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IVERSON NAMED NEW
COUGAR BASEBALL COACH
Former Apple Valley Head Coach Will Lead Team For 2011 Season
 Lakeville
South has named Apple Valley High School coach Al Iverson as
the new head coach for Cougar baseball. Iverson was previously
head coach at Apple Valley High School where they were Lake
Conference Champions in 2002, 2004 and 2007. They won the
state championship in 2006. Iverson took over the program in
2001 and only had two down years as he guided the Eagles to
winning seasons in seven out of his nine years as head coach
there. (See coaching record below)
Iverson played his high school ball at Oak Lawn
Community High School in Illinois as a catcher. From there he
attended Luther College in Iowa. He served as the JV assistant
there in 1988. From there he moved on to become an assistant
coach at Decorah through the '89 season. He then took a year
off in 1990 and was later married in 1991. He guided the
Lakeville Legion team that same summer of '91. The next year
he was an assistant for Rosemount in the spring of 92. In
1993, Al came to Lakeville and was an integral cog in coach
Zeise's program, acting as head JV baseball coach and also as
the Panthers pitching coach. He was part of the state
runner-up season in 2000 before moving on to become head coach
at Apple Valley in 2001.
Iverson resides in Lakeville and also teaches
here at Lakeview Elementary. He is married to
wife Sigrid and has two daughters and two sons. He is a true
baseball fanatic and loves White Sox baseball. His favorite
saying is, "Eat a little dirt to get to the ball."
He brings with him a history of developing players as well
as a tenacious attitude for winning baseball.
Welcome to Cougar baseball Coach Iverson!
Apple Valley Record:
|
2010 |
|
12-10
9-7 |
|
(overall)
(Lake Conference - Tied 3rd) |
|
2009 |
|
14-12
9-9 |
|
(overall)
(Lake Conference - 6th) |
| 2008 |
|
15-8
12-6 |
|
(overall)
(Lake Conference - 3rd) |
| 2007 |
|
18-8
14-4 |
|
(overall)
(Lake Conference - 1st) |
| 2006 |
|
10-8 |
|
(Lake Conference - 3rd) |
| 2005 |
|
7-10 |
|
(Lake Conference - 7th) |
| 2004 |
|
13-4 |
|
(Lake Conference - 1st) |
| 2003 |
|
9-8 |
|
(Lake Conference - 5th) |
| 2002 |
|
14-3 |
|
(Lake Conference - 1st) |
| 2001 |
|
8-9 |
|
(Lake Conference - 6th) |
NEW FACILITY WILL HAVE CUSTOM
SIGN
New Sign Will
Commemorate The Beginning Of Cougar Baseball In 2006
One of the awaited new pieces for the baseball press box
facility will be the addition of a new sign to adorn the
building and also commemorate the beginning of South Cougar
Baseball and the first season in 2006. Dan Gust of ActionPlus Signs in Apple Valley has been kind enough to
donate his time and services to produce a sign designed by the
alumni baseball boosters which will hang on the North face of
the press box and be visible to all who come to the field.
Many thanks to Dan and the folks at ActionPlus Signs for the
beautiful donation to the new facility.
EFFORT UNDERWAY
TO SAVE 9B SPORTS
Pro Wrestling Event Set For May
1st At LSHS
It's no secret that ISD 194 has been struggling financially
for years now, ever since Lakeville voters refused to support
a levy that would have funded our schools, our most precious
community resource. That myopic vote has hurt tremendously,
with over 100 teachers lost and many classes cut, all in such
an affluent community. Now it appears that the future of 9B
sports is in serious jeopardy for 2011, unless funding can be
found before then.
Organizers have put together a
special event that is sure to be a big draw and wonderful
fundraiser for both schools. A night of WWE Steel Domain
Wrestling has been put together with the hopes of raising
$14,000 to save 9B sports. The big event will feature
AWA Tag team champions Greg Gagne
and Jim Brunzell, as well as national TV stars, Magnus WWE’s
Bam Neely, Ring of Honor stars
Jerry Lynn,
Austin Aries, Lenny Lane, among many others.
The event be held at Lakeville South on
Saturday night, May 1st at 7:30.
Advance tickets are reasonably
priced at $10 for adults and $5 for students (K-12). Tickets
at the door on the night of the event will be $12.
Tickets are on sale all week
at the both LSHS and LNHS..
Tickets can also be purchased online at the
following sites:
www.sdwonline.com |
www.cougarboosters.org |
www.pantherboosters.org
See the
attached flyer
for more information.
Please help us promote this
special night by telling friends and family. All proceeds
benefit both LSHS and LNHS, but most especially, it benefits
our kids.
ST.
PAUL SAINTS PURCHASE BLUE CHIP ACADEMY
Cougar Baseball Neighbor Flexes New Baseball Muscle
 Blue
Chip Sports Academy has become
Saints Sports Academy as the St. Paul baseball club has
made a significant investment south of the river. Lamarr
Rogers will still be on hand to manage and instruct. The new
collaboration is a good one for former MLB player Rogers who
splits his time between the academy and acting as hitting
coach for the St. Paul Saints.
