We are closing in on midnight, nearly Monday morning. Everyone is excited to finally get home. We stopped in Chamberlain, S.D., for supper at McDonald's. Everyone was looking for a "Welcome Home Derek West" sign as we pulled into his hometown, but nothing up yet.
Finished supper and began our last leg of the tour home. Currently on highway 23 about 20 minutes from home.
It's been a pleasure to post throughout this championship week for SMSU baseball and all our loyal fans. I thank you all for the comments that you've posted on this blog and also through e-mail and phone. It was a blast, just like it was on the trip to Springfield, Mass.
It was a memorable week for our ball players and something they'll never forget. A chance to play at a great ballpark, against great teams and show everyone that you can compete was tremendous thing for everyone involved.
Fans, you'll be happy to know the team was true class the whole week and represented SMSU in a positive way to everyone in Grand Junction.
I hope everyone has a great summer and remember to support SMSU athletics in any way you can. Booster club membership, season tickets, golf classic participant, in-kind donations to facilities, etc. We love your support.
Until next time we meet...Go Mustangs!
Kelly
Sunday, May 17, 2009
May 17 - 6:45 pm CDT - In South Dakota
We are now in South Dakota driving on US Highway 83 heading towards Murdo, S.D. We will then hit I-90 and begin our way east towards Sioux Falls.
The drive from North Platte, Neb., to Murdo, S.D., is something else to see...well, there is nothing to see. Just wide open spaces and spaces and spaces.
Movie update. We watched Grumpy Old Men and another Dane Cook movie (I can't remember the name). good stuff. now Me, Myself and Irene is playing on the bus.
Thank goodness internet is working on the bus. Helping me pass the time. I followed the Twins suffer another walk-off lose to the Yankees and also followed Mesa State win the regiona title over Wayne State 8-2.
Greg Laughlin and Andrew Kinney both named to the all-tournament team. Doug Stearns and Matt Bauer both could've been named as well.
later
The drive from North Platte, Neb., to Murdo, S.D., is something else to see...well, there is nothing to see. Just wide open spaces and spaces and spaces.
Movie update. We watched Grumpy Old Men and another Dane Cook movie (I can't remember the name). good stuff. now Me, Myself and Irene is playing on the bus.
Thank goodness internet is working on the bus. Helping me pass the time. I followed the Twins suffer another walk-off lose to the Yankees and also followed Mesa State win the regiona title over Wayne State 8-2.
Greg Laughlin and Andrew Kinney both named to the all-tournament team. Doug Stearns and Matt Bauer both could've been named as well.
later
May 17 - 2:16 pm CDT
We continue our drive home from Grand Junction. Update, Mesa State leads Wayne State 6-0 in the fourth inning of the championship game.
We stopped in eastern Colorado at a Wendy' for lunch. I have no clue what town it was. But it was the middle of nowwhere. The cool thing was seeing two people ride in on horses, tie them up and go eat lunch. You know your in ranch country.
Here are some pictures from today. One pic is the sunrise before we left, another is Coach Nikkel next to an elk that he wishes he could shoot someday. Other pics are from the views we had on the bus. Also one picture is from Thursday's opening round game vs. Mankato. The team on the base line following introductions.
We are closing in on Nebraska
May 17 - 10:30 MDT - Heading Home
Good morning Mustangs fans. The SMSU baseball team is on its way home from Grand Junction, Colo. I'm writing from the bus as we close in on Sterling, Colo., in eastern Colorado.
We awoke around 5:15 am MDT, finished packing and had some breakfast in the hotel before leaving GJ at 6:06 MDT.
As expected, the views from the bus during the first three hours were awesome! GJ is at 4,500 feet and two hours in the trip we were cruising through the Rocky Mountains at 10,000 feet. Still snow on the ground in many spots. The views make the trip go a little quicker. Now as we continue east, the mountains are now just a distant memory in the rear view mirror. I'll be posting some pictures later today.
Update from the tournament late last night. Wayne State eliminated CSU-Pueblo 6-1. Yeah, can you believe it? Wayne State held CSU-P to just one run. I'm sure CSU-P was just tired from its comeback versus SMSU :)
Following last night's game, the team split up and ate at either Sonic or Taco Bell and then met with Coach Blanchard at 10 pm. Coach thanked the team for a great season, making school history and thanked them for letting him be their coach. The players then gave Coach John Petersen a bat signed by the entire team thanking him for his efforts as pitching coach at SMSU. Coach will not be returning next season. John played five seasons at SMSU and has coached another five years. He is a true Mustang.
The team hung out the remainder of the night, while Coach Blanchard, Coach Nikkel, Chris Hmielewski and I headed to McDonald's for a late night shake/snack. Only the drive through was open, so we walked through drive thru and knocked on the drive-in window to order, cutting between cars. The worker said, "sorry have to order at the first window." So we back-pedal (honestly) to the first window and order, then walked forward again to get our order. (you had to be there, sort of funny).
Back in the room, we sat around and talked about the season, the highs and lows (lots of highs) and looking to next year.
We continue heading east before stopping for lunch sometime around 12 pm. Not looking forward to losing an hour, but will be nice to get back to Central Time Zone. We are now on our third movie on the way home. The first was Detroit Rock City, followed The Running Man and now Little Big League.
More coming later. We hope to return to Marshall around midnight.
We awoke around 5:15 am MDT, finished packing and had some breakfast in the hotel before leaving GJ at 6:06 MDT.
As expected, the views from the bus during the first three hours were awesome! GJ is at 4,500 feet and two hours in the trip we were cruising through the Rocky Mountains at 10,000 feet. Still snow on the ground in many spots. The views make the trip go a little quicker. Now as we continue east, the mountains are now just a distant memory in the rear view mirror. I'll be posting some pictures later today.
