Monday, October 31, 2016

2016 Fall wrapup

We are winding down a very successful 2016 Fall season here at DCB Baseball. We started the Fall with 28 players and it looks like we will have 27 coming back to play in Spring.
"I (Mike Greene) came in not knowing what to expect out of the returning group of players". (5 sophs).
"What I found out is we have some good talent returning". With the addition of 20 solid freshman and an old veteran sophomore Brennen Steinbaugh, the Lumberjacks baseball team looks pretty solid going into the Winter.
We got in a lot of quality work in late August, September and October. The weather was great during the Summer and has allowed us a lot of outdoor time. We will now move into individual work and trying to improve on some mechanics on the mound and at the plate, while getting bigger in the weight room.
The strengths of this team are it's pitching, defense and baserunning. We won't lead the nation in home runs, but we will be up there in stolen bases, fielding percentage and pitching. This team will fight hard over 7 innings and be a tough team to beat.
The pitching staff has 6 quality arms to choose from for it's starting rotation. Nick Sumstine, Tyler Scheffer and Jay Pringle have been consistently strong on the mound and Brennen Steinbaugh, Riley Kluin and Carter Sorenson are battling for the #4 slot. We also have hard throwing Brady Engebretson as the closer and Seth Hotlzclaw, Jordan Welcome and Dustin Chartrand to relieve.
The outfield has a lot of speed in Kody Lane, Tyler Legault, Jay Pringle,, JJ Horvath and Christian Stacy. Asiano Vallejos and JJ Horvath are behind the dish and our infield is very strong.
This team also has a lot of depth and will have a solid bench to fill in, pinch hit, and DH.

The Lumberjacks have done quality work in the classroom and community as well. We emphasize giving back to the community and working hard in the classroom as well as on the baseball diamond.
The Lumberjack players volunteer at the local after school 3rd-6th grade program every other Monday,  have raked leaves, moved furniture, worked the haunted corn maze, put on a youth baseball camp, made logroller phone calls, served food at the logroller banquet, the golf fundraiser and helped at the rummage sale. The players have stepped up anytime they have been asked to help around the college or community.
Check out our facebook page  DCB Baseball for schedules, stories, pictures, etc...
I'm excited about what this group can achieve on and off the field, and I'm proud to be their coach.



Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Right at Teetering Point


This past weekend we traveled out to Williston to play the Tetons.  We were originally scheduled to play on Saturday here, but with the weather going to be cold and windy, we opted to play all four out there.  The weather was a balmy 67 degrees with a small breeze blowing out, so it was a good choice, in regards to the weather that is.  We were hoping to get home field advantage against them because we knew we are used to our field and we could use any little advantage we could get.  We were close yet again in two of the four games, but still can’t seem to be on the winning side of the scoreboard.  With that being said, here is a recap of the games:

Game 1
The first game of the first day are usually our worst games because we come right off the bus and it takes us a while to get things rolling.  With that being said, this was just the case for this game too.  We got ourselves in a hole early again by being down 0-8 in the second inning.  There wasn’t much more to this game statistically other than Torres getting the lone RBI for our only run in the fifth.  We lost this one 1-11.

Game 2
The second games of the first day are usually our best and we play our best ball then.  We have always been a team that comes out with a chip on our shoulder and makes it a game.  We are also a team that putts around until crunch time and turns it on to make a game out of it.  We were down 0-6 going into the third, and then tacked on 3 of our own.  Then in the fourth, they extended it to 3-8.  In the fifth we put up another run and in the sixth is when we made it go time.  We put up another 3 runs to make it a 7-8 ball game.  Our defense runs off of how well we do at the plate, and vice versa.  We were playing solid D and our guys were getting the bat on the ball.  In the seventh we put on one more to tie it up.  But right at the end, WSC had a timely hit and they win on the walk off.

