Tag: softball

Softball Player Profile: Brad Wendt

Larry Wolfe Where’s Brad? He’s not here; he went away. I bet Brad Wendt heard a lot of those corny jokes as a youngster. But as an adult, he actually “went” to a lot of places and did a lot of different things. A native of Madison, Wisc., Brad graduated from Monona Grove High where…

Softball Winter League Wrap-up

A photo from the Sun Division championship game: Dave Martin is on base as first basemen. Dave Waibel awaits the next pitch. (Photo courtesy of Captured Moments Pictures)

Larry Wolfe Both of our Winter League Divisions ended up with two teams tied for the league lead. In the Lakes Division, Manager Vern Rodgers’ Brenden Financial Planners and Manager Tom Erpelding’s Core Photographers both finished with 11-7 records, one game ahead of Manager Gary Hillabolt’s Young Team Realtors. The Photographers started the season by…

Lady Sluggers Nearing End of Season

Larry Wolfe Our Lady Sluggers senior softball squad is nearing the end of its season. Doubleheaders are scheduled for every Monday and Wednesday through March 10. The first pitch is at noon each day. This has been a “different” year (I refuse to say “unprecedented!”) due to COVID implications. The number of teams in the…

Softball Player Profile: Mark Durben

Mark Durben

Larry Wolfe As a young man, Mark Durben admits that he got in with the “wrong crowd” back in his hometown of Racine, Wis. He worked at jobs in a foundry and snowblower plant after graduating from Horlick High in Racine before deciding at age 23 that he needed to escape. As a self-professed “hippie,”…

Spooner PT Nine Edges Steinmann’s Redeemed Team

Duck, Jim! Slugger Mark McKinnon rifles a line drive up the middle toward pitcher Jim Leckner. (Courtesy of SkyView Digital Media)

Larry Wolfe Going into the final day of the Sun Division’s fall season, Manager Randy Neumann’s Spooner Physical Therapy squad held a one-game lead over the second-place Redeemed Team, sponsored by Realtor Suzy Steinmann, and managed by Dave Platt. The Redeemed Team needed to sweep a scheduled doubleheader from Spooner to capture the title. They…

Softball Player Profile: Susan Rodke

Susan Rodke

Larry Wolfe Susan Rodke (nee Griffin) was born in Billings, Mont., and then lived briefly in California as a young child, before her family settled in Minnesota. She spent most of her childhood in Fergus Falls before the family moved to Barnesville when she was in high school. She was a four-sport athlete for the…

Core Photography Team Wins Lakes Division Title

The Lakes Division Champs: Front Row (left to right): Frank Rouse, Tom Lorgan, Larry Maggard, Dennis Colbert, and Player-Manager Tom Erpelding. Back row (left to right): Dave Boone, Gene Granquist, Bob Hutchins, Joe Commisto, Doug Warwick, and Tom Vitolo. Absent: Gary Brinkman (Photo courtesy of Masked Moments Studios)

Larry Wolfe The Core Photography team, managed by Tom Erpelding, captured the Fall Softball Season pennant in the Lakes Division with a record of 10 wins and 4 losses. They easily outpaced the second-place team, Wolfe & Associates, managed by Gary Hillabolt, which finished at .500 with an 8-8 ledger. Wild Bill McCoy’s A-1 Golf…

Lady Sluggers Season Is Underway

Larry Wolfe Our Lady Sluggers senior softball team was scheduled to open their season on Jan. 18, at the Field of Dreams. They play against other area teams in the Valley of the Sun League. This year, the league was reduced to five teams due to the impact of COVID-19 restrictions. The Lady Sluggers were…

Lady Sluggers Ready to Take the Field

Larry Wolfe Our Lady Sluggers senior softball team is scheduled to open its season the first week of January. As of press time, the Sluggers were slated to play every Monday in January and February at the Field of Dreams. Games start at noon. The Sluggers play in the Valley of the Sun League. Given…

We’re Ready for the Winter Softball Season

Gene Granquist is shown pitching in a recent Lakes Division game. Shortstop Dave Martin is ready for action. (Photo courtesy of Alyssa Chapman Studios)

Larry Wolfe Isn’t it great to live in a place where you can use “winter” and “softball” in the same sentence? While our northern brethren are shoveling snow, here in Sun Lakes, it’s business as usual at the Field of Dreams. At the press deadline, we still had a week to go in the Fall…