For the Week of May 05-11, 2008:

Players of the Week

Baseball Pitcher: Luis Avila; Dickinson State; Senior; San Bernardino, CA – Avila helped the Blue Hawks to the DAC tournament championship by picking up a pair of wins, including the championship game victory on two days rest.  In two games, he pitched 14 innings, allowed eight earned runs on 16 hits with nine strikeouts and six walks.

Baseball Player: Tony Isbell; Dickinson State; Junior; Designated Hitter/Pitcher; Florence, MT – Isbell batted .526 with a 1.105 slugging percentage in leading the Blue Hawks to the DAC tournament championship.  In the tournament, he was 10 of 19 with two doubles, three home runs, five runs scored and 12 RBI.  Isbell hit a walk-off home run in a dramatic come from behind victory over Valley City State in the championship bracket of the tournament.

Softball Pitcher: Sara Jane Webster; Dickinson State; Freshman; Los Angeles, CA – Webster continued her outstanding freshman season with a pair of wins in helping the Blue Hawks to the DAC tournament championship.  In two contests, she pitched 14 innings, allowed four runs, two earned runs on seven hits with 18 strikeouts and two walks.

Softball Player: Krystal Hathaway; Valley City State; Sophomore; Pitcher; Winnipeg, MB, Canada – Hathaway batted .609 with a 1.043 slugging percentage in helping the Vikings to a 5-3 record.  For the week, she was 14 of 23 with one double and three home runs, along with nine RBI, seven runs scored and one base-on-balls.

The Week Ahead

DAC News & Notes

- Dickinson State captured their fifth straight men’s championship at the DAC Track & Field meet in Jamestown on Sunday.  The Blue Hawks won the meet with 286.5 points.  Black Hills State was second with 162 followed by Jamestown College with 120.5, Minot State with 96, Dakota State with 86 and South Dakota Mines with 43.  DSU also picked up three of the Post-Season Awards.  Pete Stanton was voted Coach of the Year, Allan Ayala earned the Track Athlete of the Meet award and Sean Pickstock was the Overall Athlete of the Meet.  Eric Flores from Black Hills State was the Field Athlete of the Meet and Chandler Caldwell of South Dakota Mines was picked as the Senior Athlete of the Year.  Complete meet results can be found on the DAC web-site.

- Black Hills State won their third consecutive women’s title at the DAC Track & Field meet in Jamestown on Sunday.  The Yellow Jackets picked up the win with 279 points.  Dickinson State was the runner-up with 210 with Jamestown College third with 129, Dakota State fourth with 94, Minot State fifth with 65 and South Dakota Mines sixth with 14.  Black Hills State also grabbed four of the five Post-Season Awards.  Shannon Hellman won the Track Athlete and Overall Athlete of the Meet awards, Aubrey Baxter was the Field Athlete of the Meet and Scott Walkinshaw was chosen the Coach of the Year.  Laura Tewes from Dakota State was voted the Senior Athlete of the Year. Complete results of the meet are available on the DAC web-site.

- Dickinson State went 4-0 in winning the DAC Baseball Tournament in Valley City.  The Blue Hawks wrapped up the title with an 8-4 victory over Minot State in the championship game on Sunday.  The tournament title earns DSU an invitation to the NAIA Region III Tournament in Mayville on Wednesday through Saturday.  Dickinson State is the number six seed and begins the tournament at 10:00 AM against Morningside, IA.  Jamestown is seeded fifth and will play Northwestern, IA at 1:00.  Regular season DAC champion Mayville State is seeded fourth and will wrap up the first day at 4:00 versus Briar Cliff, IA.  A complete schedule of the tournament is available on the baseball page of the DAC web-site.

- Dickinson State added the DAC Softball Tournament crown to their regular season championship.  DSU went 3-0 at the conference tourney in Jamestown, winning the championship game by a 3-2 score over Minot State on Sunday.  With the tournament championship, the Blue Hawks earn a berth in the Region III Tournament in Sioux City, IA on Wednesday through Friday.  Dickinson State, the top seed, will open the regional tournament at 12:00 against Dana, NE.  Minot State, the fourth seed and the only other DAC team in the tournament, will play Doane, NE at 12:00.  A complete tournament schedule can be found on the softball page of the DAC web-site.

- Regular season runner-up Dakota State picked up eight spots on the All DAC baseball team, while conference champion Mayville State, Jamestown College and Dickinson State placed four players apiece on the squad.  Dakota State, Jamestown College, Mayville State and Valley City State each had two players on the DAC Gold Glove team.  Catcher Scott Tulloch of Dickinson State was chosen the conference Most Valuable Player.  Jamestown pitcher Graham Campbell was selected the Most Valuable Senior.  Pitcher Dan Rhodes from Dakota State was voted the Freshman of the Year.  Dan Knox of Mayville State was picked the Pitcher of the Year and his coach, Scott Berry, was named the Coach of the Year.  A complete list of the all conference and Gold Glove teams are available on the Baseball All Conference page of the DAC web-site.

