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Keg Softball 2007
January 2, 2007 --
January 2nd -- Keg Softball would like to welcome a few new members to the squad, while wishing the best to our former teammates.
First off, Keg Softball would like to thank Jamie Elrod for the years he spent in a Keg uniform. Jamie was always the life of the party for Keg Softball and a very skilled/nimble yet unorthodox player at the hot corner. Everyone has a story about Jamie, whether it from watching Jamie snag balls while playing 2 steps in front of the bag at third or hearing Jamie belt out Guns N’ Roses at Shenanigans. The Keggers would also like to thank Nate Fichter for his devotion and dedication to the game, while also putting his best foot forward in fundraising for the team as well. Keg Softball wishes the best for both guys in the future.
As for the coming season, we do have new guys that are very focused on making Keg Softball one of the premier teams in the state along with giving us a more consistent tournament roster.
The guys that will be joining Keg Softball next year will be Scott Olsen, Casey Ottmar, and Chris Vande Hoef (Vandy), all from the Gaslight/Jack Daniels squad, along with Tim Hoover from Galland/A-1 Bail Bonds. The 3 new guys from Gaslight will inject some new athleticism into the lineup along with being very hungry softballers. Tim Hoover (shown below) will bring his soft shortstop hands over from A-1 and create greater flexibility in the infield. The Keg will also be looking to get more games from part-time player (shortstop) Chad Curtis, or as his coaching schedule allows.
Some of the immediate goals for the squad in 2007 are to continue pushing forward to becoming one of the better “C” teams in our immediate region, while finding tournaments that can work as a measuring stick for the teams abilities. The Keggers will look to make a run at the Division I State Title with a squad that will be hungry and focused. Keg Softball will continue to strive to be a squad of great character and a group that exudes class and sportsmanship on and off the field.
Hitting starts soon and the season if just a few months away..time to start getting ready..
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Practice Time
February 7, 2007 --
After what seems like a pretty long off-season, the boys are back at it again. Taking cuts in Valley Springs, shooting some hoops, and getting tired way too soon. Some outside practices have also started as the weather gets a little bit more tolerable. Fundraiser in the making..
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A few bumps in the road
April 20, 2007 --
The preseason has dealt the Keggers some tough blows late in the preseason. Keg veteran Scot Namanny has decided to hang it up and spend his summers in a different way, while recent Keg signee Chris Vande Hoef is moving to Omaha and will only be available sparingly. These two players will be greatly missed from the daily lineup of Keg Softball.
On top of the other recent changes, Ryan Johnson will be having elbow surgery at the end of April and will likely miss the entire season while recovering. RJ has dealt with a great deal of pain over the last 2 years with his throwing arm and the surgery will now take place of what has been a string of cortisone shots, etc. All said, RJ has probably been as big a part of our team’s success as any player for any squad in the state over the last few years.
With these last minute changes the remaining Keggers will need to tighten up the cleats a little more and get the most out of each player.
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2007 Keg Fundraiser..and the winner is..T-Bone Kobayashi
April 20, 2007 --
The Keg Softball 2007 Fundraiser has come and gone, and what a heckuva time it was. Along with the normal ‘all the chicken and beer you can handle’ deal there was also a main event at the end of the night. The hot leg eating contest is a new thing for the fundraiser and was a big hit and a lot of fun..not so much the next day however. In any event, the participants in the main event were Witt (Keg), Siegs (Jaxx), and T-Bone (Terry Invelt, Team Titans). The contest itself was a 10 minute-20 hot leg encounter. In a pool of hot sauce, Siegs sweating, Witt’s heavy breathing, and T-Bone’s grunts, came a winner. T-Bone finished his 20 hot legs at the 7-minute mark, leaving behind both Witt and Siegs who were at 17 at the time. A great battle and a lot of fun for the 30 or so who stuck around for the 3-man dance.
As the battle ended T-Bone was heard saying, “You want me to go through those bones and clean them off completely?”, which was followed by “Thank you for coming.” Nothing like good entertainment value from the old fella. Upon having Siegs tell Terry that he would have given him a better contest had the legs not been hot: “Tell em in the kitchen to bring out that chicken” Moments later our champion finished the night by commenting about the legs, saying “They were good but I would have liked to have ranch dressing with the legs. I love ranch. I’d brush my teeth with ranch if I could.”