Update from the tournament late last night. Wayne State eliminated CSU-Pueblo 6-1. Yeah, can you believe it? Wayne State held CSU-P to just one run. I'm sure CSU-P was just tired from its comeback versus SMSU :)
Following last night's game, the team split up and ate at either Sonic or Taco Bell and then met with Coach Blanchard at 10 pm. Coach thanked the team for a great season, making school history and thanked them for letting him be their coach. The players then gave Coach John Petersen a bat signed by the entire team thanking him for his efforts as pitching coach at SMSU. Coach will not be returning next season. John played five seasons at SMSU and has coached another five years. He is a true Mustang.
The team hung out the remainder of the night, while Coach Blanchard, Coach Nikkel, Chris Hmielewski and I headed to McDonald's for a late night shake/snack. Only the drive through was open, so we walked through drive thru and knocked on the drive-in window to order, cutting between cars. The worker said, "sorry have to order at the first window." So we back-pedal (honestly) to the first window and order, then walked forward again to get our order. (you had to be there, sort of funny).
Back in the room, we sat around and talked about the season, the highs and lows (lots of highs) and looking to next year.
We continue heading east before stopping for lunch sometime around 12 pm. Not looking forward to losing an hour, but will be nice to get back to Central Time Zone. We are now on our third movie on the way home. The first was Detroit Rock City, followed The Running Man and now Little Big League.
More coming later. We hope to return to Marshall around midnight.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
May 16 - 9:30 pm MDT - Heartbreaking
Unreal. What more can you say about today's game versus Colorado State-Pueblo. SMSU holds a 14-8 lead in the eighth inning and CSU-P rallies to trim the lead to 14-13 heading into the ninth and then with two outs, CSU gets three hits to score the eventual game-winning run. Just hearbreaking for SMSU.
A big play in the game that doesn't show up in the box score is the catch made by the CSUP left fielder with two outs in the eighth inning. SMSU had a runner at second and Andrew Kinney hit a deep ball to left field, that looked like was going to be a sure double, but the fielder made a diving catch at the base of the wall to keep his team to within one run.
As I type this in the hotel room, I can't help but think what a great experience for SMSU baseball and its players to compete in this regional tournament. There is no doubt in my mind we have a team that can compete at this level. The hitting by our guys was unreal all weekend long. As you can tell by the scores, it was a great hitting environment for all teams – fairly small ballpark, wind blowing out at times and altitude, as Grand Junction is at 4,500 feet above sea level.
We will be heading back to Marshall at 6 am on Sunday morning. There is good and bad. The good is that the sun will be up and we’ll be able to see the view as we drive through the mountains. The bad is that it will be early and I hope we can all stay awake to see it all.
Another thing I noticed at the regional tournament is weather and climate; make a big difference in college baseball. It’s amazing to see the crowd support for Mesa State baseball. Grand Junction is a big city, but that isn’t the case for many college teams in big cities. What do I mean about the weather? Well it is a big advantage for Mesa State and other Colorado schools to be able to play home games in February, for fans to get to watch their local teams play. Since the RMAC started league games in March, most RMAC schools only play weekends. No mid-week games so the need for six or more starting pitchers isn’t need as much like northern teams.
Plus playing so many games give teams a chance to play at home much more than northern schools. We get about 10-12 home games at home each season and that’s it.
It was a big-time environment for this tournament and a great job put on by the Mesa State College athletics department.
Tonight is May 16 and we were still playing baseball. That’s awesome!
Congrats to our Mustang seniors for great careers, capped by an NCAA regional tournament. Greg Laughlin sets career record for hits, junior Andrew Kinney ties school record for home runs in a season with 17.
The career stats and season stats are updated on-line (of course they are, SMSU is the best at updating its Web site), so check out some of the records set by SMSU this season.
Check back later, as there will be more to come in “The Hey Loft” as we return home on Sunday. I want to say thanks to everyone who read the blog and for their comments. I also have to say it was great to see Dan Nesdahl, an SMSU grad living in Colorado Springs, who made the trip on Friday to watch SMSU play on Friday and Saturday. He’s a big fan and that showed this weekend as he made the five-hour trip to watch his alma mater.
What a season again for SMSU athletics as we are now “officially” done for 2008-09. Two conference championships and six of 10 sports compete at NCAA regional tournaments, the most ever in one season in school history.
Until next time, Go Mustangs!
A big play in the game that doesn't show up in the box score is the catch made by the CSUP left fielder with two outs in the eighth inning. SMSU had a runner at second and Andrew Kinney hit a deep ball to left field, that looked like was going to be a sure double, but the fielder made a diving catch at the base of the wall to keep his team to within one run.
As I type this in the hotel room, I can't help but think what a great experience for SMSU baseball and its players to compete in this regional tournament. There is no doubt in my mind we have a team that can compete at this level. The hitting by our guys was unreal all weekend long. As you can tell by the scores, it was a great hitting environment for all teams – fairly small ballpark, wind blowing out at times and altitude, as Grand Junction is at 4,500 feet above sea level.
We will be heading back to Marshall at 6 am on Sunday morning. There is good and bad. The good is that the sun will be up and we’ll be able to see the view as we drive through the mountains. The bad is that it will be early and I hope we can all stay awake to see it all.
Another thing I noticed at the regional tournament is weather and climate; make a big difference in college baseball. It’s amazing to see the crowd support for Mesa State baseball. Grand Junction is a big city, but that isn’t the case for many college teams in big cities. What do I mean about the weather? Well it is a big advantage for Mesa State and other Colorado schools to be able to play home games in February, for fans to get to watch their local teams play. Since the RMAC started league games in March, most RMAC schools only play weekends. No mid-week games so the need for six or more starting pitchers isn’t need as much like northern teams.
