April 7, 2023 Hutchinson Collegian

OBraedon

HutchCC cheer team is Daytoan bound Page 3

HutchCC staff reflect on COVID-19 lockdowns three years later. Page 4

Sports

All about Blue Dragon baseball pitcher Reed Scott Page 6

What’s going on with the tennis courts?

An update on the construction occuring on campus

By Ainsley Trunkhill Managing Editor-Content

For years, the cracked and corroded tennis courts have stood at the center of Hutchinson Community College’s campus, predominantly serving as a shortcut for students to get to class. Students and staff have long debated the future of the space, with suggestions ranging from a fishing spot to complete demolition. This semester, however, with construction in progress, the tennis courts will get a definitive new look.

The tennis court renovation is the first step in a two-part project, with a renovation to the Parker Student Union Courtyard planned for this summer.

Julie Blanton, HutchCC’s Vice President of Finance and Operations, said HutchCC’s new look will cost the college $1,810,000, with the bid received from Prairie Landworks, Inc.

“I think it will be a great addition to campus,” said Bostyn Castor, a current HutchCC student who will be here next year for the completed project. “From what I’ve heard, it sounds like we will have access to a space that will be beneficial to both our education while also giving us more time on campus.”

With the bulk of the design being composed of an outdoor classroom and green space, these benefits serve as the goal of the courts’ initiative. In addition to the large, amphitheater classroom, there will also be pickleball courts, a

9-square court, and a gaga ball pit, all intended as recreation sites for students. Beyond recreation, teachers can also reserve the space for class, student groups can host meetings, and the theater department can present outdoor performances.

“It will be a fun place to interact with other students,” Castor said.

Don Rose, the Director of Facilities at HutchCC, says that the project is expected to be completed around the end of July.

Currently, the construction has finished demolition and foundational steps, such as underground utilities, prep work, and footings for the structures. As construction continues on,

in the next few months the promised student hub will surface.

“I think it is going very well,” Rose said.

With temperatures rising, students, teachers, and the public alike, can anticipate a new center of activity as summer comes around the corner.

‘(It’s) not just a hairstyle, it’s a lifestyle’ HutchCC students on the return of the mullet

By Victoria Lewis Staff Writer

It’s all business in the front and party in the back, now that the mullet - the hairstyle that was once all the rage in the 1980s - is experiencing quite an intense (and controversial) comeback.

The mullets are hiding in plain sight with many Hutchinson Community College students sporting the ‘short in the front, long in the back’ ‘do.

One such student is Nestus Burger, a freshman of Perth, Australia, who grew his luscious locks into a mullet over the span of a year, after being inspired by a friend. A key marker of millennial Australian culture, Burger said he “just wanted to be one of the boys,” by getting a mullet.

According to Burger, whose mullet is

one of his self

proclaimed ‘personality traits’ “a mullet is not just a hairstyle, it’s a lifestyle.”

You either have it or you don’t when it comes to the elusive hairstyle

“You have to have a certain personality to have a mullet,” Burger said. “There’s not many people that hate-hate it, but there are lots of people who love it.”

He finishes that sentence off with a wink.

Nestus only has one question for those pesky mullet haters out there - “Why? Just, why?”

What’s wrong with it you know? It’s just hair.”

Cole Segraves, a freshman out of Maize, is another student who has fashioned himself a mullet, taking just four months to grow. His motive for testing out the hairstyle was that he “wanted to try something different.

“I just thought they were cool, (and) I’d never tried it,” Segraves said.

Segraves doesn’t let the mullet-hating army get to him. Even his family disapproves of the mullet.

“They would rather just have a standard haircut, just short like in the military - just the generation I think,” he said “I don’t really care, I feel like it’s just hair so I don’t know why it matters so much.”

The other side of the camp, however, seems much more passionate about the topic. When Monae Duffy, a freshman from Lafayette, La., sees a mullet, she does not like what she sees.

Duffy cannot wrap her head around people who live and die by their mullets.

“I would prefer any other men’s styles, but no mullet,” Duffy said. “I feel

like it is a childish hairstyle for men.”

And if her future son came home one day wanting a mullet?

“He was just simply not getting it,” Duffy said.

In her opinion, there is one instance and one instance only where the mullet is allowed to have a comeback, saying “a female mullet is not bad … like it all depends on how the woman styles it.”