Game 3
Although we do not play well on the first game, the first game of the second day is a different story.  It may be because we didn’t have to get up at 6:00 am to be on the road by 7:00, so we were able to sleep in.  We started Engebretson for this game because we knew that they struggled with lefties, as we saw in fall ball against them when we beat them.  With that being said, it wasn’t that they were hitting the ball well in this game, it is that we allowed them to get guys on base to have simple base hits bring in a lot of runs.  Since we played all games ath their place, this day we would be the home team on the scoreboard for both games.
The game started out with us walking the first three batters, and them going up 0-3 before we even got an out.  After the second inning, we were already down 2-9.  We were struggling at the bats because we couldn’t get anything rolling the way we wanted it to.  When it started to turn in our favor was in the fifth inning when we put in Holtzclaw to pitch.  At that time, we were down 4-11 and needed a spark to get our spirits up.  Claw (as the guys call him) allowed only one run in that inning as we put on five.  The score was now 9-12 and we were back in the ballgame.  The guys had their heads high and it looked as if we could get out of this next inning and try and put a few more runs up, but the Tetons had other plans.  They put on four more runs in that inning and we only put on two.  The score was now 11-16 and with one inning to go, we had to find a way to win.  When it was our turn to bat, we were towards the bottom of our lineup, so we needed the guys to figure something out and find a way to get on.  That was not the case as we didn’t get any runs in at all that inning.  We lost that game 11-17.

Game 4
By this time in the series, all of our guys were shot and we were running out of pitchers.  We saved Choy for this game because of all the off-speed “junk” he throws and how it was a completely different look than the rest of our pitchers.  Hoping that it would be enough to mess with them was what we were banking on, because it was our best option.  It worked in the first inning as we took the lead 1-0 and he only threw 12 pitches.  Choy was doing a great job of getting ground balls and letting the fielders do the work.  From the second on, they adjusted and were hitting the crap out of the ball.  There wasn’t much we could do when they would just place the ball in the gaps and progressively advance the runners.  In the fifth, we brought in Kody Lane to relieve and again bring a different look.  At this point we were down 1-9 and needed something to bring us back in the game.  We were worried because Kody has yet to pitch in a game this year, or even throw bullpen in practice.  He has always been in my ear saying “Coach, if you need me to pitch, I can.” Well I took him up on his offer to see how well he did.  That first inning he pitched well and didn’t allow any runs in.  OI was hoping this would be the spark we needed to make one of our classic late in the game runs.  Well I hoped a little too much as we did not score any that inning, but still knew that we had the sixth and seventh to score.  It didn’t matter as the Tetons put a big number on the board (8 runs) and our wind was taken out of our sail.  We lost this game 1-17.

After the games our guys were really down.  They have been right there for a lot of games, but have been unable to seal the deal.  They have shown a lot of grit and heart in all 10 of the games.  One of the guys said, “We have been walked-off 4 times now, so our record could easily be 4-6 right now.”  He hit it right on the head.  We have taken it right down to the wire for a lot of our games, but have put ourselves too deep in a hole early to come out of it.  Mental lapses and fielding errors have been our demise which has lead us to where we are now.

This week we are going to work on A LOT of fielding drills and catcher blocking, as these are our weakest areas.  If we can get these areas fixed, I believe that we can make a turnaround and get some wins.

Our next games will be here at the LUMBERYARD as we host Dawson on both Saturday and Sunday.  Game times are at 1 & 3 both days.  Come out and catch a game and see your Jacks in action!

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Another 7th inning blunder


Yesterday we traveled down to Bismarck to play against U-Mary JV team to get the rust out before conference play on 4/2.  We knew we could match up well against the Marauders, as long as we played our game.  Being the first time playing on the field, I thought it would take an inning for us to settle in and get comfortable.  Also, we haven’t had too many practices with spring and Easter breaks, so I knew there could be some mistakes early on that we may need to make up for later in the game.

