It is time to hit the gridiron again as the Winona State football team gears up for the 2008 season.
The Warriors are coming off an impressive 2007 season in which they surprised the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference by going an undefeated 9-0 in conference play.
However, the end of the season left a sour taste in the mouths of the Warriors as they suffered a 44-2 loss to North Dakota in the first round of the NCAA Division II football playoffs.
Despite the loss, Winona State finished the season with an impressive 10-2 record.
This year, the Warriors hope to surprise the conference again as they are predicted to finish second in the NSIC pre-season rankings.
In a new, beefed up NSIC, which includes four new teams to the conference, the Warriors are placed just three votes behind NSIC newcomer Minnesota-Duluth for the pre-season NSIC favorites.
Even though Winona State is a power in the NSIC, they will have to overcome a few hurdles to start out the year.
The Warriors need to replace last year’s starting quarterback Drew Aber, who was a four-year starter for the team.
Not only that, they will also need to replace Aber’s favorite target, wide receiver Scott Peters as he also left with graduation.
To fill in Aber’s shoes, the Warriors are in the midst of a starting quarterback battle.
So far, Greg Preston, a transfer student from the University of Tennessee-Martin is looking to start the first regular season game for the Warriors against Michigan Tech on August 30.
However, he is in a dead heat battle with last year’s backup quarterback, Amir Ross, who brings a lot of athleticism to the quarterback position.
Winona State will also be looking for a running back to fill the shoes left by last year’s key senior, Alex Wiese.
Carey Rottman, Darren Davis, and Randy Spring return to the Warriors roster as they will try and fill the void that Wiese leaves behind.
On the defensive side, the Warriors will need to produce some solid starters to replace the many that left for graduation.
The secondary will be almost starting from scratch due to the graduation of starters Shawn Cunningham, Kenzie Yewman, and Craig Martindale.
The front seven didn’t lose as much but linebacker Marcus LaBadie and defensive linemen Kevin Michelis and Dave Braun will surely be missed.
Despite the losses, the Warriors will have many underclassmen waiting in the wings to fill in the shoes of these departing seniors, in helping the team reclaim the NSIC title.
Monday, August 30, 2010
11/17/08 Club Scene - WSU Snowboarding Club
With winter being just around the corner, the outdoors might not be as enjoyable compared to autumn or spring.
However, that doesn’t mean there is nothing to do.
With the amount of snow that fell last year, there is no doubt that snowboarding is not such a bad sport to try.
With Minnesota’s cold winters, there is one place Winona State students can retreat to for a fun time, the Winona State Snowboarding Club
“We are the largest club on campus,” said club President Tom Caflisch. “We have about 300 students who get the e-mails.”
Who said nobody likes winter?
With almost 300 members, the Snowboarding Club is one of Winona State’s most popular clubs.
“We’re always trying to promote the sport,” club member Jameson Holtz said. “There are always more than 100 people at the meetings too.”
“We do a lot of snowboarding, meet a lot of new people and learn some new stuff,” Caflisch added.
“It builds such camaraderie with people who wouldn’t normally talk to each other,” said club Vice President Elise Jordan. “We take our likeness of the sport and use that as a starting point for a relationship. It’s a common thing that we all share that lead to other similarities.”
Caflisch, Jordan and Holtz all said that one of the main reasons that they love the club was to get to know new people.
Due to a lack of downhill slopes in Winona, the club goes on a few big trips every year, including one to Colorado during Christmas break.
“This is the first time we’re doing the Colorado trips,” Caflisch said. “Everything in Colorado is way different than it is here. We encourage people to go up to Welch (Minnesota). We personally ride up to Welch more.”
Although a lot of students were interested in the trip to Colorado, the club could only take 82 people.
“It kind of sucks that we can’t bring more people to Colorado,” Jordan said. “We don’t want to turn anyone away because we are limited to 82 people. We want people to come see what its all about because I think people are really going to enjoy what we do.”
Even the fundraisers can be a fun exercise in the Snowboarding Club.
“We sold chili dogs the night before homecoming,” Jordan said, “we collect dues to fund, we sell t-shirts and hoodies to fund and hold dodgeball tournaments.”
This past Sunday, the Snowboarding Club held a dodgeball tournament fundraiser.
However, the Snowboarding Club even receives some outside help.
