In this week’s edition of Lots O’ Stuff we have news from track and field, baseball, softball, basketball and some coaching moves.
Track and field
Jackson County Central graduate Jessica Christoffer of the South Dakota State women’s outdoor track and field team has earned all-Summit League honors.
To receive the honor a student-athlete must finish in the top three in an individual event or relay at the league championship meet.
She was third in the 1500 meters at The Summit League Outdoor Championships in Tulsa with a time of 4:28.5.
Martin County West grad Cora Olson, a junior at Concordia University in Seward, Neb. will compete in the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships this week. The event will be held Wednesday-Friday in Gulf Shores, Ala.
She’s a member of the Bulldogs’ 4x100-meter relay.
It’s her third trip to nationals. Olson was also on the 4x100 team at last year’s outdoor national meet and competed in the long jump at the 2020 indoor nationals.
Fairmont graduate Wyatt Quiring, a senior at Gustavus, competed at the NCAA Final Qualifier in LaCrosse.
He placed sixth in the 400 meters (48.49) and was on the Gusties 4x100-meter relay team that finished third (42.63).
Baseball
Truman native Derek Shoen, a junior with the University of Mary baseball team, earned a number of honors on the field this season. He’s also now receiving honors for his work in the classroom.
The College Sports Information Directors of America named Shoen to the Academic All-District Baseball Team.
He’s one of only 11 scholar-athletes voted to represent NCAA Division II - District 7 on the team. Shoen advances to the CoSIDA Academic All-America ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced in June.
The two-time All-Northern Sun first baseman owns a 3.80 grade-point average at Mary while pursuing a degree in Sports & Leisure Management/Business Administration.
Shoen broke longstanding team records this season for home runs (14) and run batted in (51). In 51 games he hit .339 (60-of-177) with a .473 on base percentage, a .644 slugging percentage and an OPS of 1.117 to lead the Marauders in each category.
He also scored 50 runs, hit 12 doubles, earned 35 walks, was hit by a pitch 12 times and was successful in all three steal attempts. Additionally he tied for the team lead in saves with two and struck out nine in 12.1 innings.
Final year?
Long time amateur baseball legend Tom Hady posted on Facebook last week that this will be his final season on the mound.
However our research indicates that he has said that every year since 2008 so…………we’ll see.
Hady spent a number of years playing for Heron Lake and Jackson. He was the Bulls’ career wins leader until being passed by Ryan Rasche last year.
He’s in his second season with the Class B Shakopee Indians.
On Friday, Hady pitched two innings in Shakopee’s 8-7 win over Delano.
He allowed two runs on four hits, walking one.
Inside the parker
Fairmont graduate Luke Becker hit an inside the park home run for the Wild Health Genomes Friday.
The Genomes are based in Lexington, Kentucky and play in the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, an MLB Partner League.
Bosch in NCAA tourney
Former Jackson High School softball coach Mike Bosch is an assistant coach with the University of Florida softball team, working with the pitching staff for the Gators, who were 12th in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association ratings.
Florida is hosting a regional and will play either Wisconsin or Georgia Tech in the championship round today.
Bosch joined the Gators in 2018 after compiling a record of 88-65 (.575) in three seasons at Syracuse University.
He coached high school softball for four seasons, leading Wabasso to state tournament appearances in each of his two seasons there, finishing fifth in 1991. The Rabbits had a 39-10 record in those seasons and he was Region 3A Coach of the Year both years.
Bosch then coached Jackson High School for two seasons, compiling a 29-9 record.
The 1993 Blue Jays placed fourth in the state tournament and Bosch received his third Region 3A Coach of the Year award in as many seasons.
Bosch was head coach at Iowa Lakes Community College from 1997-2010.
The Lakers had a record of 525-236-2 and won Region XI championships in 2008 and 2010 and finished second in 2009. ILCC was fifth in the national tournament in 2008 and third in 2010.
Bosch's teams had 28 all-Americans and 81 all-region selections in that time. The Iowa Lakes staff earned the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Midwest Coaching Staff of the Year in 2006 and 2010.
He was on the Syracuse staff as pitching coach in 2011, 2012 and 2015. He became the head coach in 2016.
O’Donnell resigns posts at Windom
The Cottonwood County Citizen reported this past week that Windom High School is looking for an activities director and football coach.
Jeremy O’Donnell resigned as activities director last month, stating that he intended to stay on as a teacher and head football coach. In the weeks since, O’Donnell got an offer he couldn’t refuse and submitted his resignation from his teaching and coaching positions.
O’Donnell, who was at Luverne before taking the positions at Windom, told the Citizen that he will be taking a teaching position in Jefferson City, Mo., where he also will be part of the football coaching staff.
In two seasons under O’Donnell, the Eagles posted an overall record of 2-12. Windom went 1-8 last fall after going 1-4 in a COVID-shortened 2020 season.
Kesselring to Winona State
John Kesselring, who has served in the roles of co-defensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and strength and conditioning coordinator at Fairmont High School since 2017, has been named an assistant coach/analyst with the Winona State football program.
At Fairmont, Kesselring helped developed the offensive game plan and quarterback play calling for the Cardinals. He also assisted in developing the defensive game plan on a weekly basis.
Kesselring previously was head football coach at Coon Rapids-Bayard (Iowa) High School from 2013-2017.
Geistfeld jersey displayed
Hanna Geistfeld of Truman will have her Bethany Lutheran College women’s basketball jerseys placed on the Ring of Honor display at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Tenn. in recognition of her outstanding play for the Vikings this past season.
The Women's Basketball Hall of Fame opened in 1999 and is the only facility of its kind, dedicated to all levels of women's basketball.
There are more than 100 jerseys hanging from the rafters of the back rotunda at the Hall of Fame. The display includes jerseys of the top high school and college players from the previous season. The Ring of Honor has displayed jerseys from some of the best players in the world including Candace Parker, Sue Bird, Kelsey Plum, Breanna Stewart, and Aja Wilson.
Geistfeld led BLC with 25.9 points and 13.0 rebounds per game. She ends her career as the program's career leader in games played (120), games started (119), points (2,276), scoring (19.0 PPG), field goals (866), field goal percentage (.590), rebounds (1,086), and double doubles (49).
She became the 20th member of the women's basketball NCAA Division III 2,000 career point and 1,000 career rebound club. Geistfeld set the season record in scoring (25.9 ppg), field goals (261), rebounds (351), and double doubles (20). She set the game records in points (38, twice), field goals (16), free throw percentage (1.000, three times).