However, she doesn’t think that there should be a comeback on men’s mullets.

“Let women have a chance to rock the style and make something out of it,” Duffy said.

The mullet is a red-hot topic of debate, but one thing’s for sure - the mullet is back, and it’s here for a good time, and a long time.

Great mullets in history

Artist’s rendition of the planned additions in replace of the HutchCC Tennis Courts

Rendition provided by HutchCC

Despite what interviews say, Hutchinson Collegian twitter fans voted overwhelmingly against the mellet

Burger

From Left: Billy Ray Cyrus, Andre Agassi, John Daly, and Bailey Smith

It’s a pretty-well documented thing that the alt-right is totally absurd on every level. From beliefs to actions, nothing they do makes sense, however, for one representative, everything they do is the most absurdly insane human being in the country.

I’m talking, of course, about the representative of Georgia’s 14th congressional district, Marjorie Taylor Greene. Recently, “60 Minutes” did an interview with MTG that showed quite a bit of incompetence on both sides, but what I’m here to focus on is Marjorie herself. I couldn’t care less if the interviewer sucked at her job, because the real harm done is the absolutely moronic things that Marjorie says on a daily basis, be it calling for a “national divorce” between red and blue states, or that the California wildfires in 2021 were caused by “Space Lasers”.

The interview truly begins with questions about raising taxes. Greene refused to answer and instead pivoted by saying the blame for the rapidly approaching economic disaster lies with, “The people that have spent $31 trillion that forced this situation to happen.”

Which means … absolutely nothing. She follows this up with, “We don’t have a revenue problem in DC, but a spending problem.” Which I would argue is true. Except her solution is to cut COVID-19 bailouts and green energy spending, instead of cutting … maybe some of the $800 billion we give to the military every year. Marjorie refuses to acknowledge that clean energy is one of the only ways to save our future going forward. But of course, she doesn’t care about the future. She cares about the now, where she can work on killing trans people and criminalizing gay people and arguing for a genocide against whatever group of people she feels like.

It continues showing a clip from “the past” , whatever that means, of MTG chasing down a survivor of the Park-

land school shooting to tell them that if the school had armed security guards this would have never happened. I hope to god I don’t have to explain why that is 50 different levels of screwed up.

And of course, the “age-old” adage of “The democrats are a party of pedophiles”, to which she agrees, saying “They support grooming children.” and “Even Joe Biden - the presidentsupports children being sexualized and having transgender surgeries. That’s what pedophiles do, they sexualize children,” which shows the absolutely absurd lack of understanding the representative has for trans people.

No one is sexualizing kids, republicans just think anything involving gay or trans people is sexual, because the only context they have for the existence of gay and trans people is the porn they watch behind closed doors. (Cough cough Ted Cruz.) Also no one is arguing that kids should have gender-confirmation surgeries. The argument is that trans kids should have the right to go

on puberty blockers because it has an immensely positive effect on the trans suicidality rate. When kids are accepted and supported and allowed to live as they want to, their likelihood to attempt suicide plummets.

Marjorie says it’s OK to call the democrats pedophiles because people on the internet call her racist. And Antisemititc. That’s name calling, and she’s just stating the truth. Which is, of course, the squirliest dodge imaginable. Marjorie is called racist because she supports a system that actively decreases the ability of Black people to exist in this country.

Marjorie Taylor Greene also, of course, believes in QAnon, because what kind of alt-right nut job doesn’t these days. And she avoids blame for having liked a Facebook post calling for speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi to get a “Bullet to the head” by saying she wasn’t running her social media at that point. But she also stands by the stuff on her page. So which is it? Does she think Nancy Pelosi should be shot, or did she

not believe the stuff on her page?

While this interview was absurdly embarrassing for both sides, the interviewer allowing MTG to basically walk all over her, Marjorie herself still comes out as the national embarrassment I’ve always said she was. The people of Georgia should be ashamed that she is the one who has been chosen to represent them on a national level. I’m certainly embarrassed that she represents any portion of America.

However, there is one way this can go that I would be genuinely excited to see. A retry of this interview performed by Jon Stewart. The key factor in an interview with America’s ‘Darling Moron’ would be an interviewer who actually takes and retains control over the conversation. Jon Stewart would do that and then some.