Plus playing so many games give teams a chance to play at home much more than northern schools. We get about 10-12 home games at home each season and that’s it.
It was a big-time environment for this tournament and a great job put on by the Mesa State College athletics department.
Tonight is May 16 and we were still playing baseball. That’s awesome!
Congrats to our Mustang seniors for great careers, capped by an NCAA regional tournament. Greg Laughlin sets career record for hits, junior Andrew Kinney ties school record for home runs in a season with 17.
The career stats and season stats are updated on-line (of course they are, SMSU is the best at updating its Web site), so check out some of the records set by SMSU this season.
Check back later, as there will be more to come in “The Hey Loft” as we return home on Sunday. I want to say thanks to everyone who read the blog and for their comments. I also have to say it was great to see Dan Nesdahl, an SMSU grad living in Colorado Springs, who made the trip on Friday to watch SMSU play on Friday and Saturday. He’s a big fan and that showed this weekend as he made the five-hour trip to watch his alma mater.
What a season again for SMSU athletics as we are now “officially” done for 2008-09. Two conference championships and six of 10 sports compete at NCAA regional tournaments, the most ever in one season in school history.
Until next time, Go Mustangs!
May 16 - 9:15 am MDT - A Long Night
The view from the press box at Suplizio Field in Grand Junction, looking east.
Wow...that's all I can say about last night's game versus Wayne State. The Wildcats jumped on us early and cruised to the victory. Baseball is a crazy game and last night was a great example of that. WSC had the game well in hand in the sixth inning and then things got really weird. Three bloop hits, a ball glanced off of SMSU pitcher Matt Paulsen's grove for a hit, a bad hop single over shortstop Josh Nolan's head and then the kicker...a ground ball up the middle, Greg Laughlin about to grab it and step on second base and then.... the ball hits the base and goes at a 90 degree angle for a hit.
Some bright spots? Congrats Greg Laughlin on breaking the school record for hits in a career! Colby Pack was a great hitter and to pass him is a great accomplishment. Greg finished with four hits yesterday and was the homer shy of the cycle. Also, Andrew Kinney belted his 17th home run of the season, tying the school single-season record.
Following the game, the team ordered pizza and got to bed. I awoke this morning around 8 am, as Coach Blanchard was getting ready to have breakfast with Chris Hmielewski. Coach doesn't care if he wakes you up when he gets ready. Lights on, water running, etc. Coach Nikkel sleeps through anything and as I type at 9:22 am MDT, he is still dreaming pleasant thoughts. (it sounds like it anyways :)
The boys are back at it today at 4 pm MDT. The games all start a half hour later due to Mesa State graduation going on next door at the football stadium. SMSU will play Colorado State-Pueblo at 4 pm and if we win, we'll play the loser of Mesa State/Wayne State, who play at 12:30 today.
We need to win four straight games to advance to the World Series. Hug and kiss those computers today as we need all the positive thoughts we can get. I know the boys will be ready today.
Before I leave, another weather update. No clouds, temps around 83 degrees today. Wow!
later
Friday, May 15, 2009
May 15 - 8 pm MDT - Game Time Delayed
Just wanted to give you all a quick update on Friday's game. The Mesa State vs. New Mexico Highlands game last three hours and 45 minutes, with MSC winning 15-13. That means the SMSU vs. Wayne State game will start around 7:45 p.m. MDT.
May 15 - 11:15 am - Friday morning
Hello once again from Grand Junction, Colo. It’s another beautiful day in the grand valley, with not a cloud in the sky and temps heading towards 80 degrees. SMSU is getting ready to face Wayne State tonight at 7 p.m. MDT.
As I mentioned last night, some the team members watched Mesa State beat CSU-Pueblo 17-6, while others hung out around the hotel.
Chris Hmielewski, Coach John Petersen and I, along with the Blanchard family all had a late supper last night at Texas Roadhouse. Nancy, Coach Blanchard’s wife and children Jessica and Joe made the trip Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Good food at the restaurant and then headed back to the room and got to sleep.
I was sound asleep when around 11:45 pm my cell phone rang and it was former SMSU assistant coach Ryan Neale, now coaching at South Dakota State, wanting to chat about the game. Ryan also called Coach Nikkel, who was also sound asleep in the room. My pay back was to text message him this morning at 8 am, which I know is WAY early for Coach Neale.
I woke up this morning at 6 am for some reason. I was not happy at all. I read newspapers on-line, checked e-mail, just the average day-to-day things. I then had breakfast this morning at the hotel with a few of the guys. I joke, you can tell who the hunters on the team are, or players who grew up on a farm, because no matter what they are up early in the morning.
Following a short nap this morning, Coach Nikkel and I drove to find a grocery store to pick up sandwich meat and fruit for the team. It is a sight to see, Kelly and Bryan walking around shopping for food at a store we know nothing about, but acting like we know what’s going on. We did some problems as our shopping cart’s left front wheel stuck and wouldn’t move. Of course Bryan panicked, but I, who shops for food as much as Delmon Young hits a home run, solved the problem by kicking the darn thing a few times and we were back searching or food for our “family”.
We’re now back at the hotel and Coach Nikkel and I are watching “A League of Their Own” on Oxygen channel. I believe we are the only two males watching this channel in the U.S. right now.
Coach Blanchard is heading to the ball park to watch Minnesota State and Colorado State-Pueblo, while the rest of us are “chilling” at the hotel.
It’s been a great trip so far and we can only hope it gets better with more victories! Traveling with the teams for these years is great experience. Football, basketball and now baseball it makes it a long year, but well worth in. If you could hear our conversations…we’ll we won’t talk about that.