Game 1
The first game started off really well with Kody Lane hitting a triple and eventually scoring by Madrid’s single to give us the lead.  The Marauders got one of their own in the first as well to tie it up.  In the second we were scoreless and Mary got two to give them the lead 1-3.  In the fourth and fifth inning, we scored two runs in both innings to give us the lead 5-3.  Simmons and Cottingham were the ones to score in the fourth off of Engebretson and Lane’s hits.  In the fifth, Madrid and Simmons were the ones to score off of Simmons and Cottingham’s hits.  In the sixth, both us and Mary scored, but we still had the lead at 6-4.  In the seventh, we were scoreless, and on defense our wheels completely fell off with some Marauder hits.  We put Choy in to pitch to give them a different look, and to an extent, it worked.  Mary had some blooper hits to some of our guys, and we weren’t fast enough to get to the ball and make the play.  Other times, the ball were dropped right over the middle infield’s heads.  When I say the wheels fell off, I literally mean a wheel fell off.  At one point, Engebretson was about to field a routine fly ball, and when he took a step back to shoot for home, his shoe fell off causing him to drop the ball.  With all of the craziness happening in the bottom of the seventh, we lost the game with a score of 6-7.  Choy received the loss for pitching.

Game 2
The second game, we were a little down on ourselves, but the guys wanted to get revenge after having that one bad inning.  We started off the first inning scoring two with a single by Madrid, scoring Lane.  Madrid was also to score from an error by the Marauders giving us the lead 2-0.  Mary was to tack on two of their own to tie it up at two apiece.   That was the last time we would score.  U-Mary played a solid rest of the game with good pitching.  We would eventually lose the game 2-9.  A few of the guys had quality at bats, but couldn’t get them in to score.  We had another bad inning to where the guys got down on themselves and were unable to get out of that rut. 

These games are made to help us improve and show the guys what they are capable of.  The last six preseason games have shown us that we are most definitely able to compete, but have to be able to put the dagger in and finish the game.  We will now host Williston (weather pending) on Saturday April 2 at 1 & 3 pm.  Come out to the Lumberyard and see some excitement!

Monday, March 21, 2016

Opening Weekend in MT


Sorry for the late post, but I couldn’t find the password for the blogs! 

The Lumberjacks opened their season in Glendive, MT and played against both Dawson CC and Williston State.  This was the first time the team had been outside since November, so we knew there would be some mistakes.  Going into the 1st game vs Dawson, we were wanting to get the rust, cobwebs, and jitters out of our system. It was nice being in “baseball weather” for the 1st time, but with the heat hanging around in the 70’s, I was curious to how we would adapt to it after being in the WOODSHED for a few months.

Game 1 vs DCC
The first game against DCC we came out a little sluggish and got behind 0-3 in the first inning.  We are a team that plays better when trailing a few points, so I knew we still had a chance.  We were still in it going into the 3rd, but a few timely hits by the Bucs spread their lead to 5, and our guys were getting a little tired.  The 5th and 6th innings we tried to get something rolling, but couldn’t and lost 0-10.

Game 2 vs WSC
The second game of the day was against Williston, and with the 1st game jitters out of us, I knew we were going to put up a fight.  We were the home team, so if it came down to it, we had the advantage of having the last at bat.  The first inning didn’t play out too well for us as we got behind right away 0-2.  In the second, they tacked on 2 more before we started to get the sticks rolling by adding 3 of our own.  We matched run for run with the Tetons until the 6th, when we tied it up at 7 a piece.  Going into the last inning, they managed to squeak out a run with us still getting a chance to bat.  We were towards the bottom of the order, and needed one of our guys to step up and get the bats going.  The Tetons ended up going 3 up 3 down for us to end the game 7-8.  The guys played well, but couldn’t quite finish it off.  This was a good test to have, especially in the 2nd game of the year to help us prepare for another close one.  Credit to the Tetons for playing a solid game throughout, but with us leaving 15 guys on base, the game could have had a much different outcome.

