By Ainsley Schafer
With momentum from last year’s conference-winning season – and a familiar face at the helm –
the Northfield Girl’s Softball team is entering a new season with high hopes.
Rich Guggisberg, who was a part of the coaching staff of the 2019 state championship
Northfield team is stepping in as head coach after four years away from the program. Joining
Guggisberg on the coaching staff are two members of that championship team: Anne Fossum,
who will serve as a varsity coach and hitting coach Mikaela Girard. The program will also take
on Bubba Sullivan and Elly Novak.
“It’s a different energy level and different whole dynamic,” Kaitlin Schulz, one of the team’s three
varsity captains along with Tatum Sawyer and Grace Mostad, said about the transition this
Season.
Guggisberg said he’s excited to get started with a strong team of senior leaders who he believes
could again lead Northfield to a strong performance in the conference.
“Their [senior class] leadership goes unmatched,” he said. “They are very well-rounded and
have their priorities in shape…This is a really veteran squad.”
Guggisberg, who stepped away from the program in 2021, first met the current senior class
during their seventh grade year. Now reconnecting as seniors and head coach, the collective
has high hopes for the upcoming season.
“We know that we should be near the top of this conference if we play the kind of ball we know
how to play,” Guggisberg said.
From working as an umpire in local softball leagues to running youth summer camps and clinics,
Guggisberg has been deeply invested in the Northfield Softball Community in every sense.
“He’s really passionate about what he does” Sawyer said.
“I’m just super excited for our girls and how hard they have been working. They’ve just been super coachable and it’s been a joy” said Guggisberg.
The team’s season kicks off March 13 with a scrimmage against Randolph High School. For the
first game of the season, Northfield will compete away against Kasson-Mantorville High School
on April 2.
After finishing at the top of their conference last year, the Raiders’ season ended in sectional
semifinals against Winona Senior High School. The team will face Winona again this season on
April 26.
“I think that we will be one of the best in our conference, so I am excited for that. We have some
pretty good competition in sections so it will be fun to battle that,” Mostad said. “My No. 1 goal
this year is to stay intense through the whole season and not let down at the end.”
In preparation for the season, the team has been working to build a lasting foundation.. For
Guggisberg, that starts with integrating every level of player into the team dynamics.
“Our practices are more productive and integrated and he’s invested in the culture of our team”
Mostad said.
For the week leading up to the first scrimmage, grades seventh through twelfth have trained
together at the Dundas Dome training center.
“Our community is excited and we are very optimistic about our potential for this year,”
Guggisberg said.
Ainsley Schafer is a KYMN News intern, focusing on sports writing. Contact her at news@kymnradio.net
