Mike Pankow

ESCANABA — A solid group of athletes are ready to help Bay College launch a baseball program in spring.

Manager Mike Pankow counts 27 players who participated in some fall games and are working out inside for the upcoming campaign. The majority are freshmen at the two-year school.

The squad is undergoing strength and conditioning workouts three days a week at this time. “You are dedicated and committed if you want to be part of this team,” said Pankow. “I’m excited. This group of guys can’t get enough of things.”

The Norse were 6-1 during the exhibition slate in fall, with two games against four-year schools like Finlandia University of Hancock.

“Everybody got time on the field,” Pankow said of the practice games. “We did a lot of scrimmages with each other, so it was good to see someone else (in exhibition games).”

Pankow, who is also serving as Bay’s sports information director, spent the past four years as baseball coach at University of Maine at Presque Isle.

He was the Association of Division III Independents Coach of the Year in 2016.

A native of Hortonville, Wis., Pankow played baseball and basketball at Northland College in Ashland, Wis. from 1999-2003. His Hortonville teams won 53 straight games and won the 1997 and 1998 Wisconsin Class AA state titles.

Pankow said it will be important for his batters to develop a better understanding of what it takes to put bat on ball, even though many of them had successful high school careers.

“A lot of hitters need work on being good hitters,” he said. “There is a lot of mechanics work.”

He is working on his pitchers “pitching to contact” in offseason drills.

The team will likely use the indoor Hannahville Sports Complex in Wells before leaving for spring training in Cocoa Beach, Fla. March 9-15.

During the brief fall season, Pankow realized “we are defensively solid all around.”

Among his early recruits have been Ben Schwalbach of Gladstone and Justin Popelka and Tyler Skufca of Escanaba.

“We also got some kids who graduated (high school) one-two years ago,” Pankow said. “They got excited and wanted to come to Bay. The work ethic is there for these kids.”

He has also picked up three Sault Ste. Marie graduates, a downstate player and three he found on-line in Australia, but noted “our core players are here in the U.P. All of those kids make the core stronger and will (help) take us to the next level.”

Pankow said several athletes contacted Bay when when plans were announced to field a baseball program.

“The interest is so out-of-the-world,” he said of having both baseball and softball starting in spring.