SPORTS WRAP

            That might have been the most fun my wife has ever had at a sporting event. And that was just the 45-minute pregame leading up to the first pitch of Banana Ball on Sunday at Target Field.

            She called it Roman Colosseum-level entertainment. Replace the gladiators and lions with crawling babies and pool noodle-fighting senior citizens.

            Fans were thrilled all weekend at special appearances by former Minnesota Twins Joe Mauer, Brian Dozier and Trevor May. At our game, Tony Oliva was on the field briefly and Justin Morneau played first base for an inning.

            All that and there was an actual game, as the Loco Beach Coconuts walked off the Savannah Bananas 4-3 with a two-run ninth in front of 39,000 “potassium enthusiasts,” as the on-field announcer called us.

            Banana Ball has eleven special rules that set it apart from baseball. Making the biggest impact, when a fan catches a foul ball, the batter is out. This led to some controversy. A batter for the Coconuts peeled a foul straight back into the press box where it was caught by a member of their own staff, who then purposely dropped it.

            Umpires ruled the batter was not out as it was “staff” and not a “fan” that caught the ball.

            Trick plays. The batter stealing first on a wild pitch. No bunting. Walks being a potential sprint around the bases. The Golden Batter. Pregame announcements introduced fans to the special rules.

            A couple really speed up the game. The hitter cannot leave the batter’s box during an at bat. No mound visits. When there was a mid-inning pitching change, the new hurler sprinted to the mound from the dugout and tossed a couple of warm up pitches before resuming the game.

            I consider baseball a relaxed contest at the park. This wasn’t that. There is always something going on. The music is non-stop. Seemingly spontaneous dancing by the players breaks out frequently. It felt quite chaotic with nary a break to catch your breath.

            Big picture, it is an amazing American success story created by team owner Jesse Cole. The league expanded to six teams this year and is playing games in 45 states. They live up to their mission statement “Fans first. Entertain always.”

            It appeared everyone stayed until the end of the game and left with a smile.

Prep sports are on deck

            In less than a week (Aug. 17) high school sports practice begins. About a week after that, the first official events of the 2026-27 school year start with girls tennis.

            It’s not that I want summer to end. But with the Steele County Free Fair coming up, thoughts of student-athletes pursuing their dreams loom large.

            Huskies’ boys soccer has a new coach. Jeremy Wood is just the second varsity coach in school history after Bob Waypa led the program since its inception. Carson Van Gelder returns as goalkeeper. The team has speed with senior Jack Hawkins and junior Logan Wilker as top strikers.

            Girls soccer brings back top scorers, sophomore Finley Rolloff and senior Norah Cederstrom. Each team will host one regular season match at OHS while playing the rest of their home schedule at the Lincoln Soccer Complex.

            Huskies’ volleyball has a large amount of turnover from a senior-laden roster that contended for the Big Nine Conference title right down to the last night of the regular season, dropping a wild match at Northfield last October.

            Owatonna football opens at Mankato East on Sept. 4 before playing four of their next five at Federated Field. Mankato West rolls in on Sept. 11 for the Hall of Fame Game. Both Mankato clubs have done well in recent years, though West had a rare sub-.500 record last season.

            The Huskies’ surge to a 5-5 record in 2025 included a walk-off win over New Prague on a game-ending field goal and a fourth quarter come from behind victory over Rochester Mayo which included a pair of touchdowns in the final five minutes. The season ended with a loss at Northfield in the section semifinals.

            OHS returns All-District Honorable Mention players in lineman Sam Dulas and defensive back Nolan Rolloff, now seniors. Cooper Routh led the team in receiving yards as a sophomore last fall. Senior Carson Bock is back at linebacker. Senior Aedan Tackmann returns at quarterback though he could get challenged by his younger brother Arik, a junior.

            Catch the football cheerleader and player rally and introduction on Sunday, Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. in Fair Square Park.

            The OHS cross-country teams both went to state in 2025 and plenty of those runners return. Girls tennis, a perennial top-three finisher in the Big Nine Conference and frequent section semifinalist, returns more than half of their varsity lineup.

            Owatonna diver Kate Karsten made her second straight state meet appearance as a junior last fall. She and Krin Eickhoff, also now a senior, earned All-Conference honors.

            Enjoy the fair and another summer barbeque. Then cheer on the Huskies.