DCTC Blue Knights Host Golf Tournament Fundraiser
The DCTC Blue Knights hosted the annual Golf Tournament Fundraiser at Emerald Greens Golf Course on August 26th. The fundraiser helps support current and future Blue Knight student-athletes, and had a great turnout that included many Blue Knights athletes, staff, friends, family, partners, and supporters.
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STEIMER NAMED ALL-REGION AS BASEBALL WRAPS UP 2022 SEASON
DCTC Blue Knights Baseball wrapped up the 2022 season at the Region 13 Playoffs at Miles Community College in Miles City, Montana. Tyler Steimer (FR., Catcher, Rosemount, MN) was named to the NJCAA Division 2 Baseball All-Region 13 team. Steimer was a great player for the Blue Knights all year long and had a great Regional Tournament in Montana. Steimer led the team in batting average (.409), hits (35), doubles (11), total bases (48), and tied for lead in RBI’s (19). Congratulations Tyler!
2022 Season Player Highlights
Elijah Stifter (FR., Second Baseman, Stewart, MN) ended the season with a .301 batting average and second on the team in doubles (9). He was also a big arm out of the bullpen for the Blue Knights all year long, tied for second in appearances (8), with a 3.01 ERA, 11 strikeouts and 3 walks.
Tommy Peterson (SO., 1st Baseman, Woodbury, MN) had a really nice year for the Blue Knights as well. He hit .325, was second on the team in hits (26), and was third on the team in doubles (7).
Diego Waisanen (SO., 3B/SS, Chaska, MN) is a versatile player that had to play shortstop for us out of need toward the back half of the season. He hit .310 on the year, and was second on the team with 2 Homeruns.
Seth Goplen (SO., 3B/OF, North St. Paul, MN) spent most of the season at third base and in the corner outfield. He hit .299, with 5 doubles, 1 triple, led the team with 3 homeruns, and tied for the lead with 19 RBI’s.
We would also like to thank our sophomores for all their hard work and dedication during this year. Thank you to Seth Goplen, Diego Waisanen, Tommy Peterson, Garrett Boblitt, Tristan Whitbeck, Jacob Biermaier, and Dalton Burns!
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NJCAA ALL-ACADEMIC AWARD NOMINATIONS 2021
Women’s soccer team nominated • 14 individual athletes nominated
Dakota County Technical College has submitted nominations for 2020–2021 NJCAA All-Academic Awards for teams and individual players. The DCTC Blue Knights women’s soccer team (average GPA: 3.11) has been nominated for the NJCAA Academic Team of the Year Award.
Fourteen Blue Knights softball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, baseball and basketball players have been nominated for NJCAA Academic Student-Athlete Awards.
Marki Struensee serves as the college’s athletic coordinator. Marki oversaw the nomination process for all six NJCAA teams at DCTC.
“I am proud of each and every Blue Knight athlete,” she said. “In the past year, COVID has forced us to make some big changes to athletics as well as academics. These student-athletes worked hard to balance it all—at times with things changing daily. Congrats to the individual and team nominations, as well as those who didn’t make the nomination criteria. Thank you for all of your hard work!”