Braedon Martin is a Hutchinson sophomore studying journalism. He is the Collegian’s Opinion Page Editor and Managing Editor-Design.

‘Glass Onion’ bucks the trend for sequels

Watching movies can be frustrating nowadays, especially when sequels try to out-do the original movie. Often, this goes wrong, and the sequel doesn’t have the same charm or success. “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was far too unbelievable, driving away old fans instead of bringing in new ones.

Even more frustrating, when plot twists feel like they came from nowhere. Plot twists don’t exist solely to surprise the audience; they exist to move the story forward. They shouldn’t leave the audience wondering “Where the hell did that come from?”

However, some movie series do both well. “Knives Out” is a murder mystery that relies on plot twists. The twists never felt sud-

den, even though the movie played with the viewer’s perception of events. I love “Knives Out,” and was cautiously optimistic when I heard there would be a second movie.

I’ll admit, I was pleasantly surprised when “Glass Onion” came out and it was completely different. It would’ve been easy to attempt to recreate the atmosphere of “Knives Out,” and doing so would have ruined the series. Outside of Detective Blanc, the movies are completely unconnected, which worked really well. From here on out I’ll be talking about the plot, so spoiler warning. If you haven’t watched it, I highly recommend doing so before finishing my column.

The opening sequence is a series of introductions

to the main cast. These initial scenes are packed with information about each character. Miles Bron sends out invitations to his closest friends, asking them to join him on his island during the pandemic. You quickly learn that Governor Claire Debella cares deeply about her political image and is always “presentable” in unassuming beige. Dr. Lionel Toussaint is a pushover for Bron, doing whatever he asks, regardless of how it might impact his career. Birdie Jay is self-centered, also dumb, and is hosting a massive party in the middle

of lockdown. Duke is a men’s rights activist on Twitch, and his girlfriend Whiskey helps him. The only two characters who are properly isolating are Helen Brand and Benoit Blanc.

The invitation arrives in a complex puzzle box. Most of the cast play Bron’s game, following the steps to open the box. Helen, on the other hand, simply breaks it open with a hammer, refusing to play along.

Obviously the opening scene of a movie is going to set up later events, but “Glass Onion” does this purely through characters

and their interactions. You quickly learn basic facts about the cast and how they interact with each other. All of these interactions foreshadow how each person is connected to Miles Bron and why they still bother with his games. “Glass Onion” is a movie that revolves around its characters, and these small bits of information show exactly why later events transpire. Within the first twenty minutes of the movie, the audience has almost every piece they need to solve the murder.

“Glass Onion” misdirects the audience using the fallibility of eyewitness accounts. It plays with how the audience remembers events; simply changing a few words changes how you remember a scene.

When Duke is poisoned

on the island, you watch it happen. However, when Bron says that Duke took his drink, that’s how you remember it. It’s not until later when Blanc is revealing everything that you’re shown Bron handing Duke the tainted drink.

I love how “Glass Onion” plays with the audience’s perception of events. It’s something I enjoyed about “Knives Out.” These movies hand you most of the information you need to start piecing together the murder. When the plot twists happen, they’re only shocking because they seem so obvious. You’re not thinking “Where did that come from,” you’re thinking “I should have seen that coming.”

Lynn Spahr is a Hutchinson freshman in general studies.

race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, age, military status, sexual orientation, or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law, or by college policy.

For inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies contact: Christopher Lau, Coordinator of Equity & Compliance 1300 N. Plum Hutchinson, KS 67501 (620) 665-3500 equity@hutchcc.edu (www.hutchcc.edu/equity)

Cartoon by Briana Payne/Collegian

Columnist

Braedon Martin

Columnist

Lynn Spahr

Squad is spreading the spirit to the sands of Daytona

By Carly Thompson Staff Writer

The Hutchinson Community College spirit squads are in Daytona Beach, Florida, this week, to compete in the National Cheerleading Association and National Dance Alliance Nationals. Since receiving their invitation in October, the teams have been hard at work preparing their routines. The teams

continued their morning practices and even practiced twice a day over spring break.

“The mindset as a team is definitely to just go out there and give 110%,” HutchCC freshman and cheer co-captain Ajae Henderson said. “We know the competition will be tough but we want to come back home knowing that we represented HutchCC well and gave

it our all.”

