JCC week ahead

Here’s what’s on the schedule for Huskies teams

Kinley VanDeVeere look to coach Morgan Christopher for a sign during JCC’s doubleheader vs. Windom last week.

Here’s what’s on the schedule this week for Jackson County Central Spring sports teams. It’s all subject to change.

Softball

The JCC softball team only has one game on its schedule this week and while it’s not against either a conference or section opponent, it may be as important as any on the Huskies’ regular-season schedule.

Coach Morgan Christopher will take her Class 2A 15^th-ranked Huskies on the road for a 5:30 p.m. game vs. Class 2A No. 11 Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial.

The Huskies are 4-0 to start the season.

They opened the season with a 7-5 win over Class 1A No. 4 Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian and were dominant in three games last week, sweeping a doubleheader from Windom 9-0 and 19-5 and beating Blue Earth Area 13-1 in five innings.

The Knights are 3-0, winning a pair of one-ruin games in Pipestone over the Arrows 6-5 and 3-2 and shutting out Watertown-Mayer 14-0. LCWM has a doubleheader scheduled at St. Clair/Loyola (2-0) Tuesday before hosting JCC.

Both teams have their eyes on a trip to Caswell Park in North Mankato the first week of June and if both were to advance, Thursday’s game would carry some importance for state tournament seeding.

Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial wants to get back and climb that final rung up the ladder. Jackson County Central is looking to make the first trip for the school in 20 years as the last time the Huskies went to state was when they won a second straight state championship in 2005.

JCC edged LCWM 4-3 when the teams met on May 13 in Jackson. The Knights didn’t lose again until falling to Randolph in the championship game of the state Class 2A tournament.

Also, several JCC players are familiar with some players on the LCWM roster through a summer travel team.

Track and field

Coach Rafe York’s track and field teams have two meets in three days this week and the Huskies will see a number of schools that they’ll see in Section 2A next month.

JCC will be at Lake Crystal Tuesday, with meet time slated for 4:30 p.m.

Joining the Huskies and host Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial/Nicollet will be Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop and Mankato Loyola/Cleveland.

JCC is then scheduled to compete at Mountain Lake Thursday, with meet time set for 4:15 p.m. Other teams slated to be there are host Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey, Martin County West/Butterfield-Odin, River Valley, St. Clair/Immanuel Lutheran, St. James Area and Westbrook-Walnut Grove/Red Rock Central.

JCC’s Gage Johnson comes set before delivering a pitch vs. Blue Earth Area at Wacker Field.

Baseball

JCC’s baseball team has three games at Wacker Field this week, hosting Luverne in a single game at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday and Pipestone in a doubleheader at 4 p.m. Thursday.

The Huskies are 1-2, with a 10-0 win in six innings over Blue Earth Area sandwiched between losses to Windom and Maple River.

Luverne is 4-1 heading into a Monday game vs. Fairmont. The Cardinals swept doubleheaders from Worthington and Blue Earth Area before losing 4-3 to Class 2A No. 4 Esko on Saturday.

Pipestone is 0-2 with nonconference losses to Murray County Central and Adrian/Ellsworth. The Arrows are at Windom Tuesday before coming to Jackson.

Golf

Only one event is on the schedule for the Jackson County Central golf teams this week.

Both the girls and boys host Martin County West in a 4 p.m. dual Thursday at Jackson Golf Club.