DCTC Team Nominated
Blue Knights Women’s Soccer
Average GPA: 3.11
Bella Ciccarelli (4) • 3.81 GPA • Team and Student-Athlete [team photo unavailable]
DCTC Individual Players Nominated
Ben Goelz
Baseball
Freshman
GPA: 4.00 • NJCAA All-Academic First Team
Zach Gunderson
Baseball
Freshman
GPA: 4.00 • NJCAA All-Academic First Team
Ariyontai Hatcher
Basketball
Freshman
GPA: 4.00 • NJCAA All-Academic First Team
Jordi Herrera
Men’s Soccer
Sophomore
GPA: 4.00 • NJCAA All-Academic First Team
Alissa Merrick
Women’s Soccer
Freshman
GPA: 4.00 • NJCAA All-Academic First Team
Caitlin Springer
Women’s Soccer
Freshman
GPA: 4.00 • NJCAA All-Academic First Team
Kirby Pieri
Baseball
Freshman
GPA: 3.97 • NJCAA All-Academic Second Team
Riley Pederson
Baseball
Freshman
GPA: 3.95 • NJCAA All-Academic Second Team
Maria Gutzmann
Softball
Freshman
GPA: 3.94 • NJCAA All-Academic Second Team
Benjamin Simonsen
Baseball
Freshman
GPA: 3.91 • NJCAA All-Academic Second Team
Lilly Hernandez
Women’s Soccer
Sophomore
GPA: 3.88 • NJCAA All-Academic Second Team
Elizabeth Lehrer
Softball
Freshman
GPA: 3.82 • NJCAA All-Academic Second Team
Isabella Ciccarelli
Softball, Women’s Soccer
Freshman
GPA: 3.81 • NJCAA All-Academic Second Team
Dalton Burns
Baseball
Freshman
GPA: 3.75 • NJCAA All-Academic Third Team
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Blue Knights Sweep Bay College for a 4-0 win in the Seven Game Play-In Series. They will host the Region XIII Baseball Tournament May 14-16
The Blue Knights Swept Bay College on over the weekend 6-5, 7-1, 10-5, and 10-0. Winning the Region XIII Play-In Series 4-0 and taking all eight games. DCTC will host to the four-team double elimination Region XIII tournament on May 14th-16th.
4/16 DCTC @ Bay Game 1 DCTC 19 Bay 2
4/16 DCTC @ Bay Game 2 DCTC 7 Bay 1
4/17 DCTC @ Bay Game 3 DCTC 10 Bay 0
4/17 DCTC @ Bay (non-series game) DCTC 7 Bay 3
5/7 Bay @ DCTC Game 4 DCTC 6 Bay 5
5/7 Bay @ DCTC Game 5 (non-series game) DCTC 7 Bay 1
5/8 Bay @ DCTC Game 6 (non-series game) DCTC 10 Bay 5
5/8 Bay @ DCTC Game 7 (non-series game) DCTC 10 Bay 0
Play-In Series Game 4
DCTC 6 Bay College 5
A walk-off sacrifice fly led Blue Knights past Bay College 6-5 and to a 4-0 series win. The game was tied at five in the bottom of the seventh when Riley Pederson's sac fly scored Mitch Goodwin. Going into the seventh the Blue Knights were down by two runs. Kirby Pieri lead off with a Hit by pitch, Ben Goelz doubled and Goodwin singled down the leftfield line to tie the game. Three batter’s later Pederson came up with the walk off winner. Logan Sjoberg was the winning pitcher, the righthander lasted seven innings, allowing eight hits and five runs while striking out seven. Ben Goelz led the Blue Knights with two hits.
DCTC 7 Bay College 1
Blue Knights won big over Bay College 8-1 on Friday.
DCTC fired up the offense in the first inning, when Kirby Pieri's sac fly scored Klehr. The Blue Knights put up four runs in the sixth inning. Seth Goplen, Pieri, Mitch Goodwin, and Dalton Burns each had RBIs in the big inning. Ben Goelz led the Blue Knights to victory on the hill. Goelz lasted five and two-thirds innings, allowing six hits and one run while striking out four. Ben Cradle threw one and one-third innings in relief out of the bullpen. Cradle recorded the last four outs to earn the save. The Blue Knights tallied eight hits on the day. Klehr and Goplen each collected two hits.
DCTC 10 Bay College 5
The Blue Knights managed through a push by Bay College in the sixth inning where The Blue Knights coughed up three runs, but DCTC still won 10-5 on Saturday. DCTC opened up scoring in the second inning. Mason Primus singled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring one run. The Blue Knights scored six runs in the fourth inning. The offensive onslaught came from singles by Kirby Pieri and Ben Goelz, a triple by Mitch Goodwin, a sac fly by Nick Baker, and an error on a ball put in play by Brady Klehr. Ben Simonsen took the win. The righty surrendered five runs on seven hits over six innings, striking out six and walking one. Zach Gunderson threw one inning in relief out of the bullpen. Goelz and Goodwin each managed two hits.