Open house
took place on November 7th and the multi-sports facility is in
full operation. To be the best and get to the next level, you
need to work hard and practice, but if you want to get a
leg-up on the competition you need to also train with the
best.
(1) batting practice cages with pitching machine
(1) batting practice warm up stations
(2) grass infield for infield & fly ball
practice.
Portable pitching
mounds also available in the field house.
Located in the 72,000
square foot Train America Athletic Development Center in
Lakeville, the Saints Sports Academy is the premier location
for all of your Baseball training needs.
For membership and training
information, give the professional staff at the Saints Sports
Academy a call and be the best that you can be.
952-985-5949 | 9913 214th Street, Lakeville.
Just one block east from Lakeville South, just off Co. Rd. 70.
Come and see for
yourself what the new Saints Sports Academy is all about.
Visit the new website:
http://saintssportsacademy.com
Take a tour inside Saints Sports Academy
WOOD BATS OFFERED TO SOUTH
PLAYERS
For those that are
interested in obtaining quality wood training bats at a great price,
the Rally bat
company offers three bats for darn near the price of one maple.
All bats are custom made to your specs.
The contact info for
Rally Bats can be found in the link provided below. Rally Bats is a
local Minnesota company.
More On Custom Wood Bats
Lakeville Life & Times
Businesses team up, build new press box at Lakeville South
Despite tough economy, contractors step to
the plate
by Laura Adelmann
ThisWeek Newspapers
Despite a difficult economy, several businesses
have stepped to the plate to help Lakeville South baseball
with a project designed to keep players on the field well into
the future.
(Read
full story here)
DONATORS' APPRECIATION NIGHT HELD
School
Recognizes Companies That Made Concession Stand Possible
Special thanks to all the great Cougar
baseball families for their loyal support on donator
appreciation night for the very costly new concession stand
and press box facility. The venture has come from the pockets
of those hurting the most during this economic
downturn, the building and construction industry. With over
1,200 laborers out of work in Minnesota alone, in an industry
hit quite hard by the economy, it was nice to see the turnout
of those who cared the most in thanking these valued
supporters for such a wonderful gift to the program. After
many school announcements and numerous reminders during the
South-North Elko baseball game, as well as publication on this website, it
was remarkable to see the thanks put forth from the
Cougar faithful. Thank you all for your thoughtful support.
This was not intended as a booster night, it
was
solely for the companies who made this project possible and those who
were on hand easily recognized the night's true focus, our
generous benefactors. We cannot say enough about these
companies.
Again, thanks to all the
families who made the extra effort to be there to show
their Cougar appreciation. It truly was a testament to the
loyalty of many for Cougar baseball and this much needed
project. The depth of appreciation was certainly hard to miss.
Special props to the loyal fans of Cougar nation.
True to his character and good sportsmanship,
football coach Larry Thompson showed his usual great class by
actually being on hand in a show of support to thank the companies
that were represented. Coach Zeise
and the varsity team are also to be commended for personally thanking
each company member in attendance for their efforts in
supporting our program. Thank you very much guys! We cannot
begin to show our appreciation for a building
that has now soared to well over $30,000 with materials and
union labor costs. Your efforts were very much appreciated.
SAINTS SPORTS
ACADEMY IS
NEIGHBOR FOR SOUTH
Multi-Sport Training
Facility Is Two Blocks From South High School
The Saints
Sports Academy is open in Lakeville and it's just a home run
or two from the South High School, at 9913 214th street West.
The 72,000 square foot sports facility, called Train
America, actually houses many sports training related
companies other than just the Saints Sports Academy, such as,
Wear Out The Net, Sports Mechanics Analysis, Match Point
Tennis Center, Perpetual Motion, and the Center for Sports
Medicine & Rehabilitation, run by the Mayo Clinic.
LaMar
Rogers is joined in the venture by General Manager Jaeson
Hall, Director of Operations Torrion Amie, and Events Planner
Trent Seaman, as well as a number of qualified instructors
with 55 years of combined experience.
The
Saints Sports Academy
has over 14 hitting stations with numerous
pitching machines for both baseball and softball. The facility
also has a video analysis section where a player's mechanics
are filmed, then broken down and studied. There is even a dual
bullpen, complete with a red clay mound for the pitchers.
One of the
main features of the multi-million dollar
Saints Sports Academy is a huge 18,000 square
foot basement, with a towering ceiling and enough room for an
entire infield, with over 50 square yards of artificial turf to
play on.
Take a photo tour
of the new Lakeville Blue Chip:
Saints Sports
Academy Photo Gallery
Training
packages are available to fit your needs.
For more
info, contact
Saints Sports Academy
at 985-5949.
BASEBALL HANDLES
FOOTBALL CONCESSIONS
Money Raised Will Go To All Sports Boosters Baseball Account
Cougar baseball families pitch in
to raise money for the baseball program.