Wednesday was the Blue Dragons’ first day in Florida, where they spent the majority of their time practicing. The cheer competition is held on Thursday and Friday, the dance competition is Friday and Saturday. Competitions are held at Ocean Center and the Bandshell.

After the Dragon Dolls complete

their performance, the teams will get to enjoy a stunt fest, vendors, and a competition glow celebration, including other teams from all over the U.S.

“This is such a great opportunity to compete against the best of the best as well as a great way to complete our season. We are excited about the experience and the memories,” HutchCC spirit squad coach Sami Cox said.

Giving 110% - Dance and cheer team shows off skills to home crowd

Annika Cunningham (center) and Jade Jantzen (left) jump during the Blue Dragon spirit squad’s routine at the team’s annual showcase at the Sports Arena. The team left earlier in the week for Daytona Beach, Fla.

Maggie Strobel, a member of the Dragon Dolls dance team, finishes up a routine at the annual showcase at the Sports Arena.

Cassidy Gregg, a member of the Dragon Dolls, waves the crowd after finishing her performance on Saturday at the Sports Arena at the annual showcase.

Members of the HutchCC spirit squad meet prior to performing at the team’s annual showcase at the Sports Arena, prior to departing for Florida.

Three years (three years!) ago, Covid locked down HutchCC and the world

How has the academic and business worlds changed since the lockdown?

By Mason Poepperling Staff Writer

It’s been three years since Covid-19 was at its peak in the United States and around the world.

Let that sink in for a moment.

Three years ago, the halls of the Hutchinson Community College campus were as empty as a ghost town. Cars in parking lots were sparse and people on campus were few and far between.

The halls are full again, barely anyone is wearing masks anymore, and everything on campus seems to be running as usual.

“People are less likely to flinch if you cough or sneeze,” said Kelsey Dame, a transfer specialist at HutchCC.

But it’s not just on campus.

Dan Nacarrato, HutchCC’s business instructor, and Tricia Paramore, the vice president of academic affairs, explained the differences seen in the busi-

ness world and in the world in general now that we’ve seen in the three years since the peak of Covid-19.

“More employers are flexible about allowing workers to stay at home,” Nacarrato said.

“As long as they’re getting the work time, maybe they don’t have to worry about getting into the office. I think that’s had implications about the work week and about the value of commercial office space.” Paramore said the world had

to adjust to many aspects of life on the fly.

“We experienced things unprecedented in recent world history and everyone had to learn how to make it work.

Society learned to bend,” Paramore said. “The Covid crisis certainly placed a needed spotlight on mental health, the value of social interaction, and the benefits of flexibility.”

Even with the considerable amount of change in the world, there’s still more change to

come before we get to exactly where we were before Covid-19.

“Faculty and students learned a lot during COVID, and I think many are finding that those new tools they learned to use during the pandemic can be used in a variety of ways. I’m encouraged by the creativity of our faculty and students” Paramore said. Whatever the future holds, compared with 2020, there’s nowhere to go but up.

In-person enrollment days return to campus

By Lizzie Kipp Online Editor

Once upon a time at Hutchinson Community College, there were certain school days set aside specifically for enrollment.

These enrollment days were for incoming freshmen. They gave students a chance to enroll in their very first semesters and explore the campus they would come to know well. There were even days where classes were even canceled, so instructors who are also advisors could help with enrollment.

Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic ruined everything, and HutchCC put a pause on face-to-face enrollment days as a safety precaution.

But to bring a happy ending to the story - enrollment days are back, which is good news for both current and future Blue Dragons.

DJ Chastain, HutchCC’s Coordinator of Advising and Career Development, is particularly excited about their return.

“It is exciting to see new faces and meet the new students who will be attending HutchCC,” Chastain said.

“Building relationships early with new students is always positive.”

Chastain also added that it is beneficial for incoming

freshmen to see the campus and meet their advisor in person. Many students would rather go to a physical enrollment day instead of enrolling through a screen, anyway. Chastain said that he thinks

the change will be well-received among the student body and offers a tip, mentioning that anyone - even new students - can make personal appointments with an advisor.

“(Students) do not have to

come to the set enrollment days unless those days work best for them,” Chastain said.

The first enrollment day was March 31, but there are more to come. Current or future HutchCC

students can contact their advisor to enroll for summer or fall classes, but HutchCC will have scheduled enrollment for incoming freshmen on the following days - April 14, April 21, May 12, June 9, and July 7.