Game 3 vs DCC
New day, same opponent, and we knew we had to get at least one against these guys.  We knew they would try to throw a different pitcher against us, so if we hopped out on them early we could put them away.  The game was a solid game being tied at 0 until the bottom of the 3rd when they took the lead 0-1.  Again, being a team that likes to be opportunistic and attack from behind when the time is right; we knew we just had to wait.  That time came in the top of the 7th, we were down 2-5, and we took full advantage of a few of their errors.  We tacked on 3 runs to tie it up, and the energy was on our side.  The only thing that was going against us was the time. (In these round robin games, there is a strict time limit to make sure every game can be played.  We were at that time limit of 2 hours, so this game would either result in us tying, or losing; so we need to at least get the tie.) 
    Scheffer was on the bump to close the game, and he was pitching extremely well.  He got himself in a little bind and allowed a man on.  The runner ended up being on 3rd with 2 outs, so we needed to focus on getting the batter out.  Scheffer had 2 strikes on the guy, when a wild pitch came about and allowed the runner to score, ending the game 5-6.  The guys didn’t like winning on a play like that, but it showed we could compete in tight games and know how to get out of them.

Game 4 vs WSC
This was the last game of the 4 game series, and I wasn’t sure how it was going to play out.  We had to shuffle guys around the last game to help save some arms, so I was unsure of how we would play.  Also, the temperature had been in the mid 70’s, and you could see how drained our guys were.  Not to mention, the last game went down to the wire and the guys put forth a lot of mental energy in it as well.  With that being said, the Tetons jumped to an early 0-4 lead and they kept piling them on.  We were gassed and the Tetons took full advantage of it.  We committed 3 errors and left 11 on base.  We allowed 8 runs off of only 6 hits, so there is some building to do.

We will now travel to Bismarck to play against U-Mary JV on March 29th.  That will be our last pre-season game before we start conference play on April 2 against Williston.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Fall Games v. LRSC 9/18/14


 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
LOB
DCB
0
0
1
0
0
0
0
1
7
0
7
LRSC
1
0
0
0
0
2
X
3
5
0
8

LP: Lee Schneider

DCB Highlights: Jeremy Spinner 2-4 2B, RS Jesse Turner 1-3 2B

Game 1 for the Jacks was a solid defensive effort lead by Lee Schneider’s solid first college start. This game was frustrating from the offensive side as we could not string together hits at the right time to push any runs across the board. We were thrilled to play a clean game defensively because that still gave us an opportunity late in the game. However, in order to finish on the right side of the scoreboard we must score more runs. I was thrilled with our solid defense and hope we can continue this trend in the future.

 
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
LOB
DCB
3
0
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
6
9
4
9
LRSC
0
2
0
0
2
1
1
0
1
7
10
2
10

LP: Cody Newberry

DCB Highlights: Brett Hebel 2-3 2 RBI, Christian McCloud 3-5 2B, RS

Game 2 for the Jacks was the exact opposite of the first game, we hit the ball well and scored runs early but made four errors. Brett Hebel threw well, which we have come to expect from the sophomore by now unfortunately there were too many mistakes behind him. However, this game was another of the many down to the wire battle’s we have had with Lake Region in the last two years. Late in the game we were thrilled that Cody Newberry came in and pitched four solid innings to give us an opportunity to win. In the end we could not overcome our mistakes to come away with the victory.

Overall, we are disappointed with the results but are not losing sight of the process that we are going through as a team. Last year we won all our fall games, which was great but these games are exhibition so we try not to get too up or down as a team based on the results. From my point of view, I am thrilled with how many guys we have that are able to contribute. I believe if we continue to build and work together as a team we have the pieces that can make us a pretty solid group. Our next fall games will be on September 28th against LRSC in Devils Lake. As always we thank you for your continued support.

 

Thank you and Go Jacks,

Coach Martin

Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Academic Awards

Good Afternoon Lumberjack Baseball Fans,

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer, we are busy at work adding to our roster and creating a fall game schedule. I would like to take a moment to celebrate a few wonderful accomplishments by our players last season. We were fortunate enough to have 7 academic all conference and 2 academic all Americans.

