Hayfield grad Dani Wagner will a get a chance to play in the NCAA Division I college softball tournament.

Wagner, a freshman at the University of Minnesota, has been playing shortstop for the Gophers (46-9 overall) this season and Minnesota will open tournament play against New Mexico State in Tuscon Arizona Friday at 6:30 p.m.

Wagner was recently blown away when she played a home game with a packed crowd at Jane Sage Cowles stadium at the U of M and she’s expecting an even bigger atmosphere at the NCAA tournament.

“It’s truly incredible,” Wagner said. “Practicing at the empty Arizona stadium this morning made me super excited for the game tomorrow night. I can’t begin to imagine what it’ll be like with bleachers full of fans.”

Wagner has played in 20 games for the Gophers this season and she’s mostly played on defense, where she has nine putouts, 13 assists and two errors for a fielding percentage of .917. At the plate, she is hitting .267 with 2 triples and 2 RBIs on the season. Wagner has an on-base percentage of .353 and she is 1-for-2 on steals.

Wagner has learned a lot about softball this season, but the biggest thing she had to do was change her swing. After hitting .700 with 13 homers for the Vikings last spring, Wagner had to make some adjustments when she got to the Division I level.

“It may be odd to hear, but one of my biggest challenges coming in was hitting,” Wagner said. “I felt like I had to re-learn how to hit a softball because of all the new techniques I was being taught. Now, everything seems natural and I can’t remember how I used to hit.”

This is Minnesota’s third straight appearance in the NCAA tournament. Wagner said the entire season has been a blast for her playing with a competitive Gophers team.

“It’s hard to put into words how hard working, determined and confident this Gopher team is. Being surrounded by 21 other players that are fighting for the same thing you are can only give you confidence and get you excited,” Wagner said. “The one thing I love the most about my team is that you can never count us out, but at the same time, we always have fun.”

SOFTBALL

Austin grad Danielle Tschann’s season at the University of St. Thomas came to an end when the Tommies (35-12 overall) lost to Linfield 6-0 in an NCAA Regional tournament game May 9.

Tschann, who will be a senior at UST next season, went 1-for-3 in that loss and she finished the season with a .310 batting average, 3 homers, 2 doubles and 12 Rbis.

Blooming Prairie grad Shelbi Swenson finished her sophomore season at Bethel University (28-15 overall). Swenson hit .216 with 1 homer, 3 doubles, 1 triple and 12 RBIs.

Austin grad Abbey Ball recently finished her freshman season at UW-Stout (16-27 overall). Ball pitched in 13 games with a record of 3-0 and an ERA of 5.10.

Ball hit .179 with a double and a RBI.

Blooming Prairie grad Tricia DeBoer recently finished her junior season at St. Cloud State University (31-26 overall). DeBoer hit .304 with 7 doubles, 1 triple and 15 RBIs. DeBoer was 7-for-8 on stolen bases.

BASEBALL

Austin native Steve Serratore has played in 44 games this season for Kansas State University (24-27 overall). Serratore is hitting .265 with 10 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer and 26 RBIs. Serratore was 5-for-8 on stolen bases.

The Wildcats have three games remaining in the regular season before they begin the Big 12 tournament.

Austin grad Gabe Kasak played in six games this past season for the University of Sioux Falls (15-35 overall). Kasak hit .333 with 1 double.

Hayfield grad Tyler Krekling recently wrapped up his college baseball career at the University of Concordia-St. Paul. Krekling hit .302 with 4 doubles and 21 RBIs for the Golden Bears (21-23 overall).

Hayfield grad Tyler Nelson had a strong junior season at Bemidji State University (14-33 overall). Nelson hit .314 with 4 homers, 15 doubles, 1 triple and 13 RBIs.