Collegian file photo

The Hutchinson Community College parking lot on the west side of Plum Street was barren in April 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic closed the college and many businesses in Hutchinson, and around the world.

Photo by Josie Schrag/Collegian Hutchinson Community College’s Tyler Gibbs (back) offers advice to a student during an afternoon enrollment session on March 31 at Parker Student Union. HutchCC temporarily stopped in-person enrollment days for high school students coming to HutchCC in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. However, HutchCC has started those up again, and there will be two more such sessions in April, and one each in May, June and July.

Puzzles Former HutchCC CIO Loren Morris dies

By Braedon Martin Managing Editor-Design

Former Hutchinson Community College Chief Information Officer

Loren Leo Morris died on Saturday at the age of 60. Morris served HutchCC as Chief Information Officer before retiring in 2022. He was born to Leo and Jerry (Smith) Morris in Lexington, Neb., on March 26, 1963.

Raised in Minden, Neb., Morris moved to Kansas to pursue higher education, where he met Pam Meadows at South Hutchinson’s Faith Mennonite Church. The two married on March 7, 1987.

Morris enjoyed working on home renovation projects with his sons-inlaw, as well as spending time with his family and friends. He also enjoyed

outdoor activities like hunting, volleyball, and spending time with his grandchildren in “Grandpa’s Woods”.

Morris is survived by: Pam Morris, his wife of 36 years, their daughters Randi Wise and Robin Slabach, as well as their respective husbands Tyler and Kendal. Four Grandchildren, Levi (6), Cassidy (3), Jayden (2), and Ellie (2 months). His father and brother, Leo and Kerry Morris, and Kerry’s wife Judy, and numerous aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are suggested to the Hutchinson Community College Endowment or Mennonite Friendship Communities, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N.Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.

Jevon Miller going for Esports touchdown

By Connor Keating Staff Writer

After securing two championship titles, the Hutchinson Community College Esports team is going in for a third.

The most likely player to do this is Partridge sophomore, Jevon Miller, who had been dominating players in “Madden NFL 23”.

Miller said he’s been playing since he was 6 or 7-years old, but doesn’t think he got good until three or four years ago.

“He has played Madden since he was young, but has a knack for the subtleties of the game, such as custom line positioning, calling audibles, and knowing the teams and their ratings in depth,” HutchCC coach Heath Hensley said.

Just like football players, Miller studies the game and watches film.

“I’m a pretty analytical person,” Miller said. “And I go back and I watch every game I play and see what I did well and what I need to work on.”

Miller has been destroying players, ending games with scores like 64-0. This has caused some of his opponents to forfeit from playing against him.

When asked how many of his opponents have forfeit, Miller said, “Probably four or five players, it happens about once every semester. It doesn’t

Scott

• Continued from Page 6

one of the most important roles as a pitcher with the potential to bring in the last few, and possibly game-winning, outs of the game.

As the season came to a close, Schmidt realized the promise in Scott and decided he just wasn’t pitching as much as he should be.

This realization has led to Scott taking on a new role as the Blue Dragons starting pitcher.

bother me too much. Most of the forfeits occur at the very end of the season when my opponent is already out of playoff contention.”

“Forfeits have been a nasty part of esports, not just in NJCAA, but other leagues as well,” Hensley said. “It can be anything from other players forgetting, scheduling conflicts, or them not feeling they can win, so opting to just not play the match in lieu of a forfeit. It’s not perfect, but NJCAA and NACE are doing all they can to try and remedy it.”

Hensley said that Miller was in the championship finals last season, just barely losing to Suffolk County Community College. This season he’s got another good shot at taking home a win to sit next to Colton Fast’s “NBA 2K” and the “Halo” team’s national championship titles.

“I’ve been extremely proud of how far Jevon, and the entire Esports program has come,” Hensley said. “We have been a major contender since we came onto the stage in 2021, and with two national championships now, we have a lot to live up to and continue to grow.”

“I would love to bring home a national championship for the Esports program,” Miller said. “But I know that my teammates and coaches will support me regardless of the outcome.”

the Blue Dragons.

