Courtney Van Haaften | Sports Co-Editor
Jon Ringblom, a senior baseball player at Buena Vista University, is having a stellar senior campaign so far this season. He is leading the Beaver pitching staff with an ERA of 1.29, 47 strikeouts, and a 4-1 record.
Last year he was an Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) first-team selection and a second-team selection for the Rawlings All-Central Region Baseball Team. Because it is his last season at the mound, he says he has pressured himself to have his best season thus far.
Ringblom has proven week after week to be a dominant threat for this year’s squad. He has been named the IIAC pitcher of the week for three out of the seven weeks this season; the most recent was the week ending Sunday, April 13.
“Over the last two years, Jon has developed into a pitcher who can go out and give us a chance to beat anyone we play. His ability to shut down the opponents has allowed us to beat some tremendous teams over the last two seasons,” Head Baseball Coach, Steve Eddie said.
One of Ringblom’s biggest strengths is his ability to be consistent in many different aspects of his life.
“He is always in the same mood, he always puts in the same effort in all of his workouts, and he does consistent work in the classroom. That always translates to consistent play on the field,” Eddie said.
Ringblom claims that his decision to attend BVU was one of the greatest decisions of his life. This decision allowed him to meet lifelong friends and play the sport he loves at the same time. He commends his coaches for providing such a great experience for him and his teammates for always having such great chemistry on and off the field.
“The main reason I came to BV is because of the coaches. Coach Eddie and Coach Dupic do a great job of recruiting and making sure that all of us really feel at home before we get here,” Ringblom said.
As a freshman, Ringblom got to experience being a part of a team that reached the Division III College World Series. Since then, his goal, along with the rest of the team and coaching staff, has been to make it back there.
“Our main goal has always been the same, to win a championship and to play in regionals and make it back to the World Series. Aside from that, my personal goals have been raised from year to year. All of us seniors put ourselves in a little more pressure situation in the off-season making sure that people worked hard with Coach Gries,” Ringblom said.
Aside from being a great pitcher, Ringblom has proven to be a great leader. As a senior he has really taken the lead on the team, especially for the pitching staff. He runs practices if there is a junior varsity game and is a person whom players turn to for help when needed.
“He treats everyone with respect and he takes his responsibilities very seriously. He knows we need him to pitch well in big games and he thrives in that situation. His consistent demeanor is a great example to the rest of the pitching staff,” Eddie said.
Ringblom and the Beavers are having an outstanding season so far and are preparing for their last three conference series’ against Dubuque, Wartburg, and Loras. Their current record is 23-5 (12-4 IIAC) and they are ranked 21st in two national polls.
“We need to make sure that we stay focused and know that anyone in the conference can beat anybody at any point. We are doing a great job of that so far,” Ringblom said.
Photo courtesy of Carol Dupic
