0-4 and 1-7. 

St. Ben's is home to one of the MIAC's top pitchers. Reichow said adjusting to her was a struggle. 

"I don't think we were really in it mentally," Reichow said.

Carleton was a different story, however. The Cobbers won 7-6 and 9-1 against Carleton. 

"We hit well at  Carleton, and our defense did really well," sophomore catcher Heidi Mueller said. 

Warmer weather has allowed practices to be held outdoors. The team says this has led to vast improvements.

"Taking batting practice outside has helped a lot. There's only so much you can do in a batting cage," Reichow said. 

Despite the imporved practice environment, the team still has things it wants to improve. 

"We really come together as a team, but you really notice it when we're not together," Reichow said. 

Improvements may be needed, but much of the team sees a unique dynamic that makes it strong. 

"One of the things that's really neat about our team is that in every game there is a different hero," Campion said.

Return to Apr.25 index of The Concordian Sports

Cobber Men's and Women's Track: Track finishes weedend with wins, qualifiers Selmer Moen, Staff Writer, 4/18/97  Three tournaments have kept the track team running around the Midwest.  Tournaments at the University of Kansas, North Dakota State College of Science and Valley City State University gave the women's and men's teams a number of chances to qualify individuals for national competitions.  The University of Kansas hosted the Kansas Relays, and the Cobber women's track team had several competitors there. Senior Renee Erickson Became an automatic national qualifier in the javelin with her third place throw of 149-2. The Cobbers' two-mile relay team, composed of sophomores Leta Prochnow, Barb Breidenbach, Julie Engh and junior Mollee Ludtke, finished second with a team time of 9:28.08, just four seconds short of a Concordia record.  Junior Sarah Severson represented Concordia last weedend at the North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton. Severson captured first in the heptahlon with 3,976 points.  Severson took first in the 100m hurdles, the high jump, the 200 yard dash, the long jump and the 800m run. She finished second in the javelin and third in the shot put.  The remainder of the concordia women were at Valley City State University for the Viking Invitational.  In the unofficaial team results, the Cobbers won the tournament with 169 points, while crosstown rival Moorhead State University took second place with 100 points. Several competitors led the Cobbers at the Viking Invitational with top-place finishes. Freshman Karin McGregor won the 100m with a personal record time of 13.2 seconds. McGregor also won the triple jump with a personal record leap of 34-2. "I was surprised at my improved marks. Being later in the season helped; I hope that will continue for the rest of the year," McGregor said.  McGregor was also part of the 4x400 realy, along with freshman Katie McCarvel, sophomore Kelly Shannon. The relay team took second with a time of 54.63. McCarvel set her own personal record in the 400 hurdles and captured first, with a time of 1:07.9. In the shot put, Freshman Marie DeBoer won with a personal record throw of 40-2.  Sophomore Laura Utke won the discus with a throw of 133-6, establishing a new personal record as well.  The Cobbers finished first and second in the hammer throw as junior Becky Dearns became a provisional national qualifier.  The Concordia men's track team was also at the University of Kansas last weekend. The Cobbers had several men place and reach some new goals.  The top performers for the men included senior Bill Keating who took fifth in the 1500 with a time of 3:59.82. "I was really happy to break the 4:00 mark," said Keating. "I've been trying to do that for a long time now." Keating was also part of a two-mile relay team, along with freshman Micah Benson, sophomre Jeremy Blake and freshman Matt Raml. The team took sixth with a time of 7:56.82.  The performance of the relay team was an achievement as well.  "We were trying to break eight minutes, and it was great to get there," said Keating. At the North Dakota State college of Science, senior Ryan Williams took third in the decathlon with a total of 5,984 points. Sophomore Dan Buchholz also competed in the decathlon and finished seventh with 5,510 points.  Overall men's team scores were not available.  Return to Apr.25 index of The Concordian Sports From the Archives  From the April 22, 1977, issue of The Concordian sports section: "Whether men's golf, tennis, baseball or either track team will bring home any honors, we'll have to see. Overall, Concordia can be proud of its teams and their accomplishments. Let's hope next year it's even better." Return to Apr.25 index of The Concordian Sports Tennis(Women's Tennis/Men's Tennis): Cobber tennis brings home win Elizabeth Weixel, Staff Writer, 4/25/97 The Men's and women's tennis teams had a victorious weekend. The men defeated Bethel College 7-2 Saturday and Hamline University 9-0 Sunday, and women put down Hamline 5-4 Sunday. These wins bring the women's season record to 4-9 and the men's to 5-8. Freshman Erin Pearce said Hamline was tough a match, but Concordia was prepared.  "We've been practicing hard and working on fine-tuning points," Pearce said. "They're pretty much at our level, but at doubles, they were beatable." Freshman Lori Wagner saw the wins as results of this fine-tuning.  "Each Match we improve. All the matches are getting closer, all the scoreds are getting closer," Wagner said.  