Scott had four of his five career saves last season, where he pitched 24 innings. Before this weekend’s series with Cloud County, Scott had already thrown more than 27 innings this season. Coming from a baseball community just minutes away from Hutchinson, the support he earned in high school has remained and grown with him throughout his college career.

Scott

“He has to go toe-to-toe with the other teams’ best pitchers and get his team off to a good start in the series,” Schmidt said. “It just goes to show his hard work and what he’s put into this program. I couldn’t be prouder of what he’s been able to accomplish.”

Scott is 3-2 with a 4.94 ERA this season. He’s 2-1 in his three conference starts, including getting a win against a strong Seward County side that took the next three games from

is due - theatre puts on annual spring show

Playing with many of the same Buhler teammates he’s grown up with, his team has quickly become his family.

“I’m leaving with 50-plus brothers at least. I love every single one of the guys I’ve played with,” Scott said. “I truly feel like my family has expanded over these last two years. That’s probably one of my biggest takeaways from all of this.”

Scott has taken what seemed to be a complete strikeout and turned it into a home run with plans to continue his success at a four-year university, which is yet to be determined.

Morris

‘Rent’

Photo by Sabrina Anzo/Collegian Rachel Townson (left) and Bridgett Gibbs act out a scene in the HutchCC theatre department’s annual spring musical. This year, the department did a rendition of ‘Rent’.

Scott stars for Blue Dragon baseball

By Laci Sutton Staff Writer

From the bottom of the barrel to No. 1 starting pitcher, Buhler native and Hutchinson Community College sophomore Reed Scott has proven himself as a force to be reckoned with on the baseball field.

Scott’s baseball career began as a youngster, sharing the love of the sport with his parents and starting tee ball around age 5 and continuing onto recreational leagues until age 12, when he joined travel leagues as a way to hang out with friends and just have fun.

High school brought on new sporting adventures, splitting his time between basketball and baseball. When college came along, it was an easy choice for Scott to continue his athletic career on the mound.

“Baseball has always been one of my favorite sports so it was baseball the whole way,” Scott said.

Getting started on the

Blue Dragons proved to be a bit more of a challenge.

Coming in as a freshman, Scott chose to be a walk-on for the Blue Dragon baseball team (meaning he was not on scholarship) and has since made a lasting impact on HutchCC coach Ryan Schmidt.

“I knew we were

getting a good not only baseball player but a good person as well,” Schmidt said. “I loved the way he competed, I loved the way that he played, I loved the way that coaches and teammates talked about him but also the way people around town talked about him. I think that’s what really put it over the edge

for me.”

Being a walk-on essentially placed Scott at the bottom of the roster with little playing time. A concept that he was determined to change for himself.

His motivation - proving the system wrong.

“At first, it was showing up everyday, proving I belong on the team and

Athlete of the week (Mar 26-Apr 2) Colin

Cymbalista

Baseball

deserve to have a uniform,” Scott said. “Then it was proving that I’m good enough to help them, good enough to win. Proving the coaches wrong.”

By the end of last season, he had worked himself up to being the closing pitcher. Arguably

The Week: Cymbalista dominated at the plate this past weekend in HutchCC baseball’s series against Butler CC.The Canadian hit 10-16 with 2 homeruns with 13 RBI’s. He made his biggest splash with a walk-off grand-slam in game 3 on Saturday. This Season: Cymbalista now has 18 RBI’s and is a leading contributor to the HutchCC lineup. They are now 18-15 overall and 9-7 in conference play. They play Cloud CC this week.

Cymbalista

Softball steamrolling through conference play

By Sam Ojeda Sports Editor

The Hutchinson Community College softball team was rolling going into last weekend’s games. The Blue Dragons had a 12-game winning streak heading into Colby. Although their winning streak came to end that weekend, they are still one of the most consistent teams in the NJCAA. The 28-5 Blue Dragons are now ranked 15th in the country after the doubleheader split. The offense has been a dominant powerhouse this season. The team batting average is .370 which is fourth best in Jayhawk Conference. Their 35 home runs and 289 RBIs are also fourth in the conference.

This upcoming weekend’s matchup is the most important of the season for them. Their 16-2 conference record is tied atop the KJCCC West Division with their Saturday opponent, Butler. The Blue Dragons already split with the Grizzlies earlier this season at Fun Valley. They traveled to El Dorado on Wednesday for another two games. A split left the Blue Dragons level with Butler in the loss column.

