Bemidji Baseball’s New Roster and Head Coach Not an Obstacle

Bemidji baseball may still be wearing the same uniforms as last year, but this season’s team is sporting a lot of new faces both on the roster and the coaching staff.

On the field, the Lumberjacks are coming off a season that saw them go undefeated at home, earning them the top seed heading into the Section 8AAAA playoffs before falling in three games in the double-elimination tournament.

The Jacks graduated eight seniors, seven of whom are now playing college softball, but this year’s squad has seven new seniors ready to step up and make their mark.

“You know, it’s really just motivation,” said senior OF Landon Hanson. “You try and be better than that team last year because, you know, they were the dream team. Like, they’re all really good and stuff, but we’re hoping we can make further than them and use that as motivation.”

“I feel like we still have the talent,” added senior P/OF Gavin Kapaun. “It’s just, working through adversity with the team and getting to play with each other. I mean, we haven’t played with each other for the last two years, really.”

“Team first always,” emphasized senior P/IF Peyton Neadeau. “You know, [we’re] off to a rough start, kind of. But we got some games up that I think we can win. Everyone here as is, they’re developing very well and everyone’s really stepping up more than I thought they would.”

On the coaching front, former Bemidji State baseball coach Jim Grimm took the reins this past October after Mike Fogelson, the winningest coach in program history, stepped away from managing after 18 seasons. Grimm plans to bring his own style of coaching to this year’s squad while also leaning and building on the rich tradition of Lumberjack baseball laid down by those before him.

“How we sacrifice bunt, how we bunt, how we field a ground ball, how we throw,” he said. “What’s our philosophy on how we approach attacking a batter as a pitcher? A lot of that is new to these guys because it was done in a different way before.”

Grimm also discussed how his coaching reflects his experience in baseball and beyond.

“I’m a Bemidji guy. I came through the storied programs, I played on the teams that won the state tournaments, and I know the Bemidji way,” explained Grimm. “And so I’ve carried that through my coaching all through BSU and everywhere. How to win and how I was taught to win by different coaches and even in different sports is what I’m trying to teach these guys.”

The Lumberjacks are 1-2 to start the season, and their doubleheader at home against Duluth East on Tuesday was postponed due to the rain. It’s tentatively scheduled for Wednesday, April 17 starting at 4 at the BSU baseball field.