One goal down, another to go.
Northfield’s baseball team repeated as Big 9 Conference champion and is now seeking back-to-back state tournament trips for the first time in school history. The Raiders previously reached the state tournament in 2002, 1975 and 1965.
“It’s a great honor to repeat as Big 9 champs in a strong baseball conference,” Northfield coach Mark Auge said. “Our pitching was one of our strengths. To return to the state tournament, we will need great pitching and then some in a very good section.”
The Raiders are the top seed in the Class 3A, Section 1 tournament, which is ongoing. They concluded the regular season ranked No. 6 by Let’s Play Baseball.
This marks the initial year of the four-class format. The Raiders finished fourth in the largest-school classification last year.
Northfield finished the regular season with an overall record of 16-4 and was 9-2 in the Big 9. The Raiders won their final 10 regular-season games.
“We were fortunate enough to come out on the winning end of some really tight games this season,” Auge said.
Staying in house
Brittany Stumpf has been named Eastview’s new gymnastics coach for the 2016-17 season. She served as an assistant coach under Kim Miklya, who stepped down from her head coaching duties after the season.
Stumpf previously served as an assistant coach at Lakeville South. She also was a gymnast in high school at Eastview.
“The Eastview gymnastics program is one of high standards, excellency and dedication,” Stumpf said in news release. “I am beyond thankful for the opportunity to maintain this high reputation and to see this program reach new heights.”
Top performances
• Junior lefthander Danny Kapala pitched a two-hit shutout, leading Eastview to a 1-0 victory over Coon Rapids in a nonconference matchup. He ran his record to 4-0 on the season with the victory.
• Lakeville North junior Evan El-Halawani swept the hurdle events (110 and 300 meters) in the South Suburban Conference boys’ track and field meet. He set the conference record in the 300 with a time 38.96 seconds.
RON HAGGSTROM