The women won all three doubles matches and two of six singles matches against Hamline.  The singles matches were more of a challenge, according to Pearce, and her close loss was tough to take.  "It was frustrating, but it's all a learning experience," Pearce said.  Head coach Bob Nick focused on the experience the young teams gained from last matches of the season.  "We're so inexperienced, every match we play will help us," Nick said.  Pearce says an entire season of experience is showing in the team's play.  "Now we're starting to get the shots, and we have to be more offensive. We have to try not to be nice," Pearce said.  The women's chances to do this are dwindling. They travel to Carleton tomorrow before heading to the MIAC Tournament May 2 in St. Paul. Wagner believes the women have proven themselves ready for conference play-offs.  "Our focus is going to be right there. We've proved that we can compete, so I think we'll do well," Wagner said.  Pearce was more hesitant about the conference tournament.  "We're just starting out. We're playing (players) that are older than us, so I think that their experience will override us," It will be a challenge." Nick was also cautious about play-offs. "I expect a battle. We're going to to have to play very, very well. but we're capable." The men showed their capabilities too this weekend against Bethel and Hamline. They defeated Hamline in seven matches in straight sets, and two matches were forfeited by Hamline.  "As a team, we put the whole game together and played pretty consistently, " sophomore Nate Svingen said.  Nick said the team is still under pressure, however, as the school year comes to an end.  "It's hard for (them) to concentrate with the flood situation and finals coming up. They have to be pretty disciplined to survive," Nick said.  Both teams began outdoor practice on Wednesday to prepare for championships, which adds to the changes and pressures of the recent weeks, according to Svingen. This is the first time they have practiced outside.  The men go to the MIAC  Tounament May 2-3 in Northfield, Minn.  The last two victories for the men are encouraging signs for the tournament, according to Svingen. "We played consistently, and that's a big part of being successful at conference," Svingen Said. "Hopefully we can carry over this weekend to the conference tournament." Return to Apr.25 index of The Concordian Sports Honors Convocation Speaker Mixes music, Science, and Athletics Elisabeth Waxler, Staff Writer Senior Ryan Williams plans on speaking about "the interdependent variable of exellence," at Monday's honors convocation. His explanation of the topic is simpler than it's mathematical overtones imply. Often, he said, we think of succes as a result of independent elements that don't affect each other. However, Williams says, "The main variables are talent and hard work, [and] they're actually interdependant." It's not that successful people have either extraordinary talent or work extremely hard, but that these two elements complement each other, Williams said. This idea of integration and combination of seemingly separate elements comes up often in relation to Williams. Williams, a native of St. Cloud, Minn., is known for uncommon combinations. One of his favorite delicacies at Dining Services was his homemade ice cream sandwich: He put chocalate soft-serve on white toast and slathered it with creme de menthe. "Everyone would just give me living hell about that," Williams said. In more serious matters, Williams is mixing a chemisty major with a music and math minors. He plays the double bass in orchestra, serves as captain of the track team and has helped the soccer team win the MIAC championship the past two years. He was a Goldwater Scholar for two years, was chosen for the senior honors recital and was an eight-time all conference athlete for track. Add to the list his position as president of Omnicrom Delta Kappa, an honor and leadership society. Dr. Alexander Sze, professor of math and computer science, ehoes Williams' theory. Dr Jim Forde, professor of math and computer science, sees Williams as an example of the ideal liberal arts student. "He views his whole package here as one package. He's benn able to weave all the [classes] he's taked into a beautiful tapestry," Forde said. Although others may wonder how these things mess, it makes sense to Williams. Mathematics is a large part of music, he says. "The structure of music can be a series of mathematical equations," Williams said. "Music has roots with Pythagoras. It's formed by notes, and the rythms by numbers." Music also serves as a relaxing break for Williams. "I look at it as a release from some of the toils of the day," he said. "You know, it's the kind of release that keeps your mind active." Competition in athletics, music and academics is also a part of Williams' theory. "I like to compete, and I think that's an extremely healthy part of life," Williams said. "Healthy competition leads to improvements on all levels." So far, William's formula for success is getting results. His professors speak as if they'd like to clone him. "You don't teach him... you go about your lecture, and he absorbs it and expands from there," said Dr. William Mackellar, chemistry professor. And while it is apparent that many of Williams's professors will miss him, Williams, too will miss some things, especially the camaraderie of friends and the breadth of activies offered by Concordia. He may also miss those ice cream sandwiches. Return to Apr.25 index of The Concordian Sports

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