Corkys Early Bird - 2nd place finish May 15, 2008 --
Corkys
Push Pedal Pull (P3) Softball opened up the season in Owatonna, MN and the Corky’s Early Bird Tournament. The squad was lined up to play in the C/DD division along side a steady mix of C and D teams from Minneapolis, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
For the first day or so of the tournament the games were playing in a pretty bad rain and cold wind. This made for some lower scores, along with the 3-homer allowance.
The P3 squad got out of the gates good with wins over the MN Hitmen, the Bashers (MN), Xtreme Measures (WI), and Bashers/Mortgage Depot, before losing in the undefeated game to Miken/Tanel/Daves. After this game, the P3 squad took care of the Ragin Hawks (IA) to get back to the championship where another defeat to Miken was the end result. Overall a very good weekend for the guys with a 5-2 start and 2nd place finish at a bigger event like Corky’s, along with getting a good chance to get some early season games under the belt.
On a side note, Thad Namanny (Old Nummy) did an exceptional job of filling in on the hill for longtime Keg pitcher Todd Ibis.
Spring Classic and League Play May 21, 2008 --
Spring Classic
While the Keg/P3 squad has gotten 4th place at the last two Spring Classic softball tournaments, the 2008 event was a different story. Matched up with last year’s 3rd place finisher in the opening round in Zoo/Huff Softball (Aberdeen, SD), the P3 squad played it’s worst defense of the year in a 12-3 loss. As a good team does, Zoo took advantage of all the P3 mistakes and converted them into runs. Next up for the P3 squad was BOHICA from Sioux Falls. P3 got off to an early start in this one, which led to a 16-8 finish. Sunday morning the guys got up early to be throttled 15-0 by Tryon in a game where simply put, they hit and we didn’t. Tryon ended up getting 3rd in this tournament, while P3 fell well short of team goals with a 1-2 finish.
League Play
Currently the P3 squad is 6-0 on Thursday nights in Sioux Falls with wins over the Storm, Workers, and others. While rain and cold weather has been in the forecast much of the year so far, the fellas are hoping to see some sunshine in the coming weeks.
Player retirement May 30, 2008 --
After spending the last few years on the Keg/P3 squad, Brad Kuhnert has decided to hang up the cleats and call it a career. Brad will greatly be missed in the P3 huddle not only as a contributor, but also because of his softball experience and his crazy sense of humor. “Old Sexy” as he was called was a lot of fun to have around at the park and will be missed.
Brad spent the brunt of his softball career on the mound for a very strong Sioux Falls “B/C” team, Bases Loaded. “Koon” was one of the driving forces for the Loaded squad for a long time along with Titans regulars Dave Van Tol and Bob Stratman. Brad was one of the top offensive players for a team that routinely played in national tournaments and helped establish South Dakota softball in our region.
Brad always a gamer and can still play, so don’t be stunned if you see Brad picking up on a game or tournament sometime if the right situation presents itself. Good luck friend.
2007 is done..bring on 2008
While having an injury-riddled campaign in 2007, the group was able to have yet another respectable year. The Keggers finished 4th for the second consecutive year in the Spring Classic in Sioux Falls, along with finishing 3rd place in Thursday Night Sioux Falls League, and netting a 4th place finish at the Division I State Tournament in Pierre, SD.
Looking back at the 2007 season, the Keg now has to speak of those who’ve chosen a different direction for their softball career in n 2008. Casey Ottmar has decided to move to the Suds / Billy Frogs team. Casey’s zest for the game and his unquestioned level of commitment will be missed, along with his grunts during plate appearances. On a serious note, Casey’s bat helped the Keg win plenty of ball games last year. Scott Olsen has decided to move onto another night (team not disclosed). Scott also helped the Keg win games with his bat. Josh Ames (bearded 3B) has moved back to Kansas from what we can best tell. Chris Stoebner has moved to the cities with his new wife Jana.
That all said, the Keg has some new blood.
Chad Lindbloom (Lindy), 34, joins the Keg ranks after spending several years with A1 Bail Bonds Softball. Lindy will find himself over at first base and should assist the Keggers with his bat and specifically in the power department. Mike Boetel (Boat), 37, is also coming over to Keg Softball from the A1 squad. Boat has spent many a year with A1 in the outfield and should be a great athletic addition to the squad with both stick and glove.
A late addition to the Keg squad will be Roland Sessions (Buff) 22, from Cannon Falls, MN. After finishing up college (Minnesota State Moorhead) he moved to Luverne to teach school. Roland has played in weekend tournaments in the cities for years and has been occasional teammates with Kegger Scott McVicker. Roland can play middle infield and outfield as well, while hitting for average and power. He is a welcome addition to the squad and a pleasant 11th hour surprise.
All said, the Keggers are looking to stay healthy in 2008 and raise the bar as well.