“Adventure Ski and Cycle gives us gift certificates as far as fund raising,” Jordan added, thanking them for their contributions.
The club members seem to have fun on the slopes and off.
“Sometimes we play horse, and freestyle,” Caflisch said, explaining what “horse” is in snowboarding terms. “Someone does a trick and then somebody needs to match that trick.”
“Riding different places, riding with new people. Usually when we’re done snowboarding, we let loose a little bit,” Holtz added, although some members of the club don’t take such a conservative approach.
“We’re a party club with a snowboarding problem,” Jordan added jokingly. “I feel like we become really good friends (with new members). I think anyone you go on a student trip with, you hit it off with people you don’t think you’d ever talk to.”
The Snowboarding Club is beyond just sharing a common interest; it’s about building lifelong friendships.
If you have an interest in joining the Snowboarding Club, you can e-mail Tom Caflisch at TJCaflis6151@winona.edu to receive all the information on club meetings and fundraising events.
However, that doesn’t mean there is nothing to do.
With the amount of snow that fell last year, there is no doubt that snowboarding is not such a bad sport to try.
With Minnesota’s cold winters, there is one place Winona State students can retreat to for a fun time, the Winona State Snowboarding Club
“We are the largest club on campus,” said club President Tom Caflisch. “We have about 300 students who get the e-mails.”
Who said nobody likes winter?
With almost 300 members, the Snowboarding Club is one of Winona State’s most popular clubs.
“We’re always trying to promote the sport,” club member Jameson Holtz said. “There are always more than 100 people at the meetings too.”
“We do a lot of snowboarding, meet a lot of new people and learn some new stuff,” Caflisch added.
“It builds such camaraderie with people who wouldn’t normally talk to each other,” said club Vice President Elise Jordan. “We take our likeness of the sport and use that as a starting point for a relationship. It’s a common thing that we all share that lead to other similarities.”
Caflisch, Jordan and Holtz all said that one of the main reasons that they love the club was to get to know new people.
Due to a lack of downhill slopes in Winona, the club goes on a few big trips every year, including one to Colorado during Christmas break.
“This is the first time we’re doing the Colorado trips,” Caflisch said. “Everything in Colorado is way different than it is here. We encourage people to go up to Welch (Minnesota). We personally ride up to Welch more.”
Although a lot of students were interested in the trip to Colorado, the club could only take 82 people.
“It kind of sucks that we can’t bring more people to Colorado,” Jordan said. “We don’t want to turn anyone away because we are limited to 82 people. We want people to come see what its all about because I think people are really going to enjoy what we do.”
Even the fundraisers can be a fun exercise in the Snowboarding Club.
“We sold chili dogs the night before homecoming,” Jordan said, “we collect dues to fund, we sell t-shirts and hoodies to fund and hold dodgeball tournaments.”
This past Sunday, the Snowboarding Club held a dodgeball tournament fundraiser.
However, the Snowboarding Club even receives some outside help.
“Adventure Ski and Cycle gives us gift certificates as far as fund raising,” Jordan added, thanking them for their contributions.
The club members seem to have fun on the slopes and off.
“Sometimes we play horse, and freestyle,” Caflisch said, explaining what “horse” is in snowboarding terms. “Someone does a trick and then somebody needs to match that trick.”
“Riding different places, riding with new people. Usually when we’re done snowboarding, we let loose a little bit,” Holtz added, although some members of the club don’t take such a conservative approach.
“We’re a party club with a snowboarding problem,” Jordan added jokingly. “I feel like we become really good friends (with new members). I think anyone you go on a student trip with, you hit it off with people you don’t think you’d ever talk to.”
The Snowboarding Club is beyond just sharing a common interest; it’s about building lifelong friendships.
If you have an interest in joining the Snowboarding Club, you can e-mail Tom Caflisch at TJCaflis6151@winona.edu to receive all the information on club meetings and fundraising events.
2/16/09 Winona State Men's Basketball vs. Wayne State and Augustana
With only three weeks remaining on the season, the Winona State men’s basketball team needed to make a statement.
The Warriors currently stand at No. 6 from last week’s National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division II Central Region rankings.
The top eight teams make the tournament, but with the top ten being so clustered, Winona State was in a must-win situation.
Although the Warriors struggled with Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rival Wayne State College (8-15 overall, 4-12 NSIC), they pulled away with a 77-68 victory.
