Diary of a Baseball team on the road………
The two time defending NJCAA Region XIII Champion DCTC Blue Knights Baseball team is fresh with faces and arms after a winter of indoor training and throwing. Last Saturday, the team left at 3am in the morning to hit the road for their annual Spring Training Trip. This year's trip takes them from Minnesota to Oklahoma and back through the great plains of America. The following is a daily update from the road and our 30 Blue Knights!
(For earlier entries, scroll down)
Friday March 20th and Saturday March 21st
The Blue Knights wrapped up their spring break trip by playing three games against region rival, Southeast Community College, from Beatrice, NE. Southeast came into the series ranked 13thin the latest NJCAA Baseball Division II Rankings. Southeast ended up taking the weekend series two games to one while DCTC ended the trip on a positive winning a nine inning game on Saturday, 9-6.
"I was very pleased with how we played the last three days of the trip. With all the injuries we had over this break, to see them compete as hard as they did these last three days was very impressive. It was the effort like last year, that can really catapult us to having a very successful season if the boys continue to compete as hard as they did the last three days of the trip." Said Head Coach Trent Seaman.
Thursday March 19th
DCTC earns its first win on challenging road trip. Comments by Nick Seipel (Freshman Inver Grove Heights)
Wednesday March 18th
Wednesday has become a traditional off day for the club during spring break weeks. This day could not have come at a better time; "We have a bad case of the injury bug and is spreading throughout the team." Said Head Coach Trent Seaman.
Prior to loading the Bus, the Blue Knights had already lost their four and five-hole hitters and two top left handed pitchers for the season. More pitchers have been sidelined during the first four days of the trip and prior to the Wednesday day off.
"There is nothing we can do about the injuries, as they are part of the game. The hard part for us is it has happened to key guys, which has left us with little depth. However, other players now have the chance they deserve to contribute" added Seaman.
With Wednesday off, the team headed down to the University of Oklahoma. After a drive though campus and tour of all the major sports facilities, the team cross trained and played a little pickup basketball game in the main basketball arena of OU.
Thursday, the Blue Knights continue their trip leaving Oklahoma in the rearview mirror while heading to Kansas to play Hesston Community College at 4pm.
Tuesday March 17th
After day of a doubleheader, the team took the night to head down to Brick Town, in Oklahoma City for dinner and catch a baseball game at their beautiful downtown minor league stadium.
Sunday March 15th
Playing spring break in Oklahoma doesn't afford the classic experience that other college spring breakers see in Florida, Arizona or Texas. The DCTC baseball trip does afford the opportunity to play in and experience ball at David Allen Memorial Ballpark, in Enid, OK. Not only is it one of the iconic ballparks in the country, but it is also home to the Division II Junior College National Baseball Championship. Enid is a town that loves its baseball, and puts on a show for the NJCAA National Championship. All the games are sold out, and they end each night with a great firework show.
"Our goal is to get to the national championship, so we want our kids to have an understanding of what it is like to play in this stadium and atmosphere" Said Coach Seaman.
Saturday March 14th, 2015 3am.
Rosemount, Minn. - Who says it's hard for 18 and 19 year olds to wake up at 3am in the morning? Certainly not for the Dakota County Technical College Blue Knights Baseball team. This morning the club departed for eight days and 10 games in Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska.
"This will be a very difficult challenge as we will be playing against some of the most storied programs in junior college baseball" noted Head Coach Trent Seaman. "Northern Oklahoma at Enid, Des Moines Area Community College, Redlands College and Southeast of Nebraska are some of the best teams in the country."
The trip will test DCTC against squads that have a geographic weather advantage and the ability to have some 20 games played while DCTC faces its first pitches of the year. The Blue Knights return home from their spring break trip and host Southeast CC from Nebraska March 28th and 29th.
