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“Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only
thing!”
That quote, made famous by former Green Bay Packers legendary
head football coach Vince Lombardi back in the 1960s, is the
driving force behind the Dana College baseball team.
“
I expect our players to live by that motto every day,” says
Dana head baseball coach Ken Misfeldt. “Winning really
isn’t everything, but the will to win certainly is. And
that’s what I demand from my players, both on and off the
field.”
Misfeldt, who is in his second year at the helm of the Dana baseball
team, has inherited a tradition-rich program.
Players who play at Dana under Misfeldt have only two rules – to
be on time and to do what’s right.
“
Our guys are expected to have their hats on straight, their shirts
tucked in and their hair trimmed at all times,” Misfeldt
says. “Chewing tobacco and wearing jewelry are not permitted
at practices and in games; neither is facial hair. I’m
just a big believer in the idea that if you look like a ball
player, you probably are a ball player. And I want our guys to
be ball players!”
Misfeldt also believes in hustle.
“
The guys who play for us must be willing to give 100 percent
effort … or they will be sitting on the bench with me,” he
says.
Dana players are also expected to go to class, where they must
sit in one of the first three rows of every room they enter.
They are also required to take part in study tables two hours
a week.
“
Education always come first,” Misfeldt says. “Our
guys have to realize that they cannot play baseball forever.
Some day, they’re going to have to get out in the real
world and earn their own living, and that’s where that
education comes in handy.”
The baseball facilities at Dana come in handy too.
The Vikings play their home baseball games at Paul Peterson Field,
located at the east edge of campus. Named after a long-time Dana
coach, Peterson Field is one of only two fields in the GPAC which
are situated on campus. It measures 325 feet down the foul lines,
380 feet to the gaps and 400 feet to center field. A clubhouse,
complete with lockers, living room furniture, a TV and stereo
system, is attached to the Vikings’ dugout. Built in 2002,
it provides the players with not only space to change their clothes
but a place that they call their own. Peterson Field also has
spacious foul territory, enclosed dugouts, well-manicured bullpens,
two batting cages, a press box, a scoreboard, a public address
system and a concession stand. For the fans, Peterson Field offers
a unique patio-style wooden deck, which encompasses the entire
back side of the backstop.
During the winter months, the Vikings workout in the Gardner-Hawks
Center where they have an indoor hitting cage plus ample room
for playing catch and performing fielding drills.
“
We have great facilities and a winning tradition here at Dana,” Misfeldt
says. “It’s an honor and a privilege for me to try
to keep that tradition going.”
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