Creating a team

A new season for Thunder Bay’s boys of summer will see some changes on and off the field.

Since being hired as the Border Cats new manager last September, Andy Judkins has been busy calling schools, drafting strategies, and following players to recruit a team to Thunder Bay. With commitments from 22 players, Judkins said he believes the team will get wins and take the Northwoods League championship.

“The team put together so far has some very quality players,” Judkins said from Coolidge, Arizona, where he is an assistant coach at Central Arizona College. “I feel like we’re going to be very competitive.”

Judkins, who is originally from the suburbs of Minneapolis, has had help recruiting the team based on past relationships between the Border Cats and places like Belmont University and St. John’s University, which have four and two players coming North-of-the-border this year.

But he’s also getting help from the competition.

Mike Orchard, who has managed the Border Cats’ division rival Mankato Moondogs for the past three seasons, sits two feet away from Judkins in the Central Arizona College baseball office. They bounce ideas off of each other and Orchard even recommended Judkins for the job in Thunder Bay. While they’re friends and colleagues though, the chirping has already begun.

“We have not made official bets yet we’ve just talked about how we might run the score up on each other a couple of times,” Judkins said. “It’s all in fun.”

Judkins will only be 27 when he takes his first managing job this summer. But he’s been assistant coach for the Rochester Honkers and played in the Northwoods League. While he might not be much older than some of his players, Judkins said it’s about setting ground rules and earning their respect early on.

He’s also going to let the players take responsibility for themselves on and off the field.

“If they want to play for you then they’re going to go out there and do the best they can on the field,” he said.

The Cats have announced 12 players so far this season, including first baseman Ryan Casillas, who’s hitting .298 with 22 RBIs this season and pitcher Greg Ryan, posting a 2-1 record with a 4.30 ERA, from Judkins’ school.

The team is full of starters who can put the ball in play and run. Judkins expects an aggressive team this year but that might change depending on how the players mesh.

“We’re going to do anything we can to win ballgames while we’re there,” he said.

Helping to get those wins will be second-in-command Ruben Noriega coaching offense and defense, pitching coach Graham Johnson and Parker Krukenberg. Judkins said it’s encouraging to have a staff he knows he can rely on. When it comes to someone like Johnson, Judkins said he can be hands-off on the pitching side of things.

“I’m always open to what they think and taking everything into consideration,” he said. “I put a lot of trust in those guys… I’ve surrounded myself and we’ve surrounded each other with other baseball guys that are very knowledgeable about the game.”

Off the field, Cats’ owner Brad Jorgenson said the team’s tenth anniversary is going to be a good one. There are plenty of promotions and celebrations being planned but he’s keeping the specifics a secret for now.

“You’ll have to wait and see,” he said.

There will be batting cages next to right field this summer for the team but they’ll also be open to the public. Jorgenson is also hoping to have a club deck behind home plate. A design is almost complete but what the team really needs it city approval to get it realized.

“Right now it all looks good but until it’s approves it’s not approved,” he said.

The idea comes from Witter Field, home of the Wisconsin Rapids Rafters. Jorgenson said after two years, the NWL South division team couldn’t be happier with its decision.

“They said it was the best addition they’ve made to their park.”

Attendance for the Border Cats was up 16 per cent last year. The front office is pushing corporate gatherings on its 2,400 square foot deck to really increase the number this season.

If companies just took their employees to one of the Cats’ 35 home games, that’s all the team needs Jorgenson said.

“We take care of everything from the barbequing to the refreshments.”

Season tickets have been selling well thanks to what Jorgenson calls the “backbone of the team”, its regular fans.

The Border Cats face the Alexandria Beetles for the home opener June, 4.