Head Coach Arleigh Jorgenson discusses pitching strategy with Dylan Quaife. Quaife is a senior this year and will be counted on to give the team plenty of quality starts. The team has a nice mix of older and younger players but lacks depth. Still, Jorgenson expects his team to do well in the tough Polar League conference.
Baseball Head Coach Arleigh Jorgenson had his young baseball team going through their paces last week—fielding, hitting, throwing, catching—all the while exhorting them to concentrate on the fundamentals.
“We’ll do well if we don’t make mistakes, don’t make errors,” Jorgenson said.
Many of the starters are in Florida on the band trip this week, so Jorgenson, Assistant Coaches T.J. Super and Seth Falk had a mixed group to instruct.
And how is his team looking?
“I think I have fairly high expectations for this group. We’ve got some maturity, and as the season goes along, we should improve. This is a great group to work with. They work hard all of the time. I can’t ask anything more of them,” said Jorgenson.
Leading the way for the Vikings are returning starters Dylan Quaife, pitching; Colin Everson, second base; Kale Boomer, shortstop; Joe Borud, first base or outfield; Alex Murray, first base or outfield; and Michael Sjogren, catcher or centerfielder.
Thomas Anderson will start at third base. “He’s a real good athlete that took some time off from playing baseball, but he’s back now and he will really help us,” Jorgenson said.
A group of players who will also see plenty of playing time are Hunter Farley, Gunnar Anderson, Owen Anderson, Charlie Lawler, Ritchie Furlong and Rory Bakke.
While Quaife is the ace, others who will be counted on to pitch are Boomer, Everson, Murray, Borud and Sjogren.
“We’re still trying to fill in a couple of spots. We’re very talented but we’re not very deep. We’ve got a lot of talented young players, some really good eighth graders. They’re not there yet, but they will be very good ball players,” Jorgenson said.
Top hitters are expected to be Everson, Quaife, Boomer, Borud, and Murray, said Jorgenson.
“We’ll be playing small ball this year. It fits with our style. The bats have changed and they are deader. The ball doesn’t come off of them as hard as it used to and doesn’t travel as far. It should be good for our club. We don’t bunt much, but we should be able to steal some bases and move the players around the base paths,” Jorgenson said.
The Vikings’ first game is Tuesday, April 10 at the high school against Moose Lake. The game starts at 4 p.m.
“We’re really excited to get going. I know the kids in Florida brought their gloves and catcher’s gloves so they can practice. They’re a dedicated bunch so I expect they are practicing. We’ll see once the games start, but I feel like we’re going to be pretty good this year,” Jorgenson said.
Leave a Reply