Baseball and softball seasons begin

The Rowenhorst Student Center has been in a flurry of activity since the return of students and athletes after Christmas break. Much of that activity can be contributed to the baseball and softball teams. Both teams are back to work after their respective off-seasons, and they are working hard to be ready for their first games. The baseball team opens up first, with games scheduled in Joplin, Mo, the weekend of Feb. 25 and 26. They had games originally scheduled for this weekend in Fayette, Mo.; however, cold temperatures and large snowstorms cancelled those from the slate. In Joplin, the Raiders will be facing Graceland, Culver-Stockton, and Viterbo. Following the weekend trip to Joplin, the baseball team will practice for a couple weeks before flying off to Phoenix, Ariz. for spring break. They will play a total of 10 games in Arizona against a variety of teams, including 11th- ranked Madonna University of Michigan. The ball-club is looking forward to the season, as they are receiving votes nationally and picked to finish second in the conference after winning the conference tournament and advancing to the National Tournament Opening Round last year. Defending conference champion Mt. Marty is picked to win the conference. Sioux Falls, Hastings, and Doane round out the top five.
The softball team will also be looking forward to their season opener on March 7 at the Tucson Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. Despite the longer wait, they will be ready to play in warm temperatures, and will play a total of 10 games on their spring break trip. After Arizona, the Raiders will begin conference play against Nebraska Wesleyan on March 19. The softball squad is picked to finish at ninth place in the conference this season. Last season, they finished 12th with a conference record of 5-19. Individually, the Raiders were led by Rachel Harris. She enjoyed one of the best seasons ever by a Red Raider softball player. She had a batting average of .449, which led not only the team, but the entire conference. Harris racked up a total of 57 hits, 4 of them triples. She earned first-team All-GPAC honors, and also received All-American honors from the NAIA. The Red Raiders are hoping to rebound from last season, and will be looking forward to starting their quest in just under a month under the sunny skies of Tucson, Arizona.