All told the event was a great time and good chance to see a lot of the Sioux Falls softball world. As always, thanks again for your continued support of Keg Softball.
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Dick Hacking Tournament
April 29, 2007 --
The 2007 campaign started out with the Dick Hacking Classic at Sherman Park in Sioux Falls. The Round Robin format allows each team to play 4 games in one day and to get some good reps for all involved. This weekend gave Keg Softball a chance to try some new guys out for size while Ryan Johnson, Chris Stoebner, and Scott Olsen, were unable to play.
In the 9am game the Keggers got to face the newly revamped Tryon Gym squad (previously Chammps). In a back and forth contest the Keggers outlasted Tryon and won 12-6. Highlights included a homerun from Vandy, great play from new 3B Josh Ames, and strong overall defense from the entire group.
The next contest was against Ground Round (formerly known as Granite City). This game was also close as the Keggers took the game 7-5 in windy conditions. The heavy winds would play greatly in 3 of the 4 games.
The 3rd game of the day for the squad was Sanford Power (previously CND). This game ended up being a battle of two solid defenses with plenty of double plays and diving grabs. Sanford was able to plate 2 runs and take the game by a 2-0 score.
The final game for the boys was Workers. The Keggers were able to pull out another tight one here 9-6. Highlights included a grand slam to dead center field from Keg newcomer Casey Ottmar, and great defense show once again by Tim Hoover and returning Kegger Scott Namanny.
Overall the squad went 3 and 1 and got some more game experience in before the season really gets going. Tryon Gym and Sanford both finished at 3-1 as well, with Ground Round 1-3, and Workers 0-4. With the official tie-breaker being runs scored, Tryon Gym took the title.
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2007 Spring Classic
May 21, 2007 --
The third weekend in May always brings on the Spring Classic Softball Tournament. This is the softball tournament in South Dakota each year and it was the 10th annual this time around. The Keggers went into the tournament with some injuries but hungry to see how they compared to teams from the surrounding states as the Classic had 19th teams in the “C” division and with no “B” division present teams like Bellerud and Sanford (previously CND) were allowed to play in the “C” as well. 9 of the 19 teams were from within SD while the other 10 squads were from IA, MN, ND, and NE.
The Keggers were taxed with having the task of beating Peak Nutrition (Omaha, NE) for the 2nd time in 2 years (previously played a tight game at Rhonda’s in Sioux City). In a back and forth game the Keggers were able to outlast Peak 15-14 and move on to round two. In a first round that so a lot of Sioux Falls success stories, A1 upset the heavily favored Bellerud squad from Fargo. A1 and Keg faced off for the 2nd time this season and this time A1 took the Keg 12-5 in a mush ball paradise for both squads. With that the squad was done for Saturday and had a 9am date with tournament favorite UMI (Savage, MN).
The Keggers started Sunday by letting UMI take an early 8-0 lead on the heels of a few big UMI bombs. However, the Keggers rallied in the 3rd inning to tie the game at 8’s and kept rolling to a 16-11 upset of this good Minnesota squad. The guys then waited the winner of Outkast (former Sports Connection) and Tryon Gym. Tryon hit their way to big win, which set the stage for the 3rd game between Tryon and Keg in this short 2007 softball season. The Keggers stepped up and held the upper hand for the majority of the game en route to a 17-12 win over a very talented Tryon squad, and upping Keg’s mark versus Tryon this year to 3-0.
After getting a much needed hour break, the Keggers faced the loser of the Ground Round / BOHICA versus Max Muscle (formerly Edge Gym) match up. MM rolled in this one and the Keggers had Ground Round to play at noon. The Keg got out to a decent start and played with the lead to an 11-3 win, leaving 4 teams left in the “C” division.
With Max Muscle and Sanford both unbeaten, the Keggers faced The Zoo / Huff Construction at 1pm. While the Keggers won both games between the two teams convincingly last season, the Zoo ended up outlasting the Keggers 11-10 with a 7th inning walkoff homerun, after the Keg was up 10-2 just a few innings earlier. Obviously this was a tough loss for the squad considering the game appeared well in hand, but considering the quality of the teams in this event it was still a pretty solid showing for the home town boys.