DCTC 10 Bay College 0
Blue Knights defeated Bay College 10-0 on Saturday as three pitchers combined to throw a shutout. Blue Knights got things moving in the first inning, when Mitch Goodwin singled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring one run. Blue Knights scored five runs in the fourth inning. Blue Knights's big inning was driven by singles by Mason Primus and Michael Rasmusson, a triple by Goodwin, and a double by Seth Goplen. Brady Klehr was the winning pitcher for Blue Knights. The southpaw surrendered zero runs on two hits over three innings, striking out four. Primus and Ege entered the game out of the bullpen and helped to close out the game in relief. Blue Knights had nine hits in the game. Goodwin went 3-for-3 at the plate to lead the Blue Knights.
Previous Games
Century College 10 DCTC 6
Both pitching staffs had their hands full on Tuesday in a high-scoring affair where Century College bested Blue Knights, 10-6. The Blue Knights got things started in the first inning with a two run homer by Mason Primus. Century battled back to score three unearned runs in the third and didn’t give up the lead after.
Klehr took the loss. The lefthander went five innings, allowing one earned run on five hits, striking out four and walking zero. The Blue Knights racked up eight hits in the game. Klehr, Primus, and Nick Baker all had multiple hits for the Blue Knights.
DCTC 3 NCMC 0
Mason Primus threw a gem on Sunday for DCTC, besting North Central Missouri College by a score of 3-0 The pitching was strong on both sides. DCTC got things started in the second inning when Nick Baker singled on a 3-1 count, scoring one run. Primus was the winning pitcher lasting seven innings, allowing four hits and zero runs while striking out three. The Blue Knights had seven hits in the game. Seth Goplen, Baker, and Brady Klehr all collected multiple hits. Goplen went 3-for-3 at the plate to lead the Blue Knights in hits.
DCTC 8 NCMC 7
It came down to the wire on Sunday, with Blue Knights taking victory on a dramatic walk-off sacrifice fly in the late innings that sealed their victory over North Central Missouri College. The game was tied at seven with Blue Knights batting in the bottom of the seventh when Michael Rasmusson's sac fly scored one run for Blue Knights. Bats blistered as Blue Knights collected nine hits and North Central Missouri College tallied eight in the high-scoring game. Ben Cradle was the winning pitcher.The righthander surrendered three runs on three hits over two innings, striking out one. Simonsen started the game for Blue Knights. Simonsen allowed five hits and four runs over five innings, striking out two. The Blue Knights totaled nine hits. Mason Primus, Ben Goelz, and Joe Jeans all had multiple hits. Primus went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead the Blue Knights in hits.
NCMC 18 DCTC 6
Saturday's game against North Central Missouri College was a heartbreaker for Blue Knights, as they lost the lead late in an 18-6 defeat. The game was tied at six with North Central Missouri College batting in the top of the fifth when Medina drew a RBI walk. Despite the loss, Blue Knights did collect 14 hits in the high-scoring affair. Unfortunately, North Central Missouri College had 14 hits on the way to victory. Allex Ege took the loss, lasting one inning, allowing zero hits and five runs. Ben Goelz started the game for the Blue Knights. The lefthander surrendered four runs on eight hits over three and two-thirds innings, striking out five. The Blue Knights saw the ball well today, racking up 14 hits in the game. Goelz, Tommy Peterson, Seth Goplen, and Michael Rasmusson each managed multiple hits. Goelz went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead Blue Knights in hits.
