coaches/staff - University of North Dakota Athletics

4
2009 OUTLOOK
By Ryan Powell
Jeff Dodson has never been one to
back down from a challenge and that
was the primary reason he signed on
to be the first Division I coach in the
history of the Fighting Sioux baseball
program.
“The biggest reason I took this job was
the simple fact of being able to build a
Division I baseball program from the
ground up,” Dodson said. “I felt like it
would be a very intriguing task.”
The first-year head coach will inherit a
veteran club that posted a 14-23
record in its final season as a Division
II member in the North Central
Conference.
The Sioux return seven position players
that made at least 27 starts a year
ago and a designated hitter that made
30 starts. Dodson also has a pitching
staff that returns seven members, who
made 55 appearances and 27 starts in
2008.
Junior Andrew Gudmonson brings the most experience
to the field for the Sioux with 72 career starts.
2009 Fighting Sioux Returning Starters
Position Players Pos. Ht. Wt. B/T GP/GS Ave. HR RBI
Jabby Bakhit 2B 5-10 170 S/R 34/34 .340 0 14
Anthony Brenner DH 6-0 211 L/L 31/30 .280 2 14
Andrew Gudmunson 3B 6-5 220 R/R 37/37 .270 5 33
Ryne Jungling C 6-3 200 L/R 31/27 .281 1 23
Josh Lagein CF 5-10 175 R/R 33/30 .174 0 13
Andrew Marek LF 6-2 200 L/R 37/37 .304 3 26
Josh Nelson SS 5-11 170 R/R 35/35 .240 2 12
Andrew Sadler RF 5-11 175 L/R 35/33 .242 0 13
Pitchers Pos. Ht. Wt. B/T GP/GS W-L ERA BB-SO
Sam Anderson P 6-5 235 R/R 5/4 1-1 8.10 14-15
B. Baumgartner P 6-0 190 L/R 9/7 2-3 6.10 21-34
Mike Lueck P 6-0 185 R/R 12/8 4-4 4.24 19-59
David Spies P 5-10 210 L/L 8/6 2-3 10.22 11-13
Dodson admits having that amount of
experience should help make the transition
a smoother one, but there will
still be the jitters that come with playing
at a higher level. “I think the big
thing is they have been on the field in
the college game,” Dodson said. “Once
again, ‘Was it the Division I game?’ No.
They are going to be nervous. I am
nervous every year at the first
game, so I am going to be right
there with them.
“It’s the butterflies you have,
but as with any job or task, the
more you are around it, the
more you get comfortable with
it, then the better you become
at what you are trying to do.”
However, having that experience
will not guarantee anything
for the Sioux starters from
a year ago. Dodson opened the
fall with a clean slate for the 29
players on his roster.
Dodson and his coaching staff
took advantage of the fall to
work with the team and implement
his way of doing things
and he came away impressed
with how the team adjusted to
his style of coaching.
“They have been absolutely tremendous,”
he added. “They have done
everything we have asked them to do.
That is one thing as a coach that you
can notice right away, that people are
going to do what you ask them to do.
If you hold them accountable for their
setbacks and make sure they understand
where their goals are and what
they need to do - we will succeed here.
“We need to make sure they understand
being a part of an entire scheme
and that they see the importance of
their work in the overall program. I
think that is one thing they have done
already and that is knowing they are a
vital piece of this program.”
The fall practice time also allowed
Dodson to get a feel for what type of
players he will have on his roster this
spring. Here is the first-year coaches’
take on what Sioux fans can expect to
see from his club in 2009.
Outfield
“We have three or four guys out there
that are all versatile in which spot they
can play. There is Andrew Marek (Sr.,
East Grand Forks, Minn.), Josh
Lagein (So., Devils Lake, N.D.) and a
couple of other guys, Aaron Cook (Jr.,
Erskine, Minn.) and Joe Krivarchka
(So., Lisbon, N.D.) along with Andy