College softball: Ridgewater hires a new head coach
· Yahoo Sports
Jul. 7—WILLMAR — Morgan Flann has always wanted to be a head coach, she just didn't expect it to happen so fast.
Flann has been named head softball coach at Ridgewater College after spending last season as the Warriors' assistant coach.
Visit afrikasportnews.co.za for more information.
"I definitely didn't think it would happen as quickly as it did," Flann said. "I was aware of it. Jordyn (Swoboda) mentioned at the end of the season that she was stepping down."
She replaces
, who resigned after one season. Swoboda, from Willmar, works at St. John's University and the College of St. Benedict, where she played softball and was an assistant.
Flann becomes the third head coach in three seasons for the Warriors. Swoboda had replaced
, who held the position for two seasons after being the pitching coach at St. Benedict.
Flann's ready for the challenge.
"I love coaching and I love softball in general," Flann said. "Getting paid to coach softball sounded like a great opportunity to do something I love."
, qualifying for the Minnesota College Athletic Conference South Division playoffs and taking Central Lakes College to three games before bowing out, winning 7-6 and losing 16-0 and 3-2 in Brainerd.
The Warriors had 10 first-year players and one sophomore on their roster, first-team All-MCAC South Division pitcher Nevaeh Rahm. Rahm, from Fairmont, also earned All-Region 13 honors.
Among the returnees are Aly Wendlandt and Kylie Pauls, both second-team All-MCAC South Division selections.
Wendlandt, an infielder and pitcher from New London-Spicer, batted .328 with one home run, six doubles, 14 RBIs, 13 stolen bases and 17 runs in 61 at bats. She had a .337 on-base and .475 slugging percentage.
Pauls, an infielder from Paynesville, batted .262 with two triples, seven RBIs and 17 runs in 65 at-bats. She had a .364 on-base percentage and stole 19 bases.
Flann is optimistic about her returning players said she has "four or five" solid commitments to add to what right now would be a roster of 13.
"I definitely feel like the program is starting to grow," Flann said.
Her softball resume is lengthy. She's a former West Central Tribune All-Area player from BOLD High School, where she played varsity for five seasons. She played two years at the University of Jamestown in North Dakota, an NAIA school, then played two years at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, an NCAA Division I program. She has worked in summer recreational softball and at BOLD as an eighth-grade coach. She also was a personal pitching and hitting instructor, as well as an umpire. She also played volleyball and basketball at BOLD.
Her sister Ema Flann played shortstop this spring for BOLD, which took third place in the state Class A tournament. A cousin, Kaitlyn Flann, is the Warriors' ace pitcher.
Morgan Flann holds bachelor's and master's degrees from North Dakota and also has a master's from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. She works as a direct support professional for an REM group home in Willmar, which helps take care of persons with behavioral and physical disabilities.
"We are grateful that Morgan was interested in stepping up to lead and are excited to watch her continue to build on past success," Heidi Olson, Ridgewater's dean of students, said in a statement. "Coach Flann demonstrates the type of energy and commitment that we believe will do great things for our student athletes and for growing our women's softball program."
She already has been recruiting, scouting summer tournaments and using contacts from her playing days.
"I like to play a fast, aggressive game," Flann said. "I believe that base-running has always been the difference in winning and losing.
"Hopefully, we can find a stud pitcher. We need to improve everywhere."