DCTC 5 NCMC 3
Blue Knights wins contest against North Central Missouri College 5-3. DCTC put up three runs in the sixth inning. The big inning was thanks to triples by Nick Baker and Michael Rasmusson. Logan Sjoberg got the win allowing seven hits and three runs over six and a third innings, striking out five. Chase Oslin threw two-thirds of an inning in relief out of the bullpen. Oslin recorded the last two outs to earn the save. The Blue Knights racked up six hits on the day. Rasmusson and Baker each managed two hits.
NCMC 7 DCTC 1
Blue Knights struggled to get their offense going, getting easily dispatched by North Central Missouri College, 7-1. Blue Knights fired up the offense in the first inning. Mitch Goodwin grounded out, scoring one run. Chase Oslin took the loss. He allowed four hits and four runs over four innings, striking out four and walking one. Brock Goelz and Seth Goplen each had multiple hits.
NCMC 10 DCTC 8
A walk-off left Blue Knights on the wrong end of a 10-8 defeat to North Central Missouri College. North Central Missouri College trailed 8-7 in the bottom of the seventh inning when Nunez homered on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring three runs. Blue Knights trailed by five runs in the first inning, but then fought back to lower the final margin. DCTC scored eight runs in the failed comeback on a single by Brady Klehr in the third, a home run by Kirby Pieri in the third, a single by Mason Primus in the fourth, and a home run by Klehr in the fourth. DCTC put up four runs in the fourth inning. The Blue Knights's big bats in the inning were led by a single by Primus and a home run by Klehr. Ben Simonsen took the loss, surrendering ten runs on 11 hits over six innings, striking out five and walking zero. The Blue Knights socked two home runs on the day. Klehr had a four bagger in the fourth inning. Pieri had a dinger in the third inning. The Blue Knights totaled ten hits in the game. Nick Baker, Klehr, and Pieri all managed multiple hits
NCMC 11 DCTC 10
The Blue Knights fought back after falling down by four runs in the fourth inning. The comeback fell just short though, in an 11-10 defeat to North Central Missouri College on Saturday. DCTC scored three runs in the failed comeback on a single by Nick Baker in the sixth, a single by Brock Goelz in the sixth, and a single by Mitch Goodwin in the seventh. Despite the loss, the Blue Knights did collect 15 hits in the high-scoring affair. Unfortunately, North Central Missouri College had 12 hits on the way to victory. In the first inning, Blue Knights got their offense started when Baker doubled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring two runs. Zach Gunderson took the loss. The righty went three and a third innings, allowing five runs on nine hits and striking out one. Ben Goelz started the game lasting two and two-thirds innings, allowing three hits and six runs while striking out five The Blue Knights tallied 15 hits in the game. Baker, Kirby Pieri, Mason Primus, Goelz, and Diego Waisanen each managed multiple hits for Blue Knights. Pieri and Baker each collected three hits
NCMC 6 DCTC 4
Saturday's game against North Central Missouri College was a heartbreaker for the Blue Knights, as they lost the lead late in a 6-4 defeat. The game was tied at four with North Central Missouri College batting in the bottom of the sixth when Nunez homered, scoring two runs. In the top of the fifth inning, the Blue Knights tied things up at four. Kirby Pieri singled on the first pitch of the at bat, scoring one run. The Blue Knights scored three runs in the second inning. DCTC scored its runs on a single by Brady Klehr. Logan Sjoberg took the loss going six innings, allowing six runs on eight hits and striking out one. Klehr led DCTC with two hits in four at bats.
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Blue Knights Sweep Bay College for a 3-0 lead in the Seven Game Play-In Series.
Blue Knights Sweep Bay College for a 3-0 lead in the Seven Game Play-In Series.
The Blue Knights Swept Bay College on over the weekend 19-2, 7-1, 10-0, and 7-3. They take a 3-0 lead in the Region XIII Play-In Series. They will now head to Trenton, MO to play a four-game set vs North Central Missouri College on April 24th and 25th.