“We couldn’t look past Wayne and can’t look past anybody,” said Winona State head coach Mike Leaf.
Winona State had many difficulties in the first half with the Wildcats as Wayne State pulled out to an early 14-7 lead with 12:31 to go on a lay-in by Wildcat forward Brian Metz.
However, the Warriors rallied back by going on a 13-2 run of their own in the following four minutes to take a 20-16 lead.
Curtrell Robinson and Jon Walburg helped in the run by producing 10 of the 13 points scored in that stretch.
It would be a back and forth battle throughout the final eight minutes as there were six lead changes going into the final minute.
It looked as though the Wildcats would take a three-point lead into halftime but a jumper by Robinson at the buzzer sent Winona State into halftime with some momentum, still trailing 31-30.
In the first half, the Warriors had no answer for Wayne State’s hot shooting and inside presence as the Wildcats shot 51-percent in the first half.
Winona State struggled in the first half as they only shot 38-percent which included 27-percent from three-point range.
Overall, the Warriors were able to bring that percentage up in the second half by attacking inside with freshman center Joel Armstrong.
In the first ten minutes of the second half, there were three ties and three lead changes, with neither team leading by more than five points.
“They are a very physical team,” said Leaf. “Wayne has a presence inside and some decent shooters from the perimeter. One of the things we did is break them down with some dribble penetration.”
Winona State would get the lead for good off a three-pointer by freshman guard Max Hintz at the 10:54 mark, putting Winona State up 50-48.
David Johnson was a giant contributor for the Warriors during this stretch as he scored eight of Winona State’s 17 points leading up to the Hintz three-pointer.
Winona State carried the momentum a few possessions later when Armstrong slammed home a crowd roaring dunk and the foul to expand the Warriors’ lead to 53-48.
Winona State dominated the last ten minutes of the game, grabbing as much as a 15-point lead during that stretch and eventually pulled off a 77-68 victory.
The Warriors took control in the second half by shooting 14-of-27 from the field and 16-of-17 from the charity stripe.
“We actually normally shoot the ball well from the perimeter but we were able to get some inside points and got some good dribble penetration,” said Leaf. “It is key to get to the free throw line.”
Leading the Warrior scoring attack in this one was Johnson who scored 20 points.
He only shot 4-of-13 from the field and 1-of-7 from the three-point arc, but his 11-of-13 free throw shooting would tally more than half his points.
The Warriors recorded four players in double-figures.
Armstrong added 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and six rebounds in only 24 minutes played.
Robinson off the bench helped Winona State’s cause by also adding 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting in 24 minutes.
Josh Korth also broke double-figures with 10 points.
The Wildcats had four players break double-figures, led by Metz with 17 points, Brent Jackman with 12 points, Zane Abner with 11 points and Jonathon Thomas with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Although Winona State won a hard-fought victory, their next opponent would be no pushover.
On Saturday night, the No. 9 team in the Central region, Augustana Vikings came to town to take on the Warriors.
Augustana delivered Winona State’s worst loss of the season in Sioux Falls, handing the Warriors an 88-72 loss back on January 17.
“We knew that we lost out there at their place,” said Leaf. “Everybody was hitting and it was one of those nights where the ball was falling for them.”
However, Winona State (20-6 overall, 13-4 NSIC) returned the favor by striking back with an 81-68 victory over Augustana (16-7 overall, 10-6 NSIC) on Saturday night.
This would not be a trademark victory for the Warriors, as it did not come down to hot shooting.
It was a physical, duke-it-out game where the team with more hustle proved to be the victor.
From start to finish, it would be the Warriors out-scrapping Augustana to almost every loose ball.
Unlike the previous meeting, Winona State’s defense showed up in a big way.
In the last meeting, Augustana outshot Winona State 55-percent to 45-percent and won the turnover game, 14-10.
However, in this meeting, neither team shot well but Winona State’s defense held Augustana completely in-check.
The Warriors only allowed the Vikings to shoot 35-percent and forced them to commit 17 turnovers.
Winona State shot only 38-percent from the field, but took care of the basketball by only committing seven turnovers.
Despite Winona State’s poor shooting performance, neither could be blamed on Winona State’s three leading scorers.
Ben Fischer carried the team on his back, scoring a season-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, 2-for-4 from the three-point arc and shooting 6-of-8 from the charity stripe; all while contributing six assists and two steals.