Thanks to everyone for reading and writing in! NateDawg, you the man! Almost forget, I received an e-mail from an SMSU alum living in Grand Junction last night. He couldn’t make the game, but wished the guys well. It’s great to know there are Mustang fans everywhere!
Until next time, go Mustangs!
As I mentioned last night, some the team members watched Mesa State beat CSU-Pueblo 17-6, while others hung out around the hotel.
Chris Hmielewski, Coach John Petersen and I, along with the Blanchard family all had a late supper last night at Texas Roadhouse. Nancy, Coach Blanchard’s wife and children Jessica and Joe made the trip Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. Good food at the restaurant and then headed back to the room and got to sleep.
I was sound asleep when around 11:45 pm my cell phone rang and it was former SMSU assistant coach Ryan Neale, now coaching at South Dakota State, wanting to chat about the game. Ryan also called Coach Nikkel, who was also sound asleep in the room. My pay back was to text message him this morning at 8 am, which I know is WAY early for Coach Neale.
I woke up this morning at 6 am for some reason. I was not happy at all. I read newspapers on-line, checked e-mail, just the average day-to-day things. I then had breakfast this morning at the hotel with a few of the guys. I joke, you can tell who the hunters on the team are, or players who grew up on a farm, because no matter what they are up early in the morning.
Following a short nap this morning, Coach Nikkel and I drove to find a grocery store to pick up sandwich meat and fruit for the team. It is a sight to see, Kelly and Bryan walking around shopping for food at a store we know nothing about, but acting like we know what’s going on. We did some problems as our shopping cart’s left front wheel stuck and wouldn’t move. Of course Bryan panicked, but I, who shops for food as much as Delmon Young hits a home run, solved the problem by kicking the darn thing a few times and we were back searching or food for our “family”.
We’re now back at the hotel and Coach Nikkel and I are watching “A League of Their Own” on Oxygen channel. I believe we are the only two males watching this channel in the U.S. right now.
Coach Blanchard is heading to the ball park to watch Minnesota State and Colorado State-Pueblo, while the rest of us are “chilling” at the hotel.
It’s been a great trip so far and we can only hope it gets better with more victories! Traveling with the teams for these years is great experience. Football, basketball and now baseball it makes it a long year, but well worth in. If you could hear our conversations…we’ll we won’t talk about that.
Thanks to everyone for reading and writing in! NateDawg, you the man! Almost forget, I received an e-mail from an SMSU alum living in Grand Junction last night. He couldn’t make the game, but wished the guys well. It’s great to know there are Mustang fans everywhere!
Until next time, go Mustangs!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
May 14 - 7:45 pm MDT - Mustangs Win!
A team victory today for SMSU! What more can you say. The pitching staff was solid throughout and the offense came around with some timely hits!
SMSU wins today 11-3, scoring two unearned runs in the eighth inning and putting the game away with six runs in the top of the ninth.
It was just a fun game to watch, with excellent plays on defense, coaching moves that had to be made and much more. The weather was outstanding! It did get a little breezy for the first few innings, but warm sunshine, good baseball…what more could you want.
I’ll post a few pictures that I took from the press box and from the field.
I had a great place to watch the game high-above the first base line. I sat next to Paul Allan, the assistant AD for communications at MSU. Paul is a good friend in the business and it’s always fun to talk “shop” and sport in general.
The team headed back to the hotel to clean and to get something to eat. Some of the guys came back to the park (where I am right now) to watch Mesa State play Colorado State-Pueblo. What a crowd Mesa State has here tonight. There must be around 700 to 1,000 people in attendance. Grand Junction loves their baseball.
Chris Hmielewski and I drove back to the hotel to get Coach Blanchard and bring him back to the park. Blanch took care of his media obligations and now we are watching this final game.
SMSU will play Wayne State tomorrow night at 7 pm MDT (8 pm Central). The two teams have yet to play each other this season.
More later! Go Mustangs!
SMSU wins today 11-3, scoring two unearned runs in the eighth inning and putting the game away with six runs in the top of the ninth.
It was just a fun game to watch, with excellent plays on defense, coaching moves that had to be made and much more. The weather was outstanding! It did get a little breezy for the first few innings, but warm sunshine, good baseball…what more could you want.
I’ll post a few pictures that I took from the press box and from the field.
I had a great place to watch the game high-above the first base line. I sat next to Paul Allan, the assistant AD for communications at MSU. Paul is a good friend in the business and it’s always fun to talk “shop” and sport in general.
The team headed back to the hotel to clean and to get something to eat. Some of the guys came back to the park (where I am right now) to watch Mesa State play Colorado State-Pueblo. What a crowd Mesa State has here tonight. There must be around 700 to 1,000 people in attendance. Grand Junction loves their baseball.
Chris Hmielewski and I drove back to the hotel to get Coach Blanchard and bring him back to the park. Blanch took care of his media obligations and now we are watching this final game.
SMSU will play Wayne State tomorrow night at 7 pm MDT (8 pm Central). The two teams have yet to play each other this season.
More later! Go Mustangs!
May 14 - 3 pm MDT - 30 Minutes to First Pitch
First I need to say thanks to everyone who is reading this blog. Nice crowd of SMSU fans in attendance today. I would say about 20. Just a guess.
Wayne State cruised past New Mexico Highlands in the tournament's first game 11-3. If SMSU wins today, it will play Wayne State at 7 pm tomorrow night.
Wayne State cruised past New Mexico Highlands in the tournament's first game 11-3. If SMSU wins today, it will play Wayne State at 7 pm tomorrow night.
May 14- 12:30 pm MDT - Almost Time
Sitting here high above Suplizio Field watching Wayne State take on New Mexico Highlands. Great spot to watch a game. SMSU is back from eating lunch and will be heading to batting practice soon.