- Regular season champion Dickinson State placed eight players on the All DAC Softball team, while runner-up Minot State has four on the honor squad.  Dickinson State’s Sara Jane Webster was chosen the conference Pitcher and Freshman of the Year.  Minot State shortstop Janessa Penner was voted the Player of the Year.  Catcher Chelsa Carley of Mayville State was picked as the Senior of the Year and Black Hills State’s Amy Gurney was selected the Coach of the Year.  A complete list of the All Conference team can be found on the Softball All Conference page of the DAC web-site.

- Dickinson State senior wrestler Justin Schlecht is featured in the popular “Faces in the Crowd” segment of the May 5 edition of Sports Illustrated.  The Whitewood, SD native won his third straight individual national championship at 197 pounds and was voted the National Wrestling Coaches Association NAIA Wrestler of the Year.  Schlecht, who served 16 months in Iraq with the South Dakota National Guard, finished his Blue Hawk career with school records for wins in a career with 140 and career pins with 65.

- Former Dakota State football player Mitch Lynch made his professional debut on Saturday, April 26 with the Sioux City Bandits of the United Indoor Football League.  In the Bandits 53-49 setback to the Bloomington Extreme, Lynch, a native of Helena, MT, was five-for-five on extra point attempts and hit field goals from 25 and 48 yards.

- The South Dakota School of Mines football team held a blood drive April 30 in the locker room at O’Harra Stadium in Rapid City. Hardrocker football coach Dan Kratzer, a number of his players and other SDM students took part in the drive.

For the Week of April 28-May 04, 2008:

Players of the Week

Baseball Pitcher: Dan Rhodes; Dakota State; Freshman; Madison, SD – In his lone appearance of the week, Rhodes pitched a nine inning complete game in a 6-3 Trojans’ win over Valley City State.  In the contest, he gave up three earned runs on seven hits with ten strikeouts and three walks.  Rhodes was also named the NAIA Region III Pitcher of the Week.

Baseball Player: Cam McLachlan; Jamestown College; Junior; First Base; Naniamo, MB, Canada – McLachlan batted .500 with an .833 slugging percentage as the Jimmies went 2-2 for the week.  He was 6 of 12 with a pair of walks, one double, one home run, five runs scored and seven RBI.  He also was 2 for 2 on stolen base attempts.

Softball Pitcher: Dakota Novotny; Dakota State; Sophomore; Dakota State – Novotny pitched back-to-back five inning, complete game shutouts in her two appearances for the week.  In the two games, she pitched ten innings, allowed no runs on three hits with ten strikeouts and three walks.

Softball Player: Chelsa Carley; Mayville State; Senior; Catcher; Calgary. AB, Canada – Carley batted .636 with a .714 on-base percentage and a 1.545 slugging percentage as the Comets split a pair of conference double-headers. In four games, she was 7 of 11 with three walks, five doubles, a triple, a home run, nine runs scored, five RBI and a stolen base.

The Week Ahead

DAC News & Notes

- Minot State edged Dickinson State for the DAC men’s golf championship and Dickinson State won their sixth straight conference crown in women’s golf.  Jordan Kelly of Minot State captured the men’s individual championship to earn Most Valuable Player honors and his coach, Chipper Farrell, was named the Coach of the Year.  Whitney Stanley of Black Hills State won the women’s individual title to grab the Most Valuable Player award.  Megan Fisher of Dickinson State was chosen the Most Valuable Senior and Dickinson State’s Tim Daniel was picked the conference Coach of the Year.

- The Dickinson State and Jamestown College women and Minot State and Dickinson State men will represent the DAC at the NAIA Region III Golf Tournament on Monday-Tuesday, April 28-29 at the Elmwood Golf Course in Sioux Falls, SD.  The DAC will also have five individuals competing – they are Whitney Stanley of Minot State; Anne Langdell and Katie Campbell from Black Hills State; Eddy Delzer of Jamestown College and Brandon Eisenbaum of South Dakota Mines. The NAIA Region III Team Champion and Medalist will advance to the NAIA National Golf Championships. The NAIA Men’s Golf Championships are May 13-16 in Plymouth, IN, while the NAIA Women’s Golf Championships are May 20-23 in San Diego CA.

- The DAC baseball tournament will take place Thursday-Saturday, May 1-3 in Valley City.  The winner of the tournament will advance to the Region III tournament, May 7-10.  Tournament pairings will be announced on Tuesday.