“He distributes the ball so well,” Leaf said about Fischer. “He was really looking to get the ball to those guys (Travis Whipple, Johnson and Jon Walburg). He had a great game and one of his greatest strengths is taking the ball to the basket.”
Whipple, who did not score a point against Wayne State, made up for it in a big way by adding 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting and going a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line, while also ripping down seven rebounds.
Armstrong continued his well-rounded play by adding 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting and gathering five rebounds.
“Joel (Armstrong) has done a nice job of getting inside,” said Leaf. “There’s that confidence that you build and you get that experience of playing.”
Winona State picked up two big victories, despite the shooting woes of their superstar, Johnson.
Johnson on the weekend shot 7-for-30, only 23-percent, which included 2-of-14 from the three-point arc.
Even though Johnson struggled, the team was able to pick up the highly touted guard by getting two key wins.
Winona State is in a two-way tie for second place in the NSIC with Minnesota State-Mankato, each having a 13-4 record in conference play.
Southwest Minnesota State picked up two huge victories this weekend to retain their first place position in the conference at 14-3.
However, Winona State could have a shot at a three-way tie this weekend, as Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota State will duel each other in Mankato on Saturday.
An MSU-Mankato win could push Winona State into a tie for first place.
“We’re taking each game as if it were a tournament game,” said Leaf. “If we lose a game, it’s detrimental to our season. You need to play each game as if it were last.”
However, Winona State will only have one team on their mind, and that will be Bemidji State.
The Warriors will host the Beavers on Saturday in what will be Winona State’s home court finale.
The last time the two teams met, Winona State pulled out a 90-60 victory in Bemidji back on December 12.
“Bemidji has really improved this season,” said Leaf. “They went out to Northern State and beat them in overtime. They’ve got some quality wins against good teams in our league. They are talented and on any given night, anything can happen.”
The game will tip off at 8:00 p.m. in McCown Gymnasium.
The Warriors currently stand at No. 6 from last week’s National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division II Central Region rankings.
The top eight teams make the tournament, but with the top ten being so clustered, Winona State was in a must-win situation.
Although the Warriors struggled with Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference rival Wayne State College (8-15 overall, 4-12 NSIC), they pulled away with a 77-68 victory.
“We couldn’t look past Wayne and can’t look past anybody,” said Winona State head coach Mike Leaf.
Winona State had many difficulties in the first half with the Wildcats as Wayne State pulled out to an early 14-7 lead with 12:31 to go on a lay-in by Wildcat forward Brian Metz.
However, the Warriors rallied back by going on a 13-2 run of their own in the following four minutes to take a 20-16 lead.
Curtrell Robinson and Jon Walburg helped in the run by producing 10 of the 13 points scored in that stretch.
It would be a back and forth battle throughout the final eight minutes as there were six lead changes going into the final minute.
It looked as though the Wildcats would take a three-point lead into halftime but a jumper by Robinson at the buzzer sent Winona State into halftime with some momentum, still trailing 31-30.
In the first half, the Warriors had no answer for Wayne State’s hot shooting and inside presence as the Wildcats shot 51-percent in the first half.
Winona State struggled in the first half as they only shot 38-percent which included 27-percent from three-point range.
Overall, the Warriors were able to bring that percentage up in the second half by attacking inside with freshman center Joel Armstrong.
In the first ten minutes of the second half, there were three ties and three lead changes, with neither team leading by more than five points.
“They are a very physical team,” said Leaf. “Wayne has a presence inside and some decent shooters from the perimeter. One of the things we did is break them down with some dribble penetration.”
Winona State would get the lead for good off a three-pointer by freshman guard Max Hintz at the 10:54 mark, putting Winona State up 50-48.
David Johnson was a giant contributor for the Warriors during this stretch as he scored eight of Winona State’s 17 points leading up to the Hintz three-pointer.
Winona State carried the momentum a few possessions later when Armstrong slammed home a crowd roaring dunk and the foul to expand the Warriors’ lead to 53-48.
Winona State dominated the last ten minutes of the game, grabbing as much as a 15-point lead during that stretch and eventually pulled off a 77-68 victory.
The Warriors took control in the second half by shooting 14-of-27 from the field and 16-of-17 from the charity stripe.
“We actually normally shoot the ball well from the perimeter but we were able to get some inside points and got some good dribble penetration,” said Leaf. “It is key to get to the free throw line.”