4/16 DCTC @ Bay Game 1 DCTC 19 Bay 2
4/16 DCTC @ Bay Game 2 DCTC 7 Bay 1
4/17 DCTC @ Bay Game 3 DCTC 10 Bay 0
4/17 DCTC @ Bay (non-series game) DCTC 7 Bay 3
5/7 Bay @ DCTC Game 4
5/7 Bay @ DCTC Game 5 (if necessary or non-series game)
5/8 Bay @ DCTC Game 6 (if necessary or non-series game)
5/8 Bay @ DCTC Game 7 (if necessary or non-series game)
The winner of this series will host to the four-team double elimination Region XIII tournament on May 14th-16th.
Play-In Series Game 1
DCTC 19 Bay College 2
Mitch Goodwin drove in five on three hits to lead the Blue Knights past Bay College 19-2 on Friday. Goodwin drove in runs on a home run in the first, a triple in the second, and a double in the third. DCTC secured the victory thanks to ten runs in the third inning. Mason Primus, Ben Goelz, Goodwin, Nick Baker, Diego Waisanen, and Michael Rasmusson all moved runners across the plate with RBIs in the inning. Logan Sjoberg was the winning pitcher. The righty threw a five-inning complete game, allowing eight hits and two runs while striking out five and walking zero. DCTC saw the ball well, racking up 12 hits in the game. Baker, Primus, and Goodwin each collected three hits.
Play-In Series Game 2
DCTC 7 Bay College 1
The Blue Knights took the lead late in the game in a 7-1 victory over Bay College on Friday. The game was tied at one with DCTC batting in the top of the fifth when Mitch Goodwin tripled scoring two runs. They victory thanks to four runs in the fifth inning. Ben Goelz, Goodwin, and Nick Baker each had RBIs in the frame. Goelz was the winning pitcher, allowing five hits and one run while striking out nine. Zach Gunderson threw two innings in relief to earn the save. DCTC had eight hits in the game. Goelz and Kirby Pieri each collected multiple hits. The Blue Knights tore up the base paths with eight stolen bases. Goodwin led the way with three.
Play-In Series Game 3
DCTC 10 Bay College 0
Ben Simonsen didn't allow a single run against Bay College, throwing a complete game shutout and leading the Blue Knights to a 10-0 victory on Saturday. DCTC got things moving in the first inning, when Ben Goelz got an RBI single. They put up three runs in the fourth inning. Goelz and Mitch Goodwin moved runners across the plate with RBIs in the inning. Simonsen earned the victory on the hill. The righty went five innings, allowing zero runs on two hits, striking out two and walking one. DCTC racked up 13 hits on the day. Brady Klehr, Tommy Peterson, Mason Primus, and Diego Waisanen each racked up multiple hits for Blue Knights. Klehr went 3-for-4 at the plate to lead Blue Knights in hits. The Blue Knights stole eight bases during the game as three players stole more than one. Seth Goplen led the way with two.
DCTC 7 Bay College 3
The Blue Knights takes victory on Saturday to the tune of 7-3. In the first inning, the Blue Knights got their offense started when Nick Goebert threw a wild pitch allowing one run across the plate. DCTC pulled away for good with a two-run homer by Mitch Goodwin in the third inning. They scored three runs in the sixth inning led by a single by Diego Waisanen and a double by Goodwin. Allex Ege pitched the Blue Knights to victory. The righty allowed one hit and one run over four innings, striking out six and walking zero. Mason Primus started the game. Primus went three innings, allowing two runs on four hits, striking out six and walking zero. DCTC scattered six hits in the game. Brady Klehr and Goodwin each racked up multiple hits. Klehr led the Blue Knights with two stolen bases, as they ran wild on the base paths with nine stolen bases.
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Blue Knights Spotlight
Griffin Spindler
Griffin Spindler
Sport: Baseball
Position: Pitcher
Major: Architecture
Year: Freshman
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