Central Baseball Swept by Ranked Loras Squad
Facing another stiff test in American Rivers Conference play, the Central College baseball team was swept 13-6, and 12-0 in 7 innings against No. 16 Loras College Tuesday afternoon.
The two teams were even on hits in the first game at 12-12. Colton DeRocher returned to the lineup and drove in three runs in the opener, including a two-run homer. Logan McCoy also drove in a pair, while Declan O’Hare and Tanner Bigelow each had three hits. The difference in the first game was seven Dutch errors. Landon Thiele gave Central 4.2 innings of strong relief in game one, and gave up three hits and only one of the four runs scored against him was earned. Caleb Evans took the loss, giving up six earned runs in 2.1 innings as the starter. Wes Hamor was the losing pitcher in game two, allowing six runs on 11 hits in four innings. He was the first of five Central pitchers in game two. Offensively, Central mustered just three hits in the nightcap.
Central’s record drops to 9-6 overall and 0-5 in league games following the losses. The Dutch return to action on Friday at 3 p.m. as they host Wartburg College in a three-game series this weekend.
Shepherd joins Central football staff
After two seasons as defensive coordinator at Lakeland University (Wis.), Mitch Shepherd has been named the defensive coordinator for Central College’s defending American Rivers champion football team. Shepherd replaces Nick Mulder, who is leaving the program after a successful 10-year run on the Dutch staff and an additional four years as a player.
Shepherd was a D3football.com All-West Region linebacker at the University of Redlands (Calif.), and was the 2016 Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference defensive player of the year. He was a four-time all-conference selection and a three-time first-team honoree. Also a team captain, Shepherd was named to the National Football Foundation Hampshire Society for academic performance.
Shepherd served as a graduate assistant defensive line coach at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff in 2018 before joining the staff at Lakeland as linebackers coach in 2019. He was elevated to defensive coordinator in 2020 and received a master’s degree at Lakeland that year while also serving as the school’s strength and conditioning coordinator.
Lakeland went 8-2 last fall which was their best season since 2003. The Lakeland defense ranked third in Division III in sacks, eighth in interceptions and defensive touchdowns and 10th in turnovers gained.
Central has won or shared the past two conference titles, posting a 10-0 regular season mark last fall and advancing to the NCAA quarterfinals. The Dutch finished with a 12-1 mark last season, and is the NCAA’s fifth-winningest team in the past 60 years. The Dutch have not posted a losing season since 1960.
Multiple Central Athletic Events Rescheduled
Central College’s non-conference softball doubleheader at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, scheduled for Saturday, will now be played Sunday and has been moved to Pella. Unplayable conditions at Eau Claire led to the game being moved to Sunday at 1 p.m. Weather permitting, the Dutch first open American Rivers Conference action hosting a doubleheader against Simpson College Thursday at 2 p.m. If those games need to be rescheduled, they’ll be played Friday at 2 p.m. Central’s doubleheader versus Simpson can be heard live on the KRLS3 stream at KNIAKRLS.com Poor weather forecasts have also brought changes to the Central College track and field schedule. The Dutch Multi-Event scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Pella has been canceled. The Wartburg Select meet in Waverly has been moved from Saturday to Friday.