BASEBALL

Former Lyle-Pacelli standout Jordan Hart has opened his sophomore season at Minnesota State University in Mankato on a tear and he’s already caught the attention of the Northwoods League.

Hart is leading the Mavericks (9-4 overall) in batting average (.438) doubles (six), triples (1) and RBI (12). He also has three homers.

That success landed him a 10-day contract with the Rochester Honkers. The contract will begin when the Mavericks finish the season and it will give Hart a chance to prove himself and land a contract for the summer with the Honkers.

“Growing up I always heard about the Honkers and how good they were,” Hart said. “It’ll be great to get a chance to play with them and learn from some great players.”

While Hart had success in his freshman season with the Mavericks, he’s taken his game to new heights already this spring. He said the team has come together early on and the Mavericks are hoping to have a successful season.

“We learned a lot about ourselves as a team and we’re looking to push forward and keep improving. I’m a lot more comfortable at the plate this year. Last year I was kind of nervous,” Hart said. “I’m trying to learn to put the ball in play more instead of taking strikes. I’m working on situational hitting to help the team out.”

Another former LP baseball player is getting the start to his college career as Daniel Bollingberg, a freshman at Division III University of St. Thomas, has drawn one walk in four at bats.

“I’m excited for him. He’s working hard and that’s awesome,” Hart said of Bollingberg.

After missing a good chunk of last season with an injury, Austin native Steve Serratore is back in the lineup and he’s started his season strong at Division Kansas State University.

Serratore is hitting .297 with 5 homers, 2 doubles, 2 triples and 24 RBIs for the Wildcats (14-6 overall).

Serratore was 5-for-5 with a homer and five RBIs in a 12-11 loss to Iowa March 19.

Austin grad Dylan Gasner is 2-for-15 with an RBI early on in his freshman season at NJCAA Division II Iowa Central Community College (9-6 overall).

Hayfield grad Cam Rutledge is hitting .280 with 1 double, 1 triple and 4 RBIs in the first 10 games of his sophomore season at RCTC.

Austin grad Alex Ciola is 1-for-5 with a double, 2 RBIs and 3 runs for Riverland Community College.

SOFTBALL

Hayfield grad Dani Wagner continues to contribute for the Gophers in their hot start.

Wagner was 1-for-1 with with two walks, three runs in two games as Minnesota swept Pacific by scores of 10-0 and 12-1 March 17.

On the season, Wagner has started every game for the Gophers (25-2 overall) as she is hitting .377 with 3 homers, 4 doubles, a triple and 16 RBIs.

A pair of local grads are having a big early impact for Division III UW La Crosse (15-3 overall).

Austin grad Sydney Murphy was 2-for-4 with a run and 3 walks and Hayfield grad Grace Mindrup was 2-for-7 with an RBI and a walk for the Eagles as they beat Hamline University 2-1 and topped Central Iowa 3-2 March 19.

On the season, Murphy, a sophomore at UWL, is hitting .306 with 3 doubles and 13 RBIs and Mindrup, a freshman at UWL, is hitting .297 with 3 doubles, 2 homers and 8 RBIs.

Austin grad Shayley Vesel is starting her freshman season strong at Division II NJCAA North Iowa Area Community College.

Vesel is hitting .386 with 3 homers, 7 doubles and a team-high 31 RBIs. Vesel has also stolen 12 bases for NIACC (9-7 overall)

BASKETBALL

Blooming Prairie grad Taylor Hagen wrapped up her sophomore season at the University of Northern Iowa after the Panthers were knocked out of the NCAA Division I women’s basketball tournament in an 88-67 loss to DePaul March 17.

Hagen played eight minutes in that loss as she grabbed one rebound and blocked one shot. On the season, she averaged 3.9 points and 2.7 points per game, while playing in every game for the Panthers.