Chris Hmielewski, coach Blanchard and I drove early to watch this first game. Chris actually went for a jog behind the baseball field. Right next door is the city football stadium where high schools and Mesa State play their games. The field is actually getting set-up as we speak for Mesa State graduation on Saturday.
I've had a busy morning prior to coming to the ballpark. Did my weekly radio update on KWOA radio in Worthington. Then spent about an hour updating the national ballot for the Daktronics All-America program. I serve as vice-chairman of the committee. Derek West and Andrew Kinney were both named all-region first team on Wednesday and are on the national ballot.
Until later...
Chris Hmielewski, coach Blanchard and I drove early to watch this first game. Chris actually went for a jog behind the baseball field. Right next door is the city football stadium where high schools and Mesa State play their games. The field is actually getting set-up as we speak for Mesa State graduation on Saturday.
I've had a busy morning prior to coming to the ballpark. Did my weekly radio update on KWOA radio in Worthington. Then spent about an hour updating the national ballot for the Daktronics All-America program. I serve as vice-chairman of the committee. Derek West and Andrew Kinney were both named all-region first team on Wednesday and are on the national ballot.
Until later...
May 14 - 8:45 am MDT - Game Day
Another perfect day in Grand Junction. Today is Game Day as SMSU faces Minnesota State, Mankato at 3:30 MDT (that is 4:30 in Minnesota) in its opening round game. The team will have lunch at 11 am and then head over to batting practice around 12:45.
I'll be heading to the ballpark around 11:30 to get set up and watch Wayne State and New Mexico Highlands.
Last night, the coaches and administrators meet at Mesa State to talk over rules, etc. Nothing major to discuss. Just simple NCAA rules, etc.
Had some down time in the hotel after the meeting. I, along with Chris Hmielewski, and the coaching staff then had a late dinner at The Village Inn in GJ before calling it a night.
I'll check back later today! Remember to keep up with the game by watching live stats.
Go 'Stangs!
I'll be heading to the ballpark around 11:30 to get set up and watch Wayne State and New Mexico Highlands.
Last night, the coaches and administrators meet at Mesa State to talk over rules, etc. Nothing major to discuss. Just simple NCAA rules, etc.
Had some down time in the hotel after the meeting. I, along with Chris Hmielewski, and the coaching staff then had a late dinner at The Village Inn in GJ before calling it a night.
I'll check back later today! Remember to keep up with the game by watching live stats.
Go 'Stangs!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
May 13 4 pm MDT - Quick Dillon Loft update
I forgot to post last time about this. Sorry, it's my blog, so I can talk about my kids. Congrats to six-year old Dillon Loft, for taking home The Hustle Award during his month long indoor baseball practice at Schwan's Arena in Marshall. Nice job Dillon. The only problem is, he earned the award hook sliding into first base. He likes to hook slide, but try telling him NOT A FIRST BASE. Who to blame? Nick Punto!!! Stop it Nick, these kids watch you play for the Twins, it's your fault!
May 13, 3:50 p.m. MDT - Wow what a field!
Good afternoon Mustang fans, back here in Grand Junction. We headed over to practice around 12:30 p.m. at the Mesa State College campus. Man they have a ton of construction going on. New have just built a new softball field, a football practice field with Field Turf and their baseball practice field has a brand new clubhouse. Mesa State is also building new athletic offices and a new swimming complex on campus. Mesa State should be very proud, excellent facilities.
The team took batting practice with coach Petersen tossing BP. Coach Nikkel hit ground balls to the infielders, as did director of athletics Chris Hmielewski. I know you’re curious on what I was doing during batting practice. I grabbed a glove and shagged fly balls. I need to get my game going as I ready for softball this summer. FYI, I’m the starting third baseman on the 2008 Marshall men’s Class B tournament championship team. Also two-time member of the fall league champions. As long as the field is smooth and the sun is not in my eyes, I’m like a vacuum at the hot corner. Ok, enough about me.
We then all headed over to Sam Suplizio Field for infield practice and fly balls. The stadium is just great! The stadium has 10,000 seats, a nice surface and great site lines for fans. It’s a short porch down the left field line, only 302 feet, but it has a high wall and then gets fairly deep, including 400-plus feet towards center field.
The facility hosts the Division I Junior College World Series starting next week. Something it has done for over 50 years. The amazing thing is there is no JUCO team in the city. Mesa State used to be a junior college, but the city has continued to host since the school went four-year years ago.
It should be a great stadium for our guys and the other five teams to play in. The press box, the important feature for me, is big and located along the first base line high atop the field.
The team wrapped up practice while Chris and I picked up a light lunch at McDonald’s.
Supper tonight will take place around 5 pm MDT for the team. I’ll be attending a pre-tournament meeting tonight along with Chris and our coaching staff at the MSC campus.
Reminder, 2:30 p.m. CDT tomorrow is first pitch. Live stats will be available to following. I would’ve loved to broadcast the game on KARL radio and the internet, but just not enough time. I also can’t blog live from the game per NCAA rules.
Until tonight my friends…go Mustangs!
May 13, 11:45 am MDT - Working Hard
Had some breakfast around 8:45 this morning, then I have been working on the Daktronics All-Region team that was announced this morning. Congrats Derek West and Andrew Kinney, first team honorees and Adam Schrader named second team.
Here are a few pics from the trip. Just two so far. One from the bus, minutes from leaving Marshall and the other is the view outside our hotel rooms.
The boys just had lunch at Taco Bell and are now relaxing before heading to practice at 1 pm.
The weather is great!
May 13, 8:30 am MDT - Clifton, Colo.