As for the rest of the tournament, Max Muscle lost to Sanford in the undefeated game but then beat Zoo to get back to the championship round. MM then poured it on for two straight games (23-5, 22-10) over Sanford in very dominant fashion. Judging by the reaction of most in attendance, this was Max Muscle’s moment and some of the best softball they’ve played..and at the right time.
1. Max Muscle
2. Sanford
3. Zoo/Huff
4. Keg Softball
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2007 DLC
July 9, 2007 --
The Keggers long injury plagued season came to a head at the DLC Tournament in Sioux Falls. A few days before the tournament team fire starter Vic (Scott McVicker) got in injured in a freak accident in which he was trying to save a player from the Gateway (Thursday night) squad from getting hit by a screamer during pre-game batting practice. After a minor collision Vic fell awkwardly as he sold out for the ball, separating his shoulder and possibly having rotator cuff complications as well. As many people know who are familiar with our team, Vic is the straw the stirs the drink for us. Vic, you will be greatly missed for many reasons.
As for the tournament itself, we drew Pioneer Auto out of Sioux City in the first round. In a back in forth battle the Keggers found themselves down 15-13 in the 6th, until the Pioneer squad broke it open and took the game 22-13. Unfortunately the Keggers struggled with the next opponent (Suds) and lost that game 17-13. This was the worst showing the Keggers have had in a showcase event in quite some time, but something for the squad to work on going forward. Thanks for TP and Reggie from A1 for filling in for Vic and Ibis.
DLC Results:
1. Sanford
2. Tyron
3. Huff-Kast
4. Suds
On the positive side, the team did get outfielder Chris Stoebner (“Staybs”) back from a knee injury that’s kept him away from the diamonds until mid-season. Good to have ya back Staybs.
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..and the hits keep on comin..
July 10, 2007 --
After missing half of the season, then coming back and playing ball for 3 weeks, Chris Stoebner ("Staybs") found out from the doc that he's got a torn ACL and will now be out for the remainder of the season. Staybs has been a standout outfielder for the squad for the last 5 years after leaving behind a storied high school and college athletic career (SDSU). Staybs patrolled the middle of the outfield like nobody else in a Keg uniform has either before or after him.
Chris will be getting married in mid-August and moving to Minneapolis in a few months, so it's too bad that Staybs can't finish off the season as it will obviously be his last as a Kegger. Thanks again Staybs for all the good times, all the great plays, and the friendship. You will be missed by our squad..
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4th Place at State
August 9, 2007 --
The Keggers went into the state tournament pretty ho-hum after having an injury-laden season. After getting the draw the squad could see that they got the Rapid City “A” Division Champion in HND. This game was very back and forth, with Ryan Johnson coming through with a game winning double in the 7th to put the Keggers into the next round with a 9-8 victory.
In the next round the Keggers got Outkast, who’d also had a less than ideal season. That said, the ‘Kast outlasted the chicken-pluckers 8-3 in a real mud fight. With one loss at this point, the Keggers headed into the losers bracket and got Tryon at 3pm. The Keggers made it 5-0 versus the boys in navy, and onto Sunday with an 11-6 win.
After having much of the team out experiencing Pierre and Fort Pierre til the early morning hours, the Keggers took the field for an 8am tilt with often opponent Ground Round from Sioux Falls. The Keggers made it 4-0 versus the loud colored Sioux Falls squad in a 20-9 win. Next for the boys was The Workers, who’d finished in 2nd place the previous year. In this game the Keggers continued their sticking with a 20-7 win over their league foe. Next ahead was a rematch with Outkast, with 4 of the 12 teams still remaining in the tournament at this point. In another mudfight game the ‘Kast got hitting at the end at made it an 11-4 game.
All things said, the squad was pleased with a 4-2 weekend against the best the state had to offer, along with a 4th place finish in the D1.
1.Sanford (Sioux Falls)
2.Outkast (Brookings)
3.Huff/Zoo (Aberdeen)
4.Keg (Sioux Falls)
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Push Pedal Pull Softball - Sioux Falls, SD
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