First Dutch baseball schedule under new coach set
PELLA—The 2022 Central College baseball schedule, the first under new head coach Casey Klunder, features three American Rivers Conference series at home and 16 non-conference contests.
The Dutch open the season in Minnesota on March 8 indoors against the University of Wisconsin-Superior in U.S. Bank Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Vikings. The doubleheader starts at 9:30 p.m.
“We prioritized the player’s experience in developing this schedule,” Klunder said. “We are thrilled to be opening up in U.S. Bank Stadium because we anticipate it being a unique experience for our players. Hopefully, they will remember it for a long time.”
The Dutch head to Florida March 13-18 for the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational in the area surrounding Orlando. They have a pair of doubleheaders against State University of New York – Polytechnic Institute (March 14 and March 18) and another against Knox College (Ill.) (March 15). Central has single games against Illinois Wesleyan University (March 13) and Bowdoin College (Maine) (March 17).
“Having not gone to Florida since 2019, we only have a handful of players on the roster who have been on the spring trip,” Klunder said. “We’re excited to be heading back.”
The American Rivers Conference schedule starts with a home weekend series March 25-26 against Buena Vista University. Wartburg College comes to Pella April 1-2 for another three-game set. Central’s final home weekend conference series is April 15-16 against the University of Dubuque. Loras College is in town for a doubleheader on March 9 and Simpson College plays a single game on April 12 in Pella.
The Dutch have conference series on the road at Coe College (April 8-9), Nebraska Wesleyan University (April 29-30) and Luther College (May 6-7). Central goes to Loras for one game on April 5 and to Simpson for a doubleheader on April 19.
Central also is headed to Bethel University (Minn.) for a three-game weekend series April 23-24. The Dutch will host Grinnell College for a twinbill April 26 and make a return trip to the Pioneers for one game on May 3.
Klunder was named head coach Aug. 3 after a highly successful 16-year run as coach at Waverly-Shell Rock High School. He guided the Go-Hawks to their fourth state tournament appearance last month. The Dutch were 14-27 in 2021, finishing 10-22 in conference play.