We made it! Finally, I can update this blog without holding my labtop top on my lap, moving down the highway at 70 mph. The bus made it to Clifton, Colo., our team headquarters at 12:15 a.m. MDT. We are staying at a Best Western. Nice hotel, lots of places to eat around the hotel which is always important.
It is now 8:30 am, my roomies, coach Blanchard and coach Nikkel are still asleep. But as I type, coach Blanchard is now up and heading down to breakfast. It is just perfect outside as our hotel door opens to the north. It is suppose to be a great week of weather and right now it is. Sunny skies, temp around 70 and no wind!
The guys will be getting up around 10 am, will walk around a bit to get loose, eat, etc. Then we have an official work out later this afternoon.
I of course will get my daily jog in, maybe a short "lift" at the workout facility in the hotel and then eat egg whites with bananas for breakfast.....Yeah right.
As I do every morning, I read every daily newspaper that I can on-line (this part is true) to keep up with what's happening around the region in sports and news.
FYI, director of athletics Chris Hmielewski is flying in today to Grand Junction. Something about having to work on Tuesday so he had to fly. He is flying in from Omaha to G.J. We'll see what happens, I may fly back with him when we are finished here. Hopefully not until Sunday!
Have a good morning everyone! Until next time...., coach Nikkel is still getting his “beauty” sleep. Oh wait, he is getting up…no I guess just talking in his sleep. Something about, “I love shooting pheasants”… “no I don’t have a razor, quit asking” … and something really weird, he is mumbling “go Tracy Express…choo, choo”. More on that later! I need to type softer; I don’t want to wake him!
Mesa State College, the host school, has a car for every team. So that will be nice to have some transportation around the area.
Have a good morning Mustangs fans! Until next time, remember 2:30 CDT tomorrow. SMSU versus Minnesota State, Mankato. Live stat will be available. Click on the baseball regional Web site on the right side of the SMSU baseball page.
Peace out!
It is now 8:30 am, my roomies, coach Blanchard and coach Nikkel are still asleep. But as I type, coach Blanchard is now up and heading down to breakfast. It is just perfect outside as our hotel door opens to the north. It is suppose to be a great week of weather and right now it is. Sunny skies, temp around 70 and no wind!
The guys will be getting up around 10 am, will walk around a bit to get loose, eat, etc. Then we have an official work out later this afternoon.
I of course will get my daily jog in, maybe a short "lift" at the workout facility in the hotel and then eat egg whites with bananas for breakfast.....Yeah right.
As I do every morning, I read every daily newspaper that I can on-line (this part is true) to keep up with what's happening around the region in sports and news.
FYI, director of athletics Chris Hmielewski is flying in today to Grand Junction. Something about having to work on Tuesday so he had to fly. He is flying in from Omaha to G.J. We'll see what happens, I may fly back with him when we are finished here. Hopefully not until Sunday!
Have a good morning everyone! Until next time...., coach Nikkel is still getting his “beauty” sleep. Oh wait, he is getting up…no I guess just talking in his sleep. Something about, “I love shooting pheasants”… “no I don’t have a razor, quit asking” … and something really weird, he is mumbling “go Tracy Express…choo, choo”. More on that later! I need to type softer; I don’t want to wake him!
Mesa State College, the host school, has a car for every team. So that will be nice to have some transportation around the area.
Have a good morning Mustangs fans! Until next time, remember 2:30 CDT tomorrow. SMSU versus Minnesota State, Mankato. Live stat will be available. Click on the baseball regional Web site on the right side of the SMSU baseball page.
Peace out!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
May 12 - 11:20 pm MDT - We There Yet?
Good evening or should I say good morning Mustang fans. We are getting closer to Grand Junction. We've had a long but smooth trip so far as we close in on our destination. We stopped in a suburb of Denver for supper at Golden Corral around 7:15 and ate WAY too much. By the way, we had no plans on where to eat, but with the use of my Garmin, we searched and found the restaurant. What a great invention. Because with out the GPS, there is no way we could’ve found a buffet in Denver J . But really, it did help. Are you listening, the owners of Garmin? I could be used as a salesman for your company.
After supper, we loaded up and continued west through the mountains to the big G.J. Our Southwest Coaches bus made it up and down through the mountains just fine. Too bad it was dusk out and we didn’t have a real good luck at the mountains. It seemed nice looking out the windows at nothing but darkness.
We watched Grandma’s Boy and now have Anchorman on as we close the night out. I just woke up around 11 pm MDT from a long-hard nap. The trip is starting to get to me. I believe we are getting closer and should be pulling into town soon. We’ve been on the road for over 18 hours now after leaving Marshall at 6 am.
The weather is just terrific out here. The forecast is 83 degrees and sunny on game day Thursday afternoon!
Tomorrow the guys will sleep in and we have practice at the field. I’ll have much more to report once we check in tonight/tomorrow.
Thanks for the comments everyone. I’ve had several requests for “shout outs” by people. I’ll do my best to get you some “love”.
As Ron Burgundy says, “Stay classy Mustang fans!!”
After supper, we loaded up and continued west through the mountains to the big G.J. Our Southwest Coaches bus made it up and down through the mountains just fine. Too bad it was dusk out and we didn’t have a real good luck at the mountains. It seemed nice looking out the windows at nothing but darkness.
We watched Grandma’s Boy and now have Anchorman on as we close the night out. I just woke up around 11 pm MDT from a long-hard nap. The trip is starting to get to me. I believe we are getting closer and should be pulling into town soon. We’ve been on the road for over 18 hours now after leaving Marshall at 6 am.
The weather is just terrific out here. The forecast is 83 degrees and sunny on game day Thursday afternoon!
Tomorrow the guys will sleep in and we have practice at the field. I’ll have much more to report once we check in tonight/tomorrow.
