A new group of Spartan Dodgeballers has joined the Michigan State Club Dodgeball Team, and this could be the best class since the 2009-2010 class. With a ton of diverse players coming together, it’s a unique class with a wide array of talents to help the team out. The class includes some power throwers, some pure catchers, some blockers, and a few people who can do a little bit of everything. There’s also a wide age range, with some seniors to go along with mostly freshmen and sophomores.

The players have all come from different dodgeballing backgrounds as well. Sophomore Tim Leszczynski played with the team towards the end of the season last year, and freshman Colin O’Brien says “I’ve played dodgeball every summer at my camp where I was a camper and now am a counselor as well as my high school had two dodgeball tournaments a year which were my favorite Fridays of the year.” Freshman Alex Starbird says that he wanted to play dodgeball because “It’s something different that not many other people get to play.”

The players have all loved it so far as well, with O’Brien saying “It’s been great thus far. The level of competition is great and forces me to improve every practice.” Starbird adds “I’ve really enjoyed playing so far, each practice has been a lot of fun.” The rookies are all getting better as well, as Starbird says “I feel like I have gotten better in the first couple weeks because I now know that there is strategy to the game and it’s not just a free for all.”

But the season is just beginning, and some of the players already are excited for later events. “I’m really looking forward to the first tournament and getting out there in a real game where playing as a team and winning really matters” states O’Brien.

Assistant Captain Kevin Miller feels like this is a good group of rookies. “The rookies have been showing a lot of promise this year. They are working well as a team and play a fearless game. There is a lot of good talent in this group. The returning players from last year will need to play hard if they want to stay on the varsity roster.”

With this recruiting class, the Spartans could make a good run towards both the Michigan Dodgeball Cup title and National Championship if they continue to improve, not just this year but also in the future.