It was a last minute
offer to Cougar baseball to run concessions for the first
Cougar football game, but somehow once again the good folks
from Cougar Nation arose to help save the day and make it all
work. It was without a doubt the most food ever sold by Cougar
baseball at a football game. A lot of money was raised for
baseball's account with All Sports Boosters. Thanks to all who
showed up to help: Verne & Diane Frandrup, Dennis Adelmann, Keith Jans,
Craig Zander, Randy & Sherry Sleeper, Jim &
Sandi Continenza, Mark & Linda Buermann, Steve Erdal, Tom
Donnelly and Cindy St. Martin. Thanks to Paul St. Martin for
helping organize the group at the last minute. It is truly
very much appreciated. No one does football concessions as well as the
baseball families from Cougar Nation. Thanks to all who helped
make the undertaking a smooth running operation.
COUGAR BASEBALL DOES
CORN FOR PAN-O-PROG
Baseball Boosters Secure Booth For Lucrative Annual Event
Cougar baseball families pitch in
to raise money for the baseball program.
After being shut out
of the 2007 Pan-O-Prog event, the Cougar Baseball Boosters
made it a priority to gain admittance to the annual Lakeville
Pan-O-Prog celebration. This year their efforts were
successful as the boosters were awarded the corn booth to help
raise money for Cougar baseball. With the invaluable support
from Cougar Nation and its baseball families, the boosters
were able to raise $3,000 to put towards the new concession
stand project for Cougar Field.
A hearty Cougar
thank you to all those who helped during a hectic weekend that
included baseball tournaments at every level. Thanks to
Heather Walker, Linda Buermann, Rosie Novak, Kathy Erikson,
Jeff & Roxanne Zelmer, Tim & Lynn McNamee (and friends), Pat
Steele Sr., and Laura Adelmann, as well as boosters Randy
Sleeper and Paul & Cindy St. Martin.
Thanks to
Joel Blaschko and Mark Buermann for the extra help keeping the
fundraiser event running smoothly. Last but not least, thank
you to Jean Watts who always does the bulk of the shopping and
running around for the boosters.
Special thanks to
Gary Pahl from
Pahl's Market for providing the delicious sweet corn. It
was greatly appreciated and enjoyed by all. Thanks to Rainbow
Foods for also providing sweet corn. Thanks to River Country
Co-op (Marathon) for providing LP gas.
Thanks also to
Pan-O-Prog chairman Dan Pellinen for the booth space. The
Cougar Baseball Boosters have agreed to continue running the
corn stand for future Pan-O-Prog celebrations and look forward
to making the booth even better with the addition of grilled
brats, to go with their roasted corn for next year's event.
BASEBALL WORKS LAKEVILLE FIREWORKS
Volunteers
Work On 4th To Raise Money For Cougar Field Needs
For the second
consecutive year, the Cougar Baseball Boosters helped serve
concessions for the city of Lakeville's fireworks show at
North high school to raise money for Cougar baseball.
The crowd packs in early for the
annual Lakeville fireworks show.
John Maher and Jeannie Watts
handle concessions for the early crowd.
Eric Watts is volunteer grill-master as
he cooks up hamburgers for the crowd.
While
concessions were down this year, the group still made $400 to
put towards their Cougar field improvements goal. Every little
bit helps during the district 194 budget crisis.
Thanks very much to those who showed up to help:
Bob, Joan, Ryan and Rachel Todorvich, John, Linda and Lindsey Maher,
and Jean, Eric and Shannon Watts. Many thanks gang for a job
very well done.
SOCCER TOURNEY
BENEFITS BASEBALL
Cougar
Baseball Families Run Soccer Concessions To Raise Money
245 teams from 35 states descend
on Lakeville for the LSC soccer tourney.
The Cougar Baseball
Boosters thank all those who volunteered to help with
concessions for the South soccer tourney. The event could not
have been accomplished without the willing help of Cougar
nation. Special thanks to John and Linda Maher for chairing
this year’s event. Cougar baseball applauds their efforts and
thanks them for organizing this year's concessions.
Boosters Randy Sleeper and Mark
Buermann help an early morning patron.
Last but not least,
thank you to Bruce Reinhart with LSC for allowing the baseball boosters to
once again serve their
event. The baseball boosters truly look forward to working
this very well organized event and thank LSC for their support
of Cougar baseball.
The boosters also
want to extend our sincerest thanks and warmest regards to the
following fine Lakeville merchants...
Woody Hunt and Bruce
Melton at Rainbow Foods for their great donation of
delicious hotdogs and hamburgers, Ken Kooyer at
Starbucks for the wonderful gourmet coffee, Tim Kreiser at Green Mill for the
tasty Friday night pizza sponsorship, and also Carmen Lee and the great
folks at Rocky's Grill for all the ice. Thanks also to Jeff
West and Toro for the extremely useful and convenient concession vehicles. We
couldn't have done any of it without the support of these fine
people and their companies.
We sincerely hope
that South baseball families will recognize these generous
Lakeville merchants with their continued support throughout
the year.
Coordinator John Maher in one of
the three Toro concession vehicles.
With the help of
these very generous supporters, the boosters were able to make $3,000
in total sales during the weekend. After concession expenses,
all profits will go towards Cougar field
improvements. Thanks to all those
who helped make this event a big success for Cougar baseball.
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