Leading the Warrior scoring attack in this one was Johnson who scored 20 points.
He only shot 4-of-13 from the field and 1-of-7 from the three-point arc, but his 11-of-13 free throw shooting would tally more than half his points.
The Warriors recorded four players in double-figures.
Armstrong added 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and six rebounds in only 24 minutes played.
Robinson off the bench helped Winona State’s cause by also adding 13 points on 5-for-9 shooting in 24 minutes.
Josh Korth also broke double-figures with 10 points.
The Wildcats had four players break double-figures, led by Metz with 17 points, Brent Jackman with 12 points, Zane Abner with 11 points and Jonathon Thomas with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Although Winona State won a hard-fought victory, their next opponent would be no pushover.
On Saturday night, the No. 9 team in the Central region, Augustana Vikings came to town to take on the Warriors.
Augustana delivered Winona State’s worst loss of the season in Sioux Falls, handing the Warriors an 88-72 loss back on January 17.
“We knew that we lost out there at their place,” said Leaf. “Everybody was hitting and it was one of those nights where the ball was falling for them.”
However, Winona State (20-6 overall, 13-4 NSIC) returned the favor by striking back with an 81-68 victory over Augustana (16-7 overall, 10-6 NSIC) on Saturday night.
This would not be a trademark victory for the Warriors, as it did not come down to hot shooting.
It was a physical, duke-it-out game where the team with more hustle proved to be the victor.
From start to finish, it would be the Warriors out-scrapping Augustana to almost every loose ball.
Unlike the previous meeting, Winona State’s defense showed up in a big way.
In the last meeting, Augustana outshot Winona State 55-percent to 45-percent and won the turnover game, 14-10.
However, in this meeting, neither team shot well but Winona State’s defense held Augustana completely in-check.
The Warriors only allowed the Vikings to shoot 35-percent and forced them to commit 17 turnovers.
Winona State shot only 38-percent from the field, but took care of the basketball by only committing seven turnovers.
Despite Winona State’s poor shooting performance, neither could be blamed on Winona State’s three leading scorers.
Ben Fischer carried the team on his back, scoring a season-high 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, 2-for-4 from the three-point arc and shooting 6-of-8 from the charity stripe; all while contributing six assists and two steals.
“He distributes the ball so well,” Leaf said about Fischer. “He was really looking to get the ball to those guys (Travis Whipple, Johnson and Jon Walburg). He had a great game and one of his greatest strengths is taking the ball to the basket.”
Whipple, who did not score a point against Wayne State, made up for it in a big way by adding 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting and going a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line, while also ripping down seven rebounds.
Armstrong continued his well-rounded play by adding 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting and gathering five rebounds.
“Joel (Armstrong) has done a nice job of getting inside,” said Leaf. “There’s that confidence that you build and you get that experience of playing.”
Winona State picked up two big victories, despite the shooting woes of their superstar, Johnson.
Johnson on the weekend shot 7-for-30, only 23-percent, which included 2-of-14 from the three-point arc.
Even though Johnson struggled, the team was able to pick up the highly touted guard by getting two key wins.
Winona State is in a two-way tie for second place in the NSIC with Minnesota State-Mankato, each having a 13-4 record in conference play.
Southwest Minnesota State picked up two huge victories this weekend to retain their first place position in the conference at 14-3.
However, Winona State could have a shot at a three-way tie this weekend, as Southwest Minnesota State and Minnesota State will duel each other in Mankato on Saturday.
An MSU-Mankato win could push Winona State into a tie for first place.
“We’re taking each game as if it were a tournament game,” said Leaf. “If we lose a game, it’s detrimental to our season. You need to play each game as if it were last.”
However, Winona State will only have one team on their mind, and that will be Bemidji State.
The Warriors will host the Beavers on Saturday in what will be Winona State’s home court finale.
The last time the two teams met, Winona State pulled out a 90-60 victory in Bemidji back on December 12.
“Bemidji has really improved this season,” said Leaf. “They went out to Northern State and beat them in overtime. They’ve got some quality wins against good teams in our league. They are talented and on any given night, anything can happen.”
The game will tip off at 8:00 p.m. in McCown Gymnasium.
4/14/08 WSU Softball vs. Concordia-St. Paul
Despite finals week approaching quickly, the Winona State softball team wasn’t tested as much as they were expecting.
