There were many days when Don Bakke would crouch in his driveway and catch fastpitch softball pitches from his daughter Allison. Or, at least he tried to catch them.
Some would hit the garage. Some throws, he said, would go over the garage.
"Everywhere but the strike zone," he said.
Those were pre-teen years at the family home in Anoka, Minn.
"One year, when she was I think 13 years old, it was like magic," Don said. "It was amazing improvement and she just took off."
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Allison eventually took off to North Dakota State - and is landing this weekend. Her stellar career will come to a close as one of the top pitchers in school history.
The Bakkes will be going through the same thing that the parents of former Bison basketball players Lisa and Beth Bue did: major NDSU withdrawal from eight years of watching their daughters play.
"It will be very difficult for a while," Don said. "When next spring rolls around, I'll be looking for a softball field to watch one of my daughters."
There's been a lot to watch. Jenny was a standout hitter and second baseman on a Division II national championship team.
This weekend, Allison is in great position to pitch her team to a Summit League title. The Bison need to win just once in a three-game series with Southern Utah that starts today with a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Ellig Sports Complex.
NDSU isn't eligible for the NCAA tournament because of its reclassification - something Allison came to terms with long ago when she was being recruited.
"I told the coaches that when I come here, I'll help them get there," she said. "I feel as though I did that."
She was a principal figure behind a Division I climb that saw NDSU go
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24-27 its first year in 2005 and 28-29 the following season. The Bison are currently 35-17, had a brief flirtation with one top 25 national poll and Bakke leads the Summit League in ERA at 1.76 and wins with 21.
"I e-mailed Jenny the other day and said it will be strange not having a Bakke around here anymore," said NDSU head coach Darren Mueller. "Their personalities are similar and they've just been very, very good teammates."
Both have seen a good chunk of the country thanks to NDSU softball. For many of the games, Don and his wife Kathleen have had a front row seat.
It started when Don suggested to Jenny that she try fastpitch rather than slowpitch. Don coached her for a while until Allison got involved.
He coached her in middle school and later became the head coach at Anoka High School.
"My sister and I are scared he'll go into depression - not really," Allison joked. "Maybe my dad and I can start up a softball team around the area so we can keep coaching."
Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack at (701) 241-5546.
Kolpack's NDSU media blog can be found at www.areavoices.com
