2 weeks Ago By Eric Peterson
MOORHEAD — Annika Seedborg has had multiple milestone moments during her first season as the Concordia Cobbers head softball coach. Her father Gunnar Seedborg has been right by her side. A coaching veteran, Gunnar is an assistant coach for Annika.
“It’s extremely helpful," said Annika, who is from Hawaiian Gardens, California, near Long Beach. “I can turn to someone who’s been around the game so long and baseball before that in his own playing career.” Annika, who is 28 years old, has led the Cobbers to a 16-12 overall record with a 4-8 mark in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play.
That's already to most wins in a season for the program since 2021 when the team posted a 22-21 record. The Cobbers also recently snapped a home-field drought. Concordia scored a 4-0 victory against Macalester on April 10 in the team's home opener.
That snapped a streak of 28 home losses, dating back to the end of the 2021 season. “The most fun part of it is getting to do it for the kids," Annika said. “It’s really cool to be part of moments like that.
I know how big those feelings can be in those moments.” Annika completed her college playing career at Mayville State, playing for the Comets from 2019-2022. Prior to that, she played for Whittier (Calif.
) College and Lamar (Texas) University. She was an assistant coach for Valley City State before being hired as Concordia's pitching coach for the 2024 season. Coincidentally, Annika's first victory as head coach came against Valley City State is the season opener on Feb.
21 at the Jamestown Nelson Family Bubble Tournament. “Opening up the season with a win against Valley City felt pretty good," Annika said. “That was probably our biggest rival (at Mayville State).
That was a fun moment for me as a head coach to get that first win.” That was also a memorable moment for Gunnar, who previously was an assistant coach for Long Beach City College for six seasons before joining his daughter on Concordia's staff prior to this season. Gunnar, who is 57 years old, said Annika's first win as a collegiate head coach also ranked near the top moments of his coaching career.
“It’s really high when it comes to the coaching part." said Gunnar, who played independent pro baseball in Manitoba, Canada, for five seasons. "The whole daughter-father thing just makes it a lot bigger moment than any other of my coaching experiences.
” Gunnar met his wife Tammie — who is from Baldur, Manitoba, around two hours west of Winnipeg — while on the road playing baseball. “She kind of knew what she was getting into," Gunnar said with a laugh. Gunnar and Tammie still reside in Hawaiian Gardens, but Gunnar comes to Moorhead for the Concordia softball season before returning to California, where he still coaches a 16-and-under softball travel team.
Annika started playing baseball at 4 years old and then softball at 5 years old. “It’s been my entire life," Annika said. Gunnar said Annika took to softball at a young age and watched him play in adult baseball leagues.
Annika said one of Gunnar's coaching connections led her to Mayville State, where she was a standout pitcher. With Tammie's hometown also close to Mayville, the move made sense for Annika who wasn't ready for her college career to end. When her college career ended, she didn't want to be done with softball so she turned to coaching.
“The idea of being done competing and not being in that moment anymore was really tough for me," Annika said. "I really crave the connection of the team. .
.. I know how good those feelings feel.
" Gunnar pitched in a state baseball championship in iconic Dodger Stadium in 1986 during his high school career. “It was a dream come true," said Gunnar, born and raised in California. Annika said having her dad as an assistant coach the two had talked about prior to her landing the head coaching spot at Concordia.
“We’ve kind of always had a little bit of a deal, where if I could come into a head coaching job, we’ve always wanted to coach together," Annika said. “The timing of it was really crucial for us, but we’ve always been hoping for this opportunity where we can work together.” Annika handles the team's pitching staff, while Gunnar coaches the outfield and hitting and "very aggressive base-running coach," Annika added.
The two had previous experience coaching together for youth travel teams. In this instance, Annika is leading the program. “It’s an interesting dynamic," said Annika, named after professional golfing legend Annika Sorenstam.
"It’s been fun and obviously he played a big role in teaching me the game and how I approach it. ..
. We definitely share the passion.".