- The DAC softball tournament will be played in Jamestown Friday-Saturday, May 2-3.  The tournament champion advances to the Region III tournament, May 7-9.  Tournament pairings will be anounced on Tuesday.

- The DAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships will be held on Friday, May 2 in Jamestown.  Points scored at the DAC multi-events that were held last Sunday-Monday in Dickinson are carried over to the conference meet.  Sean Pickstock of Dickinson State won the men’s decathlon and Shannon Hellman of Black Hills State captured the women’s heptathlon.

- Marcus Davis became the second Dickinson State baseball player to sign a professional contract. Davis was picked up by Gary, IN of the Northern League for the 2008 season. The Railcats were the Northern League champions during the 2007 season. Davis played both football and baseball for the Hawks. He participated in baseball for DSU during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. He was a standout centerfielder, garnering second team All DAC honors his junior year after posting a .381 batting average with eight homers and 27 stolen bases. He is DSU’s career stolen base and runs scored leader, swiping 46 bags and scoring 96 runs in just two seasons.

- Two teams from the DAC are ranked in the 2008 NAIA Football Top 25 Spring Coaches’ Poll.  Jamestown College is 12th and Black Hills State is 19th in the rankings and Minot State received votes.  Jamestown, Black Hills State and Minot State shared the conference championship in 2007 with the Jimmies and Yellow Jackets advancing to the national playoffs for the second consecutive season.

For the Week of April 21-27, 2008:

Players of the Week

Baseball Pitcher: Bryan Visser; Dickinson State; Junior; Sedro Woolley, WA – Visser helped the Blue Hawks to a 3-1 week with a complete game, shutout over Valley City State, the first shutout for the season for the DSU pitching staff.  In his lone appearance of the week, he gave up no runs on three hits in seven innings with four strikeouts and no walks and did not allow a runner past second base in improving his season record to 3-0.

Baseball Player: Jeremy Burgard; Jamestown College; Senior; Left Field; Dickinson, ND – Burgard hit a lofty .517 with a 1.138 slugging percentage in eight games.  For the week, he was 15 of 29 with two doubles, two triples and four home runs with 16 RBI, nine runs scored, one stolen base and a walk.

Softball Pitcher: Kayla Mitchell; Minot State; Junior; Portage la Prairie, MB, Canada – Mitchell picked up a pair of victories in leading the Beavers to a 5-1 record for the week.  She pitched two complete games, allowing three earned runs on just four base hits with 11 strikeouts and only two base-on-balls.

Softball Player: Janessa Penner; Minot State; Sophomore; Shortstop; Morden, MB, Canada – Penner hit a blistering .591 with an impressive 1.364 slugging percentage in helping the Beavers win five of six contests.  For the week, she was 13 of 22 with a double, five triples, two home runs, four RBI, six runs scored, a walk and a stolen base.

The Week Ahead

DAC News & Notes

- The DAC golf season wraps up with the conclusion of the Black Hills State Invitational on Monday, April 20-21.  The conference team and individual champions will be decided following the tournament.  The top two teams qualify for the NAIA Region III Tournament on Monday-Tuesday, April 28-29 at the Elmwood Golf Course in Sioux Falls, SD.

- The DAC Multi-Events for track and field will finish in Dickinson on Monday, April 21.  The points scored at the event will be added to the team points at the DAC Outdoor Championships on May 2 in Jamestown.

- Dickinson State's Sara Jane Webster has been selected the NAIA Softball Pitcher of the Week for her performance during the week of April 7-13. The freshman from Los Angeles, CA, picked up three wins during the week. In 19 innings, she allowed just one run with 36 strikeouts and no walks. Webster is 10-0 this season with a 1.22 ERA and 111 strikeouts.

- The DAC baseball regular season concludes with the final weekend of conference play on Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27.  The conference tournament will be held May 1-3 in Valley City.

- The final full weekend of DAC softball is the weekend of Saturday and Sunday, April 26-27.  The regular season wraps up on Tuesday, April 29 with the post-season tournament scheduled for May 2-3 in Jamestown.

- Updated NAIA baseball and softball ratings will be released on Wednesday afternoon.

- Dickinson State is considering eight applicants for their vacant head volleyball coaching position.  Among the prospective coaches are Yong Li,, an assistant coach for the United States national women’s team; Fernanda Nelson, a former assistant at National American University, SD, and Ryan Platt, an assistant at the University of Montana.  Athletic Director Roger Ternes hopes to begin interviewing candidates by the end of the month to find a replacement for Dave Moody, who recently resigned.

