NU grads help MSU kick off season

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- When Minnesota State University, Mankato begins its football season Thursday at 6:30 p.m. hosting Bemidji State University, there will be a distinctive New Ulm flavor to the Maverick's team.

Freshmen Travis Aufderheide and Spencer Dickinson along with junior Micah Neidecker, three graduates of New Ulm High School, will have a say in how the fortunes of the Mavericks go this season.

Both Aufderheide and Dickinson are number two on the depth charts of the Mavericks' defense, while Neidecker is penciled in third at running back.

Dickinson is number two at defensive tackle and is on the same line as Aufderheide, who is number two at noseguard.

"That is a lot of fun," Aufderheide said.

"Football is going well for me," said Aufderheide. "I started out as a defensive tackle, but then they moved me inside once we had a few injuries on the [defensive] line and some other players quit. That is when they moved me to noseguard."

He said that the noseguard spot "is a good fit for me right now."

Aufderheide gained weight over the summer "from weightlifting. But once two-a-days started I lost quite a bit of weight."

Aufderheide now tips the scales at 240 pounds on his 6-foot 1 frame. He said that the biggest adjustment that he has seen from high school football to college is the intensity and tempo of practice.

"There is no standing time -- you are always moving," he said, adding that the coaches make practice " a game atmosphere so when we go out and play a game, it is not a big shock to you."

Dickinson echoed Aufderheide's feelings on the intensity of college football.

"It is more mental[ly] intense," he said. "You watch a lot of game films and they correct you on your mistakes rather than just on the field. You watch films of your practices."

Dickinson said that the attitude and a new coach has him thinking that this year will be different from last year.

"[College football] is a lot different than high school football was," he said. "There are a lot of different techniques and getting used to the plays and terminology."

Aufderheide said that he hopes to see a lot of playing time in the game, and Dickinson is also expecting to get some playing time in Thursday's game.

Neidecker is sitting at third string running back.

"I started out at sixth at that spot so I am happy that I have moved up that far," he said.

Neidecker, who was injured last year at Minnesota West College in Worthington, said that the biggest adjustment that he has seen " is the speed of the game. Our defense is so fast -- you need to react a lot quicker and pick up on things faster."

He said that he has gained 15 pounds since last year and now runs the 40-yard dash in the low 4.4s.

Neidecker is behind two solid running backs and is not sure on how much playing time he will get.

Micah's younger brother, Kevin, a freshman running back, is being red-shirted this year.

Kory Anderson, a junior at Illinois State University, is out with an arm injury for the Redbirds.

WHITE LIGHTNING AT NATIONALS: The New Ulm White Lightning 14-and-under softball team went 2-3 in the national tournament in California recently.

White Lightning beat a team from Oregon and one from California. They lost to teams from Oregon, California and Arizona.

While coach Don Deslauriers did not know if New Ulm was the smallest town represented at the Nationals, he said that New Ulm was the only team out of the 49 teams there that was a drafted team.

"All the other teams are All-Stars or selected teams from their area," he said. "To win a couple of games there was doing well."

He said that pitcher Courtney Steinhauser "really impressed in the tournament. She batted .750 for the tournament," he said. "[She] really impressed a lot of coaches and umpires. I had one coach tell me that she should be in California playing 100 games a year."

Amanda Fitterer batted .666, Kelsey Cordes batted .500 and Elizabeth Wieneke batted .450.

HOFFMANN STATS: Jamie Hoffmann is hitting .317 for the Vero Beach Dodgers. He has eight doubles, seven triples and four home runs along with 33 RBIs. He also has 21 walks and 14 stolen bases.