Thanks for the comments everyone. I’ve had several requests for “shout outs” by people. I’ll do my best to get you some “love”.
As Ron Burgundy says, “Stay classy Mustang fans!!”
May 12, 4:50 pm MDT - Rocky Mountain High
Good afternoon everyone, we have now crossed into the state of Colorado. Since we last chatted, we had just left Yankton, S.D. We headed south to Norfolk, Neb., then hooked up with I 80 in Grand Island, Neb. and headed towards Colorado. Stopped at a truck stop somewhere in Nebraska and picked up some goodies to snack on.
Movie update. We watched The Guardian (sorry to admit), 3:10 to Yuma and now Mighty Ducks is on. I didn't watch any. I moved to the back of the bus and had a nice chat with some of the boys. Good times talking about baseball, life and much more. I then headed back to the front of the bus and I'm currently watching GoodFellas on my DVD. For some reason I've never seen the movie. I enjoy it. Love mob movies!
Our biggest decisions during the trip are where we'll be stopping to eat. We gained an hour (what a country) so we now an hour behind everyone in Marshall. We may now just head to Denver and then stop to eat.
Western Nebraska and eastern Colorado is not much too look at. I like the open spaces of the country. As always, this is a learning trip. These guys are in college and are always willing to learn. Just like I taught the basketball boys out east in Springfield, Mass., about Paul Revere running through the same streets that we were driving on, I’m now explaining how Lewis & Clark moved through this same area of country looking for a way to the Pacific Ocean (is that where they were going?). I’m not only a media relations guy, I’m also an educator.
Exciting times as we head towards Grand Junction. I’ve been with SMSU and Mustang baseball for 12 years. We’ve had some great teams, teams that were very close to making an NCAA regional tournament. 33 victories in 1998, winning the NSIC tournament in 1999 and 2002, but never could get in. I’ve covered hundreds and hundreds of games and put on thousands of hours of bus trips. But trips like this make it all worth it.
Not to get too sentimental, but it’s great to see our players come into the program, put in the hard work and get rewarded by making an NCAA tournament. This goes for all 11 SMSU athletic teams!
This year started out great in Florida, then we had 12 games canceled in late March and early April, then Coach Blanchard lost his father, but the month of April the team has played well and picked up big wins to gain an at-large bid. Great job boys!
I’ll have some pictures posted hopefully later tonight. It should be fun to drive through the Rocky Mountains. Let’s hope this is some sunlight left.
Take a look on the story on the Web site about game times. You’ll see a picture of the field we will play at. Great stadium and that’s what it is! 10,000 seat stadium. Grand Junction hosts the JUCO World Series every year. In fact, Coach Blanchard took his Normandale C.C. team to the World Series in Grand Junction in 1986. His brother also played at Mesa State.
One thing to point out, assistant coach Brandon Wilhelmi hasn’t seen a movie yet. I’m very proud that he is getting plenty of reading in. I think there are words in the magazines.
Until later tonight….Go Mustangs!
Movie update. We watched The Guardian (sorry to admit), 3:10 to Yuma and now Mighty Ducks is on. I didn't watch any. I moved to the back of the bus and had a nice chat with some of the boys. Good times talking about baseball, life and much more. I then headed back to the front of the bus and I'm currently watching GoodFellas on my DVD. For some reason I've never seen the movie. I enjoy it. Love mob movies!
Our biggest decisions during the trip are where we'll be stopping to eat. We gained an hour (what a country) so we now an hour behind everyone in Marshall. We may now just head to Denver and then stop to eat.
Western Nebraska and eastern Colorado is not much too look at. I like the open spaces of the country. As always, this is a learning trip. These guys are in college and are always willing to learn. Just like I taught the basketball boys out east in Springfield, Mass., about Paul Revere running through the same streets that we were driving on, I’m now explaining how Lewis & Clark moved through this same area of country looking for a way to the Pacific Ocean (is that where they were going?). I’m not only a media relations guy, I’m also an educator.
Exciting times as we head towards Grand Junction. I’ve been with SMSU and Mustang baseball for 12 years. We’ve had some great teams, teams that were very close to making an NCAA regional tournament. 33 victories in 1998, winning the NSIC tournament in 1999 and 2002, but never could get in. I’ve covered hundreds and hundreds of games and put on thousands of hours of bus trips. But trips like this make it all worth it.
Not to get too sentimental, but it’s great to see our players come into the program, put in the hard work and get rewarded by making an NCAA tournament. This goes for all 11 SMSU athletic teams!
This year started out great in Florida, then we had 12 games canceled in late March and early April, then Coach Blanchard lost his father, but the month of April the team has played well and picked up big wins to gain an at-large bid. Great job boys!
I’ll have some pictures posted hopefully later tonight. It should be fun to drive through the Rocky Mountains. Let’s hope this is some sunlight left.
Take a look on the story on the Web site about game times. You’ll see a picture of the field we will play at. Great stadium and that’s what it is! 10,000 seat stadium. Grand Junction hosts the JUCO World Series every year. In fact, Coach Blanchard took his Normandale C.C. team to the World Series in Grand Junction in 1986. His brother also played at Mesa State.
One thing to point out, assistant coach Brandon Wilhelmi hasn’t seen a movie yet. I’m very proud that he is getting plenty of reading in. I think there are words in the magazines.
Until later tonight….Go Mustangs!
May 12 - 11:00 am
Good morning Mustangs fans! We are on our way to Grand Junction. The bus left Marshall at 6:07 am. Seven minutes late because of....me. Lots of packing for me, that's my excuse.
