Sports

Orange City — Northwestern College, MOC-Floyd Valley Community School District and the city of Orange City have agreed to significant upgrades to the baseball and softball complex at MOC-Floyd Valley High School, located directly east of the Northwestern College campus.

“Northwestern College is excited to partner with MOC Floyd Valley schools and the city of Orange City in this project,” said Northwestern Athletic Director Earl Woudstra. “It will be a great improvement for both our softball and baseball programs, providing a first-class venue for hosting home contests and creating the opportunity to serve as host for GPAC and NAIA post-season competition.”

The project, which will begin following the high school baseball and softball seasons in July, will include a new poured concrete, padded backstop with tension netting system, and separate press boxes with additional storage space at both facilities.

The softball field will also see improvements to infield drainage, new foul line fences, outfield over-seeding, and improved bullpen and practice infield area.

Northwestern head softball coach Chris Nachtigal said, “We very pleased to have the updates to the softball field. The updates will allow us to have one of the better softball complexes in the GPAC. They will provide a great venue for us, helping us feel confident in hosting post-season tournament games. The upgrades will help in recruiting as well, giving parents of our players a chance to watch their daughter play live through webcast. We are pleased that Northwestern College, MOC Floyd Valley and the city have given our athletes and the softball program a vote of confidence by providing these upgrades.”

The baseball field will replace the current natural surface with 30,000 square feet of FieldTurf on the infield. A new right-field foul line fence will also be installed and the outfield will be leveled and re-seeded.

Northwestern head baseball coach Brian Wede said, “This is a significant improvement for us. The turf will not only allow us to play more home games, but it will give us the ability to practice on our field more frequently and earlier in the season. The addition of a press box will increase the exposure we can get our players through live webcasted games with both video and audio. The baseball team would like to thank MOC Floyd Valley Superintendent Russ Adams, the MOC Floyd Valley School board, MOC Floyd Valley AD Mark Gunderson, NWC AD Earl Woudstra, the city of Orange City, and the many other individuals who helped make this possible. It is a great day to be a Raider and a baseball/softball player in Orange City!”

The entire spectator area between the two diamonds will have improved landscaping and sidewalks while the restrooms and concessions area will also see repairs.

The MOC Floyd Valley practice fields will also be completely reshaped to improve playability and drainage. Improving the football/soccer practice areas will also result in better practice space for baseball and softball.

Woudstra said, “We are grateful for the spirit of cooperation between the agencies that share athletic facilities in Orange City, including Northwestern, MOC  Floyd Valley, Unity Christian and Orange City Recreation. We believe that collaboration on our joint-use facilities, including De Valois Stadium/Korver Field, the NWC Soccer Complex and the MOC Floyd Valley Sports Complex, provide outstanding venues and enhance opportunities for the athletes and fans at the most affordable cost.”

Northwest Iowa — Special Olympics Northwest Iowa Track and Field Spring Games will be held Saturday April 11th at the Sioux Center Athletic Field. If there is inclement weather the games will move indoors to the Dordt Gym and Rec Center.

Opening ceremonies are scheduled to begin at 9:30 am. The track and field events begin at 9:45 and the last relay is scheduled for 1:15.

There are 400 athletes registered to participate from the ages of 8 to 70. The counties for athletes include Lyon, Osceola, Sioux, O’Brien, Plymouth, Cherokee, Woodbury, Ida and Crawford making up the Special Olympic Northwest Iowa District area.

Athletes may participate in 2 events and run with a relay team. There are also over 200 volunteers who help to make the day a great success for the athletes. First place winners will compete in Ames on May 21st through the 23rd at the Special Olympics State Summer Games.