It’s been a rough start for the Belle Plaine baseball squad and their first year head coach, Scott Janss. The Plainsmen have a 1-6 record so far against a conference slate that the coach says should be pretty balanced this year.
After a 4-2 loss in the season opener to Keota, the Plainsmen dropped a 12-5 decision to Tri-County, a 16-6 loss to Iowa Valley and a 7-6 loss to HLV. Then came the offensive highlight of the season as the Plainsmen pounded out 17 hits in an 18-14 decision over North Mahaska.
Dustin Drexler had three hits, including a homer and drove in three runs. Devon Parr also had three hits with four rbis and a double. Cooper Northrop drove in two with a homer. Lance Hinschberger had three rbis and Scott Wheeler doubled and drove in two.
Two days later, BGM handed the Plainsmen an 11-0 defeat and then Sigourney also prevailed, 8-5.
Janss, who spent the last five years as the assistant coach, says he has always wanted to have a shot at the head baseball coaching position. He said he would have taken the job even if his kids weren’t playing. But it is a real family affair, as graduated senior Chris Janss is the ace on the mound and his older brother, Brandon, a Coe College student and Plainsman grad, is the assistant coach.
There is a lot of experience on this team, as 11 of the 22 men on the roster are returning lettermen. But the coach says he realizes that a good program is built on nurturing younger talent. The Belle Plaine junior varsity has had a winning record for the last six years. He says positive attitudes and supportive parents are key to bringing success to the Plainsman program.
This year, the SICL could be a very balanced league. Currently, Sigourney and BGM sit atop the conference with seven wins each. Two other teams have five wins and three have just one win each.
If the Plainsmen are able to turn it around in the next three weeks, they could have some success in the postseason. In the last two years, in district action they have had to face Solon on the Spartans’ field. Each year, Solon went on to advance to the state tournament. This year, the Plainsmen will travel to Brooklyn on July 10 to face East Marshall in the first round of district action.
