May 14, 2007
Seven members of Hesston College's baseball team, along with Gerry Selzer, college registrar and treasurer of Kansas Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), helped farmers between Macksville and St. John clean up Saturday, May 12. The massive tornado that destroyed Greensburg Friday evening, May 4, also caused damage in the surrounding countryside.
Selzer and the players first ripped out wet carpet in one farmhouse missing part of its roof, then went to a neighbor on U.S. 50 and used chainsaws to help clean-up trees, some of them huge elm and cottonwood trees, damaged by the tornado.
Before heading back to Hesston, Selzer drove about 50 miles to MDS headquarters set up in a trailer next to the Greensburg Mennonite Church, also destroyed by the tornado. Richard Idler said seeing the destruction in Greensburg was "humbling and depressing. We saw complete obliteration," he said.
"Depressing is a good word to describe it," said Selzer. "Every once in a while, we'd see a building that was somewhat upright.
"Although the streets were cleared," Selzer said, "little cleanup had occurred yet on the north side where we visited."
The players who worked Saturday included sophomore graduates Joel Herschberger, Shipshewana, Ind.; Ky Krehbiel, Moundridge, Kan.; and Richard Idler, Bridgeville, Del.; and freshmen Daniel Martin, Harrisonburg, Va.; Dallas Fenn, Wichita, Kan.; B.J. Bryant, Halstead, Kan.; and Cody Batchelor, Durango, Colo.
The baseball team leaves early Tuesday morning (May 15) for Phoenix, Ariz., and the Southwest District playoffs in Division II, National Junior College Athletic Association. The Larks play the Region 2 (Oklahoma) winner at 10 a.m. Thursday, May 17, then play host Scottsdale (Ariz.) Community College at 4 p.m. One or two victories on Thursday advance the Larks to more playoff action on Friday, May 18, and possibly Saturday, May 19.
Hesston College Baseball