Its Official FDLTCC Will Host 2011 MCAC State Tourney

Sept 29

Wes Vork-NSO

Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College got some exciting news when it was announced that the school will host the 2011Minnesota College Athletic Conference State Fastpitch Tournament. The tournament will be held on May 6th and 7th at Braun Park in Cloquet.

Athletic Director Keith Turner, softball coach Kerry Rodd, and members of the Cloquet Youth Baseball/Softball Association put together a bid that was submitted to the MCAC for consideration. After weighing the pros and cons of all the bidding schools a vote was held as to whether to hold the tournament in Rochester or in Cloquet. The vote was done by coaches of the teams in the MCAC and the majority of votes went to Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College.

“The state championship tournament will be exciting to host and will provide a nice economic boost to our area,” said Keith Turner, Director of Athletics at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in a press release.

The tournament will feature the top 8 teams from the MCAC as they play off for a bid to the region tournament.

“We played in the state tournament in 2009 when it was held in St. Cloud,” mentioned coach Rodd. “That was an exciting year for us, but I can’t imagine what this could be like if we can get into the tournament and have a shot right in our own backyard.”

The top 4 teams in the Northern Division of the MCAC will meet head-to-head with the top 4 teams from the Southern Division in a double-elimination format. In 2009 the Thunder met the nation’s top-ranked team Rochester in the opening round and fell 3-2 in a game the Thunder led until the sixth inning.

“That was a great experience, but now this team has a chance to prove how good they can be,” commented Rodd. “We are excited to have this tournament here, now it is up to us to find a way to get into the final eight and then who knows what can happen.”

Wes Vork can be reached at wes@northlandsportsonline.com