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Panthers kick spring off with baseball, softball practices

By Sue Sitter - | Mar 25, 2023

Sue Sitter/PCT Rugby Panthers baseball and softball players practice throwing and catching side by side in Rugby High School’s Charlie Hanneman Gym Monday, March 20.

Rugby Panthers baseball and softball teams held the first practice of their seasons on the first day of spring March 20, even though the weather outside was anything but spring-like.

Since several inches of snow covered both the baseball and softball diamonds in town, both teams practiced indoors.

The teams made other adjustments to their schedules because their usual indoor practice area inside the Rugby armory was closed to prepare for prom March 25 and a billiards tournament the following weekend.

Side by side, both teams lined up to practice throwing and catching Rugby High’s Charlie Hanneman Gym.

“We can’t use the armory for two weeks,” Panthers Baseball Coach Travis Risovi said. “Half of my team, my juniors and seniors are in the weight room right now.”

Risovi said unlike class B basketball teams, baseball teams in class B would see no changes this season.

“The region is the same this year,” he said. “We really, pretty much return as the same team this year.”

The Panthers will bring many of the same competitive players to the diamond at North Star High School April 10 that played last year, if conditions permit. The scheduled matchup would be the first of the season.

“We lost a couple of seniors last year, Alexis (Duran) and Gavin (Schepp), we lost from last year, but for the most part, the core of our team is back,” Risovi said.

“We’ve got a good group of seniors who’ve had a lot of success in baseball, so Brody (Schneibel), Erik (Foster), Logan (Harner), Jacob (Ripplinger), Macen (Heisler), Dylan (Bartsch) – that’s a really good group.”

Risovi said the younger players on the team had lots of promise as well. “We have a really nice mix,” he said. “There are six sophomores, then we don’t have any freshmen out, but there’s 10 eighth graders.”

“There’s not any freshmen in the summer league, either,” he added. “They’re just not a class that plays a lot of baseball.”

Risovi described the eighth grade class as “a good group of kids.”

“They were in that good Babe Ruth baseball group from last summer. I think there were 14 of them. So, our numbers are staying good.”

On the other side of the gym, the Panthers softball squad practiced skills with Malcolm Marcus, the team’s head coach, and Assistant Coach Olivia Erpelding.

“This is my first year coaching softball,” Marcus said.

A former teacher in the Towner area, Marcus still serves as athletic director for TGU-Towner High School.

“They needed a coach, and I thought it would be an opportunity to learn a lot and pass some things along, too,” he said.

“We’re working on fielding skills and throwing skills today,” he added. “We’re splitting into two groups and Coach Erpelding is working with half, and I’m working with half.”

The softball team had many familiar faces from last year. Some of the seniors, such as Joey Wolf, had recently wrapped up their basketball season. Like the baseball team, a mix of younger and older players showed up for practice.

“It’s a good group,” Marcus said of this year’s Panthers softball team.

“They seem like they want to work,” he added. “I know there are a few gone for FFA, but they’ll be here tomorrow, and hopefully, we’ll be off to a good start.”

“We’re doing some conditioning and throwing and some of the fundamentals,” Marcus said of the first day of practice.

The Panthers will start their softball season with an away game at Max April 3.

“It’s supposed to be in two weeks, but I’m thinking that it might be questionable,” he said. “We’ll have to put up with the weather, but a lot of teams will be in the same boat.”