Blue Jays expect to play Friday, have 'high hopes' for the spring
Mar. 25—JAMESTOWN — Coaching one team is more than enough for some people.
Not Tim Ranum.
Ranum, the head coach for the Jamestown High School boys tennis team and assistant coach for the Blue Jay boys basketball team, kicked off his first season as the head coach for the JHS baseball team on March 17.
"When I was growing up, my dad was the school administrator so we love school and we love sports," Ranum said. "The people I grew up admiring the most in my life were coaches. Honestly that is probably the reason that I am in education.
"Fortunately I have a very understanding wife and family," he said. "I love basketball and I love baseball. Those are two games that can teach our kids a lot."
Ranum was hired as the head coach of the Jamestown High School baseball team last summer. Ranum replaced Jack Bowman who retired at the end of the 2024 season.
"We've got a really good group of kids who play a lot of baseball and put in a lot of time during the offseason," Ranum said. "We've had some really, really good days of practice — it's been nice to get outside — yeah it's a little chilly but you see things better than being inside."
Ranum and the Blue Jays are set to open the season on Friday, March 28, with a nonconference tilt against West Fargo Horace. First pitch is scheduled to go out at 4:30 p.m. at Jack Brown Stadium.
The Blue Jays went 8-10 in the WDA conference last spring. Jamestown advanced to the WDA Tournament via a play-in game to earn the No. 7 seed. The Jays went 0-2 at WDA to close out the year at 9-14 overall.
The Blue Jays lost Adam Sortland and Tyson Jorissen to graduation but will be returning the majority of the 2024 batting order, including their ace.
"Thomas Newman has been a three-year starter and he was our No. 1 pitcher last year," Ranum said. "When he's not pitching he'll be shortstop and he's at the top of the order. He's the big dog that we've got back."
Newman will be joined by varsity veterans Jaxon Kolpin, Derek Hatlewick and Bennett Goehner. Ranum said Kolpin was on the mound and at third base on defense and was a force at the plate last season. Hatlewick ended the year as one of the Jays' top-four pitchers.
Goehner was injured at the start of the 2024 season but started every game during the American Legion season. The junior is set to play first base and catcher.
"We return a pretty solid top of the rotation," Ranum said. "A lot of teams lost a lot of guys besides us and Minot. Dickinson and Williston will be pretty good and Mandan is another team who will contend. Besides that, it's kind of a wait and see because other teams are bringing in new guys."
In the first week of practice, Ranum said the coaching staff was evaluating which guys will play where — particularly looking at the shortstop and center field.
Ranum hasn't been the only one scouting his prospective team.
"When I have coached baseball in the past, I was the Lone Ranger so to speak," Ranum said. "I was kind of on my own. Now, I've got some great assistant coaches. We've had some great practices and we couldn't have had those without our coaches.
"We are going to be well organized and we all kind of speak the same language," he said. "Last year, the struggle was me coming brand new. Coach (Jack) Bowman was there but we had a brand new group of guys coming in too. It took us awhile to learn who kids were and what they can do. This year I feel like we're hitting the ground running a little bit more."
Ranum and the Jays will first see WDA action on April 8 against Minot. The doubleheader is set to begin at 4:30 p.m. at Jack Brown Stadium.
"We have high hopes for this team," Ranum said. "I think it's going to be a good season."
| 1d 12:48 PM ET ago |
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