Approximately 200 people showed up for the 23rd Annual CAB Company/Prescott Fastpitch Association Banquet at the Old Ptacek’s Event Center last Friday. The featured speaker was The Common Man Dan Cole of KFAN Radio. Reviews of the 2022 season along with previews of what’s to come this spring were shared during the evening. The CAB Company “Friend of Baseball Award” was presented to Tracey Budworth for her steadfast volunteer work over the past several years. The Prescott Fastpitch Association presented their award to the family of Jackie Riley, who was known as a fierce and enthusiastic supporter of Prescott softball and girls athletics in general. And, hats off to members of the Prescott CAB Company and Prescott Fast Pitch Association for all their work connected to the banquet. A special ovation to Courtney Swanson, Ashley Tri, Jason Briggs, Chuck Block, and Brady Randolph for all of their hard work. 

The North Dakota State Bison Baseball team opened the 2023 conference season with a 10-2 victory over the Omaha Mavericks on Friday. After dropping game two of the three-game series 7-6, Peter Brookshaw slammed two home runs in the rubber game of the series as the Bison won 7-2. Heading into the week the 2018 Prescott alumnus is hitting a team best .327 and leads the team in hits, runs scored, and homeruns. What’s equally impressive, the senior middle infielder has not committed an error this year. 

Giddy might be the best word to describe Prescott High School coaches and athletes as grass at Biggs Frey and Firehall fields emerged last week. The rubberized track surface at Laney Field Complacent also appeared after months of being blanketed by the snow. As we near the end of the week, weather permitting, there is a slight possibility outdoor athletic competition may happen. Fingers crossed. 

From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources: The DNR is asking the public to avoid feeding deer as cold winter weather continues around parts of the state. While state citizens may be concerned about the impact of winter conditions on the deer population, supplemental feeding of deer, such as leaving corn and other feed out for them in your backyard, causes more harm than good. Deer are well-adapted to survive in winter conditions, with a slower metabolism in cold months and adjustments in their gut microbiomes to adapt to winter food sources. Corn, alfalfa and other feed are not part of their natural winter diet and can cause severe digestive issues and even death. Even a single feeding can cause rumen acidosis, which can cause death in otherwise healthy deer.

Here’s a good story. Members of the Prescott High School baseball team did something quite commendable this week. A few days ago, players decided to pool their own money and purchase a sizable gift certificate for the night-time custodial crew at the high school. “They are always so nice and friendly and we just wanted to say thank you and let them know we appreciate what they do,” said senior Brady Block. Well done young men, well done. 

MacKenzie Carey and the St. Mary’s (Winona) University softball team will host Viterbo College this Wednesday and Thursday before opening up their conference schedule when St. Catherine’s University travels to Winona to take on the Cardinals. Carey, a senior infielder, is a 2020 Prescott High School graduate. 

Junior Sammy Braunlich, a 2021 Prescott High School alumnus, will be running middle distance for the University of Wisconsin-River Falls women’s track team this spring. Caleb Royal, another Prescott grad, will be running sprints for the Falcons this season. Another Prescott native participating in track and field is Megan Gilles at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. In last month’s Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Indoor Championship, Gilles was part of the 4x400 relay team that finished fifth. Gilles also advanced to the finals of the women’s 400 meters. The multi-talented Gilles also competes in the long jump, hurdles, and the javelin for the Bulldogs.  

Headshaker of the week. The Common Man “Dan Cole” said his CAB Company/PFA Banquet experience was “wonderful.” The KFAN commentator spoke glowingly of the venue, the food, hospitality, and the willingness of audience members to accept light-hearted, roasting commentary. However, as he exited the Old Ptacek’s Event Center around 9 p.m., the popular radio personality was taken aback and distracted by the boisterous and distracting conversations going on near the end of his presentation that, incidentally, was also noticed by others in attendance. Disrupting an invited speaker during an event like this? Now that’s a headshaker.