The Warriors played in the Concordia-St. Paul Tournament, where they competed against five of the best teams in the North Central Region.
However, the tournament was cancelled due to rainy weather over the weekend.
As a result, Winona State’s only match-up was against Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foe, Concordia-St. Paul last Wednesday at Midwest Wireless Stadium.
Coming into the double-header, the Golden Bears and the Warriors were only two of three undefeated teams left in NSIC conference play, but that quickly changed.
The two teams split the double-header with Concordia winning the first game and Winona State winning the second.
The Warriors got off to a rocky start in the first game and couldn’t rebound as they were shut out 6-0.
Concordia’s Emily Schmikla pitched a complete game shutout allowing only five hits and one walk in seven innings.
“I think we tried to do too much in our at-bats,” said Winona State coach Greg Jones about the offense. “The first inning of the game they really set the tone on the offense and defensive sides of the ball.”
The Warriors did not help their cause to start out the game.
Natalie Mast for Concordia led the game off with a double and scored the leadoff run on an error by Warrior third baseman Laura Wright.
The Golden Bears added two runs in the first and one in the second on yet another error, this time by Kristen Fossel giving Concordia a 3-0 lead.
The game became out of reach in the fourth inning.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Tiffani Rodd slammed a double that scored three runs, giving Concordia-St. Paul a 6-0 lead.
From that point on, Winona State could not rebound and the Golden Bears went on to win by that final score.
It was one of the few average outings for Fossel in the game.
Fossel pitched only three innings and allowed six hits; four runs with only one earned and recorded three strikeouts in 17 batters faced.
Chelsea Ewing replaced Fossel in the fourth inning.
Ewing pitched four innings, giving up two hits, two runs, and one walk and struck out three of the 16 batters she faced.
With Winona State reeling in the first game, it was imperative for them to pick up a win in the second game.
The Warriors took the first lead with some impressive hitting and base running by Chelsea Rosenow.
Rosenow stole second and third base and scored on a passed ball to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
The Warriors relinquished the lead in the top of the fifth inning as Concordia-St. Paul scored three runs on three hits to gain a 3-1 lead.
Winona State scored one run in the bottom of the fifth with more impressive base running by Rosenow.
She managed to get from first to home again on two errors and a passed ball, cutting the lead to 3-2.
Winona State would reclaim the lead in the sixth inning.
Again, it was Rosenow taking advantage of the situation.
With runners on the corners, Rosenow slapped a double to score two runs, giving Winona State a 4-3 lead.
Rosenow along with Amanda Wilhelm both scored on passed balls later in the inning to give the Warriors a 6-3 lead going into the seventh inning.
Concordia tried to make the game interesting in the seventh.
With two outs, Concordia’s Nicole Tischer reached on an error and Abby Brundidge slapped a double to score one run, making the score 6-4.
However, the Golden Bears could not generate any more offense as Winona State held on to win.
Rosenow had a great performance as she batted 2-for-3 in the game with a single, double, and a walk.
She scored three runs and recorded two RBIs while stealing two bases.
“Chelsea’s a senior and that goes a long way,” said Jones. “She’s been a great leader for us on the field and off the field. She’s in the top 10 in 11 different categories in the Winona State softball records.”
As a team, the Warriors were able to take advantage of four Golden Bear errors and advanced runners on eight passed balls.
“I thought we ran the bases real aggressively,” said Jones. “We found different ways to create offense. She (Struzynski) kept them off the scoreboard until we could do what we needed to do.”
Stacy Struzynski, the Warriors freshman phenom has been a dynamite player for the Warriors pitching this season and had another solid outing.
Struzynski pitched seven innings while giving up four runs, three earned, while walking two and striking out eight with 31 batters faced.
With the win, the Warriors improved to 8-1 in NSIC play and 22-9 overall.
The Warriors took on Upper Iowa on Tuesday but the games were completed after this paper went to print.
Winona State controls their own destiny now as they will play the top team in the NSIC, Southwest Minnesota State on Thursday and then will participate in their second NSIC Crossover on the weekend.
“The level of importance is that it’s going to be a big week,” said Jones. “It’s going to be nine games in one week and the script is going to be written in that week.”
The Warriors will play five games in two days against Mary, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Minnesota-Crookston, Bemidji State, and Northern State.
