In his first varsity start, outfielder Deitrich Eich went 2-3 with three runs batted in and two runs scored in Prescott’s 13-3 season opening victory over Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau. The Cardinals took advantage of G-E-T pitcher wildness and shoddy defense to win a game that ended after six innings via the 10-run rule.  The Cardinals open the Middle Border Conference season this Tuesday and Thursday when they battle Osceola. Prescott travels to Lake City this Saturday to play in the annual Lake City Invitational Tournament. 

Speaking of baseball, hats off to Brady Randolph and Charlie Block for their yeoman’s work on getting Firehall Field ready for last week’s home opener. Two mainstays of the Prescott baseball community, Randolph graduated from Prescott in 1995 and Block is a 2000 alumnus. Both were named all-conference in high school and each played baseball at the college level: Randolph at Viterbo University (La Crosse) and Block at St. John’s (Minnesota). And brava to another volunteer, Julie Ryan on the tremendous program she put together for Friday’s game. The impressive publication included schedules, Cardinal baseball records, lists of Cardinal alumni who played NCAA or NAIA affiliated baseball, along with bios of each junior and senior. You will be hard pressed to find a better game day program in the state of Wisconsin. 

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR and County Deer Advisory Councils are seeking public feedback on Wisconsin's deer management, including harvest quotas, management zones and more ahead of the 2025 deer season. Each county in Wisconsin has a County Deer Advisory Council that meets annually to provide input and recommendations to the DNR on local deer management. The DNR encourages input from anyone interested in helping shape local deer herd management preferences during the online input period. The survey link will be available on the County Deer Advisory Council webpage once the input period opens on April 5 and will remain open through April 13. The public is also encouraged to attend their local County Deer Advisory Council. These meetings will take place across the state from April 21 through May 1.

Somerset Spartan pitcher Cody Schmidt tossed a no-hitter against Cumberland in the opener for both teams. Somerset played three games at the Woodside Sports Complex and won all three. The up-and-coming Spartans defeated Cumberland 10-0, Spooner 9-8, and Cameron 8-6. 

Michigan Tech women's basketball senior guard Isabella Lenz has been selected by the College Sports Communicators to the 2024-25 Academic All-District team announced Tuesday. This is the second consecutive season Lenz has been selected to the CSC All-District team. Lenz, a 2020 Prescott alumna, led the Huskies this season in points (14.2), assists (2.6), steals (1.1), blocks (0.7) and minutes (34.1) per game for the Black & Gold in her final season. She scored 413 points in 2024-25, scoring in double-figures in 26 games earning a career-high 25 points versus Wisconsin-Parkside on Dec. 5, 2024. Lenz is a three-time All-GLIAC first team selection and a two-time GLIAC All-Defensive team member, also earning GLIAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2021-22. Academically, Lenz holds a cumulative GPA of 4.00 pursuing a bachelor's in scientific and technical communication. 

The Prescott baseball team completed some community service work for the city of Prescott this past weekend. Players and coaches picked up tree branches, limbs, and garbage at Pine Glen Cemetery. The team and coaching staff will also host a free youth clinic for boys ages 6-13 at Firehall Field on Saturday April, 25. All participants will receive a free T-shirt and lunch after the annual youth event. 

Headshaker of the week. Sure, I’m old-fashioned. I’m not hip and admittedly have been quite reactionary when it comes to endorsing today’s over-the-top behaviors of competing high school, college or professional athletes. Today, it’s quite naive of me to believe that in the age of PJ Fleck, such amateurish shenanigans would never be modeled by the head coach. Oh, how wrong I am. After the Houston Cougars’ semi-final victory over Duke on Saturday, Head Coach Kelvin Sampson as he was heading to the locker room put on a profanity-laced show that would have impressed any sailor at any foreign port of call. The almost 70-year-old screamed the oft used four letter word over and over again much to the delight of the screaming Houston fans. As I have said many times, the game is passing me by. When screaming vulgar, gutter-like obscenities becomes cool for a person who can order off the senior citizen menu at Perkins, perhaps it’s time for me to once and for all turn the channel. I wonder if Kelvin Sampson’s foul-mouthed celebratory screaming impressed his grandchildren. In any event, it was a headshaker.