Academic All-Conference
-Adam Denny
-Greg Thompson
-Nick Riglin
-Cody Brooks
-Kirpal Singh
-Cody Milliken
-Jesse Turner

Academic All-Americans
-Greg Thompson
-Cody Brooks

We often evaluate the success of a team based on wins and losses; however, these are extraordinary accomplishments by these individuals. Success in the classroom is the most important part of being a student athlete. We always will strive to win but as I told our team at our first meeting, none of this matters if it does not lead to a degree. Along with these accomplishments we can also proudly say that all 6 of our sophomores left here with a degree. This is something that makes me very proud to be around these great young men and have the opportunity to coach them. Please check in as we will have our fall schedule together very soon.

Thank you and GO JACKS!
Coach Martin

Monday, May 12, 2014

DCB at Regionals

Game 1:

Team
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
LOB
DCB
0
1
3
1
5
0
6
1
X
17
19
3
11
LRSC
0
5
1
0
0
1
2
0
X
9
18
6
9

WP: Brett Hebel                     LP:Schill
In game 1, the Jacks came out really flat and one big error allowed the Royals to score 5 in the second. However, the Jacks rallied behind the pitching of Brett Hebel and were able to battle back. The game seemed to turn in the 5th inning when Brett Hebel helped his own cause and hit a 3 run home run to break the game open. When the game was close at the end the Jacks called upon their ace Greg Thompson to come a close the door which he did and the Jacks survived and advanced to play Williston later that day.

Game 2:

Team
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
LOB
DCB
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
2
0
4
10
4
13
WSC
3
2
1
1
0
0
1
1
X
9
15
2
10

WP: Ogolin                 LP: Greg Thompson
In game 2, the Jacks again came out flat allowing 7 runs through 4 innings and not getting much going at the plate. In the 7th inning the Jacks bats came alive and WE were able to score 2 in the 7th and 8th. Unfortunately it was too little too late for the Jacks but because of the win earlier in the day the Jacks were able to play on Saturday against BSC.
Game 3:
Team
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
LOB
DCB
2
6
0
0
0
0
2
1
1
12
19
5
12
BSC
0
2
3
4
0
0
1
0
0
10
12
3
9
WP: Nick Riglin          LP:Nelson
In game 3, the Jacks came out of the gate clicking on all cylinders with 8 runs through the first two innings. However, the Mystics showed a ton of heart and did not quit in their pursuit of keeping their season alive and took the lead 9-8 in the 4th. The Jacks were reeling but were able to battle back and take the lead. Nick Riglin came in and shut the door which put the Jacks into the final three.
Game 4:
Team
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
LOB
DCB
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
3
WSC
3
0
8
0
0
11
9
0
7
WP: Bullock (No hitter)          LP: Cody Milliken
In game 4, the Jacks ran into an incredible pitching performance as the Williston pitcher threw a no hitter. The Jacks played solid defense but when you can't hit it is nearly impossible to win. In the end the Jacks were able to get 3rd in Region 13.
Overall, I am so proud of this team to win 5 games this regular season and 9 in the school year which is an incredible turn around from 3 wins last year.  I would like to thank our 6 sophomores Adam Denny, Greg Thompson, Cody Brooks, Connor Drewry, Cody Milliken and Alphonzo Rigby you 6 are destined to do great things in this world and I am proud and honored to have been your coach. With our returning 9 and recruits coming in the Jacks will look to make the next step next year and challenge to win the region and make it to districts for the first time in a lot of years.
I would like to thank everyone who has supported us form our incredible fans who traveled as far as Tucson, AZ to watch us play to my great assistant coaches. None of what WE accomplished this year could have been done without the support that was given to us throughout the year. WE have started a new era of DCB Baseball and I am so honored to be given this opportunity to be the coach.
Thank you and GO JACKS!
Coach Martin