Most of the guys slept on our way to Sioux Falls. We stopped in Sioux Falls to pick up a couple of bats that needed replacing. Gotta have good lumber when the games start! We then continued south and then west through Vermillion and Yankton. We stopped at Hy-Vee in Yankton for breakfast and now we are just over the border in Nebraska as I write. A special thanks to Curtis Smith for letting me use his labtop to write this. I can't get connected on my labtop.
I have my Garmin connected and it says we should arrive in Grand Junction around 9:30 pm MDT. Not sure when we'll stop again to stretch or eat.
We have two bus drivers, Al and Dale. Good guys. They have a bed behind the front seat for them. Coach Petersen really wants to sleep on it and stretch out. He's trying to convince the driver to switch spots. Not going to happen I don't think.
So far we have watched Elf and Out Cold. Now we are watching My Best Friend's Girl with Dane Cook.
Until next time somewhere in western Nebraska...I'm out!
Most of the guys slept on our way to Sioux Falls. We stopped in Sioux Falls to pick up a couple of bats that needed replacing. Gotta have good lumber when the games start! We then continued south and then west through Vermillion and Yankton. We stopped at Hy-Vee in Yankton for breakfast and now we are just over the border in Nebraska as I write. A special thanks to Curtis Smith for letting me use his labtop to write this. I can't get connected on my labtop.
I have my Garmin connected and it says we should arrive in Grand Junction around 9:30 pm MDT. Not sure when we'll stop again to stretch or eat.
We have two bus drivers, Al and Dale. Good guys. They have a bed behind the front seat for them. Coach Petersen really wants to sleep on it and stretch out. He's trying to convince the driver to switch spots. Not going to happen I don't think.
So far we have watched Elf and Out Cold. Now we are watching My Best Friend's Girl with Dane Cook.
Until next time somewhere in western Nebraska...I'm out!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Monday, May 11 - 9:30 pm CDT
Grand Junction, Colorado, here we come! The Hey Loft is back after a nearly two-month layoff since Springfield, Mass., and the NCAA Elite Eight.
I hope you can follow the SMSU baseball journey to Colorado and SMSU makes its first-ever NCAA regional tournament appearance. Let me give you a quick update on the team's plans. We will be leaving Marshall at 6 am on Tuesday, May 12, and taking a bus the whole 16 hours! The team could've taken a plane, but the NCAA pays for only a certain number of individuals and since the SMSU coaching staff wants to bring everyone who has traveled all season (a nice decision), a bus is the best and most cost effective way to go.
As Clark Griswold says in the movie Vacation (my favorite comedy of all-time), "Come on Ellen, getting there is half the fun, you know that". We’ll see ☺….. Once we get close to Colorado I’ll be saying, “that John Denver is full……” (you have to know Dumb and Dumber to get that one)
I stopped by Video Central today on campus and picked up some movies for the team. I know the players will bring plenty as well, but I picked up some American classics...Grandma's Boy, College (of course both unrated) and for myself I picked up the series "The Shield". I've heard good things.
I also have the cribbage board, cards, etc. I plan on taking some small change from coach Nikkel on the way out.
The baseball team is the final SMSU athletics team still competing for the 2008-09 season. What a year it has been for Mustang athletics. SMSU competes in 10 NCAA sports and six of our teams competed in NCAA Tournaments, while the wheelchair team also advanced to the national tournament! Congrats to all our SMSU squads for a great academic year.
I need to finish packing. If it all works out, I’ll try and update all day on Tuesday during the trip. I’ve heard the bus has wireless on board; let’s hope it does. My office hasn’t bought one of those air cards yet, but hopefully next year we will.
Also next year, our plan is to have some sort of Blog for all of our teams that compete in an NCAA tournament. We’ll need to have a name for my assistant Tim’s blog. Any ideas?
Wish us safe travels and we’ll catch up with you on the road.
I hope you can follow the SMSU baseball journey to Colorado and SMSU makes its first-ever NCAA regional tournament appearance. Let me give you a quick update on the team's plans. We will be leaving Marshall at 6 am on Tuesday, May 12, and taking a bus the whole 16 hours! The team could've taken a plane, but the NCAA pays for only a certain number of individuals and since the SMSU coaching staff wants to bring everyone who has traveled all season (a nice decision), a bus is the best and most cost effective way to go.
As Clark Griswold says in the movie Vacation (my favorite comedy of all-time), "Come on Ellen, getting there is half the fun, you know that". We’ll see ☺….. Once we get close to Colorado I’ll be saying, “that John Denver is full……” (you have to know Dumb and Dumber to get that one)
I stopped by Video Central today on campus and picked up some movies for the team. I know the players will bring plenty as well, but I picked up some American classics...Grandma's Boy, College (of course both unrated) and for myself I picked up the series "The Shield". I've heard good things.
I also have the cribbage board, cards, etc. I plan on taking some small change from coach Nikkel on the way out.
The baseball team is the final SMSU athletics team still competing for the 2008-09 season. What a year it has been for Mustang athletics. SMSU competes in 10 NCAA sports and six of our teams competed in NCAA Tournaments, while the wheelchair team also advanced to the national tournament! Congrats to all our SMSU squads for a great academic year.
I need to finish packing. If it all works out, I’ll try and update all day on Tuesday during the trip. I’ve heard the bus has wireless on board; let’s hope it does. My office hasn’t bought one of those air cards yet, but hopefully next year we will.
Also next year, our plan is to have some sort of Blog for all of our teams that compete in an NCAA tournament. We’ll need to have a name for my assistant Tim’s blog. Any ideas?
Wish us safe travels and we’ll catch up with you on the road.
I'm Back!!
Hey Mustang fans; I'm back!! I'll be blogging from Grand Junction, Colo., this week where the SMSU baseball team is making its first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. Check back at "The Hey Loft" for updates about this year's experience!
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