For the Week of April 14-20, 2008:

Players of the Week

Baseball Pitcher: Greg Hockin; Jamestown College; Senior; Neepawa, MB, Canada – Hocking pitched a complete game in a 6-2 win over Dakota State, his lone performance of the week.  In the contest, he went seven innings, allowed two earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and three walks.

Baseball Player: Miles Johnson; Jamestown College; Junior; Catcher; Oak Point, MB, Canada – Johnson batted .500 with a 1.100 slugging percentage in helping the Jimmies to a 5-0 record for the week.  Johnson was 5 of 10 at the plate with two home runs, two runs scored; six RBI, a pair of walks and two stolen bases. Johnson was also named NAIA Region III Player of the Week.

Softball Pitcher: Sara Jane Webster; Dickinson State; Freshman; Los Angeles, CA – Webster went 3-0 with an 0.37 ERA in helping the Blue Hawks to a 6-0 week.  In her three outings, Webster pitched 19 innings, allowed one earned run on eight hits with 36 strikeouts and no walks.  Webster was also named NAIA Region III Pitcher of the Week and National Pitcher of the Week.

Softball Player: Janessa Penner; Minot State; Sophomore; Shortstop; Morden, MB, Canada – Penner batted .762 with an .800 on-base percentage and a 1.333 slugging percentage in leading the Beavers to a 5-1 record for the week.  In the six games, she was 16 of 21 with four doubles, a triple, two home runs, 11 runs scored and ten RBI.  Penner also coaxed four walks and stole eight bases in eight attempts.  Penner was also named NAIA Region III Player of the Week. 

The Week Ahead

DAC News & Notes

- The DAC golf season continues with the conclusion of the South Dakota Mines Invitational on Monday, April 14 and concludes with the Black Hills State Invitational on Sunday and Monday, April 20-21.

- The DAC Multi-Events for track and field will take place in Dickinson on Sunday and Monday, April 20-21.  The points scored at the event will be added to the team points at the DAC Outdoor Championships on May 2 in Jamestown.

- Minot State shortstop Jenessa Penner has been selected the NAIA Softball Player of the Week for her performance the week of March 31-April 6. The sophomore from Morden, Manitoba, recorded eight hits in 11 at-bats and drove in nine runs in three games for the week. She batted .727 with a 1.818 slugging percentage with four home runs and ten runs scored. She also was 3 for 3 on stolen base attempts.

- Ten players from the Dakota Athletic Conference have been selected to play in the Victory Sports Network Senior Classic on April 19 in Platte City, MO. The rosters are a selection of some of the top seniors from the NAIA. Kickoff is at 1:00.  Cornerback Toby Ball and defensive tackle Derek Gosch of Dakota State have been selected for the Americans team. Second team All American safety Gary Thomas, offensive lineman Dale Ackland and receiver Marcus McCrary of Jamestown College; linebacker Karson Storey, linebacker Dominic Vargas, offensive lineman Chris Hayes and punter Robert Stevens of Mayville State, and receiver Brandon Siverson of Valley City State will play for the Nationals team.  Complete rosters and more information on the VSN Senior Classic can be found on the Victory Sports Network web-site.

- With a 7-4 win over Dickinson State on Monday, April 7, senior Jason Ciz broke the Dakota State school record for career wins with 23. He pitched six innings, allowed six hits with four runs, walked one, and struck out one to notch his second win of the season.  The previous record was held by Matt Schuster with 22 wins from 2002 to 2005.

- Jamestown College will be adding women’s wrestling to their athletic offerings beginning in the 2008-09 academic year.  Current men’s coach Cisco Cole will also serve as the head coach for the women’s program. 

- Updated NAIA baseball and softball ratings will be released on Wednesday afternoon.

For the Week of April 07-13, 2008:

Players of the Week

Baseball Pitcher: No nominations.

Baseball Player: Ben Cairns; Jamestown College; Junior; 3B; Nanaimmo, BC, Canada – Cairns went 3 for 4 with a double, a home run, two runs and an RBI as the Jimmies split a pair of non-conference contests.

Softball Pitcher: Sara Jane Webster; Dickinson State; Freshman; Los Angeles, CA – Webster struck out a school record 15 batters in her lone outing of the week, a 3-1 win over Black Hills State.  In the contest, she pitched a complete game, three hitter; allowed one earned run with 15 strikeouts and no walks.  Webster was also named NAIA Region III Pitcher of the Week.

Softball Player: Janessa Penner; Minot State; Sophomore; Shorstop; Morden, MB, Canada – Penner batted .727 with a 1.818 slugging percentage as the Beavers won two of three games over the week.  In the three contests, she was 8 of 11 with four home runs, 10 runs, nine RBI, one walk and 3 for 3 on stolen bases.  Penner was also named NAIA Region III Player of the Week and National Player of the Week.

The Week Ahead