Hutchinson coach Jaime Rose said she is confident her team can keep the steam rolling.

“We simply need to continue doing what we have been doing.” Rose said. “Focus on one game at a time.”

The Blue Dragons have been consistent all season and show no signs of slowing down. Preparation is important to a team’s success.

“We must focus on the willingness to prepare and having the mindset that we will win,” Rose said.

A cohesive unit tends to make success easier, but the junior college softball season is long and Rose wants to prepare her team for that.

“It takes grit and having everyone working toward a common goal,” Rose said.

Sophomore Madison Grimes is seen

Baseball

All dates are doubleheaders unless noted

Feb. 11, Southeast Nebraska, W 8-5, W 10-7

Feb. 13, at SOUTHEAST NEBRASKA, W 8-4, L 4-5

Feb. 17, at Temple, Texas (one game), L 2-7

Feb. 18, at Hill, Texas (one game), W 8-1

Feb. 19, at McLennan, Texas (one game), L 5-6

Feb. 21, TABOR JV, W 12-1, W 10-0

Feb. 23, at Rose State, Okla. L 13-7; W 5-2

Feb. 25, at Rose State, Okla, L 9-6

Feb. 28, at Northern Oklahoma-Enid (one game), L 12-9

March 1, COFFEYVILLE, W 8-7; W 8-2

March 4 at Coffeyville, L 8-1, L 5-4

March 9, DODGE CITY, L 13-7, W 10-1

March 11, at Dodge City, L 7-2, L 1-0

March 16, at Pratt, W 11-9, W 16-12

March 18, PRATT, W 11-4, W 13-3

March 23, SEWARD COUNTY, W 4-2, L 13-3

March 25, at Seward County, L 8-7 L 11-5

March 30, at Butler, L 8-3, W 11-1

April 1, BUTLER, W 9-5, W 10-6

as a team leader for HutchCC. The super sophomore from Andale said she sees how good the Blue Dragons can be.

“We have so much talent on this team,” Grimes said. “Anyone can play anywhere and when someone is struggling we are always trying to keep them up.”

Grimes is in the same boat as Rose.

“We have so much grit and are always willing to do anything to get a win,” Grimes said.

Grit seems to be the most driv -

April 6, CLOUD COUNTY, 1 p.m.

April 8, at Cloud County, 1 p.m.

April 11, at Northern Oklahoma-Tonkawa (one game), 2 p.m.

April 13, COWLEY, 1 p.m.

April 15, at Cowley, 1 p.m.

April 17, STERLING JV (one game), 4 p.m.

April 20, at Garden City, 1 p.m.

April 22, GARDEN CITY, 1 p.m.

April 24, at Sterling JV (one game), 2 p.m.

April 27, BARTON, 1 p.m.

April 29, at Barton, 1 p.m.

May 4, at Colby, 1 p.m.

March 27-28, at Jayhawk Conference Tournament, Manhttan, first

10-11, at Jayhawk Conference Tourna-

Wichita April 17-18, at Jayhawk Conference Championship, Newton

ing factor for HutchCC. The Blue Dragons have had to scrap out many wins and use that grit to get a good result.

“We don’t care who we are playing, we are going to fight every game for our pitchers, coaches, and team,” Grimes said. “We always have each other’s backs, no matter the situation. We play for each other every game instead of playing for ourselves.”

It’s a talented team with a deep talent pool.

“It’s not one person carrying this

April 24-25, at Central District/Region 6 Championships, Wichita May 16-19,

team, every game different people step up and I think that’s what makes this team so great,” Grimes said.

Finishing the season, HutchCC softball has a tough task ahead. The Blue Dragons play some of their toughest conference games before postseason, including matchups with third-place Barton and fifth-place Dodge City. It is going to take all facets of the game and a full team effort to accomplish what Grimes, Rose, and the rest of the team want to get done.

Photo by Josie Schrag/Collegian

Hutchinson sophomore Reed Scott delivers a pitch against Seward County from a game earlier this season. Scott went from the closing role to the game-one starting role during the course of the season.

Photo by Billy Watson/HutchCC Sports Information

The HutchCC softball team rallies around Head Coach Jaime Rose during a game earlier this season. They played Butler once already this season and will played them again Wednesday in their most important games of the season.

See Scott, Page 5