The Warriors played in the Concordia-St. Paul Tournament, where they competed against five of the best teams in the North Central Region.
However, the tournament was cancelled due to rainy weather over the weekend.
As a result, Winona State’s only match-up was against Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference foe, Concordia-St. Paul last Wednesday at Midwest Wireless Stadium.
Coming into the double-header, the Golden Bears and the Warriors were only two of three undefeated teams left in NSIC conference play, but that quickly changed.
The two teams split the double-header with Concordia winning the first game and Winona State winning the second.
The Warriors got off to a rocky start in the first game and couldn’t rebound as they were shut out 6-0.
Concordia’s Emily Schmikla pitched a complete game shutout allowing only five hits and one walk in seven innings.
“I think we tried to do too much in our at-bats,” said Winona State coach Greg Jones about the offense. “The first inning of the game they really set the tone on the offense and defensive sides of the ball.”
The Warriors did not help their cause to start out the game.
Natalie Mast for Concordia led the game off with a double and scored the leadoff run on an error by Warrior third baseman Laura Wright.
The Golden Bears added two runs in the first and one in the second on yet another error, this time by Kristen Fossel giving Concordia a 3-0 lead.
The game became out of reach in the fourth inning.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Tiffani Rodd slammed a double that scored three runs, giving Concordia-St. Paul a 6-0 lead.
From that point on, Winona State could not rebound and the Golden Bears went on to win by that final score.
It was one of the few average outings for Fossel in the game.
Fossel pitched only three innings and allowed six hits; four runs with only one earned and recorded three strikeouts in 17 batters faced.
Chelsea Ewing replaced Fossel in the fourth inning.
Ewing pitched four innings, giving up two hits, two runs, and one walk and struck out three of the 16 batters she faced.
With Winona State reeling in the first game, it was imperative for them to pick up a win in the second game.
The Warriors took the first lead with some impressive hitting and base running by Chelsea Rosenow.
Rosenow stole second and third base and scored on a passed ball to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead.
The Warriors relinquished the lead in the top of the fifth inning as Concordia-St. Paul scored three runs on three hits to gain a 3-1 lead.
Winona State scored one run in the bottom of the fifth with more impressive base running by Rosenow.
She managed to get from first to home again on two errors and a passed ball, cutting the lead to 3-2.
Winona State would reclaim the lead in the sixth inning.
Again, it was Rosenow taking advantage of the situation.
With runners on the corners, Rosenow slapped a double to score two runs, giving Winona State a 4-3 lead.
Rosenow along with Amanda Wilhelm both scored on passed balls later in the inning to give the Warriors a 6-3 lead going into the seventh inning.
Concordia tried to make the game interesting in the seventh.
With two outs, Concordia’s Nicole Tischer reached on an error and Abby Brundidge slapped a double to score one run, making the score 6-4.
However, the Golden Bears could not generate any more offense as Winona State held on to win.
Rosenow had a great performance as she batted 2-for-3 in the game with a single, double, and a walk.
She scored three runs and recorded two RBIs while stealing two bases.
“Chelsea’s a senior and that goes a long way,” said Jones. “She’s been a great leader for us on the field and off the field. She’s in the top 10 in 11 different categories in the Winona State softball records.”
As a team, the Warriors were able to take advantage of four Golden Bear errors and advanced runners on eight passed balls.
“I thought we ran the bases real aggressively,” said Jones. “We found different ways to create offense. She (Struzynski) kept them off the scoreboard until we could do what we needed to do.”
Stacy Struzynski, the Warriors freshman phenom has been a dynamite player for the Warriors pitching this season and had another solid outing.
Struzynski pitched seven innings while giving up four runs, three earned, while walking two and striking out eight with 31 batters faced.
With the win, the Warriors improved to 8-1 in NSIC play and 22-9 overall.
The Warriors took on Upper Iowa on Tuesday but the games were completed after this paper went to print.
Winona State controls their own destiny now as they will play the top team in the NSIC, Southwest Minnesota State on Thursday and then will participate in their second NSIC Crossover on the weekend.
“The level of importance is that it’s going to be a big week,” said Jones. “It’s going to be nine games in one week and the script is going to be written in that week.”
The Warriors will play five games in two days against Mary, Minnesota State-Moorhead, Minnesota-Crookston, Bemidji State, and Northern State.
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