— Jordan Ellingson wanted to go somewhere where he could play right away. It’s what his commitment to Division II Northern State University to play baseball was all about.
“I just liked the campus,” said Ellingson, a senior three-sport athlete at Willmar who is currently playing boys basketball after a standout football season. “I thought there was a great opportunity to get on the field right away.”
Northern State is an NCAA Division II school in Aberdeen, South Dakota. It’s a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The University of Sioux Falls, another member of the NSIC, is where he also made a visit and seriously considered. He also looked at Dakota Wesleyan University, an NAIA program in Mitchell, South Dakota.
The playing time factor won out.
“Jordan is a competitive kid, super competitive,” said Willmar head baseball coach Tom DeBoer. “It’d be tough for him to sit a year somewhere.”
He’s seen as an ideal middle infielder who has a great glove and strong arm. His hitting has continued to improve, DeBoer said. He’s also a fine pitcher and, if the truth be told, Ellingson admits he might like pitching the best.
“He wants to have the ball in his hand,” DeBoer said.
He had a good season as the Cardinals’ quarterback. He completed 60.87% of his passes, going 98 of 161, good for 1,415 yards and 18 touchdowns with only four interceptions. He was All-District Quarterback of the Year. His 2,943 passing yards are fifth all-time at Willmar.
In basketball, he’s a key cog on a basketball team that is off to a 3-0 start going into Friday night’s game with St. Cloud Tech at the Big Red Gym.
But, at about 5-foot-10, it’s baseball where his skills may best be highlighted. He batted .338 last spring as a shortstop/pitcher with two doubles, a triple, a home run and 18 runs scored. He went 17-for-17 stealing bases. On the mound, he tossed 34-1/3 innings, striking out 35 with a 4.89 earned-run average.
“I just really love baseball,” he said. “I’m really good at it. It’s just my sport.”
While it wasn’t a major part of his decision to attend Northern State, Ellingson admitted that teammate and friend Avery Christensen having already committed there for basketball didn’t hurt.
“It’s always good to know someone,” he said.
He’s a part of a large group of athletes from the class of 2026 to have committed to colleges from Willmar. Mallory Beier is headed to Minnesota State-Mankato for track and field. Cavin Carlson is going to South Dakota State for wrestling. Kennedy Mara plans to play golf at Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D. Charlotte Nauman is headed to Southwest Minnesota State for cross-country and track.
“We’ve got some good athletes,” Ellingson said.
And from the Class of 2027, Ellery DeBoer is headed to Michigan State for volleyball. She’s Tom DeBoer’s daughter.
While basketball is the priority, he is working out with Willmar alum Jordan Smith on Sundays. Smith is a manager of the Lynchburg Hillcats in the Cleveland Guardans organization. It’s a minor league team in Lynchburg, Virginia.
Here is a list of known college commitments from the West Central Tribune area. If there is someone not listed, please send an email to
Willmar junior Mallory Beier goes airborne in the girls’ long jump at the MSHSL Class AA State Track and Field Championships on Wednesday, June 11, 2025 at St. Michael.
Joe Brown / West Central Tribune
Athlete, school: Mallory Beier, Willmar
Sport: Track and field
College: Minnesota State-Mankato
Affiliation: Division II
Willmar’s Cavin Carlson rides New London-Spicer’s Holton Hanson in the 145-pound match in a non-conference dual on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at Willmar.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Athlete, school: Cavin Carlson, Willmar
Sport: Wrestling
College: South Dakota State
Affiliation: Division I
Willmar senior Avery Christensen gets past a Rocori defender for a layup attempt during a Central Lakes Conference game on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 at the Big Red Gym in Willmar.
Joe Brown / West Central Tribune
Athlete, school: Avery Christensen, Willmar
Sport: Basketball
College: Northern State (S.D.)
Affiliation: Division II
Litchfield senior Noah Dietel, left, blocks Dassel-Cokato’s Damien Kasanezky during a Week 8 game on Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 at Litchfield.
Joe Brown / West Central Tribune
Athlete, school: Noah Dietel, Litchfield
Sport: Football
College: South Dakota State
Affiliation: Division I
Willmar junior Jordan Ellingson celebrates after scoring a run during the Section 8AAA semifinals against Fergus Falls on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud.
Joe Brown / West Central Tribune
Athlete, school: Jordan Ellingson, Willmar
Sport: Baseball
College: Northern State University (S.D.)
Affiliation: Division II
KMS junior Trey Gunderson holds up three fingers after beating Westfield’s Bo Zwiener in the Class A 139-pound championship match on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Gunderson won by tech fall, 18-1, to win his third straight state title.
Andy Rennecke / St. Cloud LIVE
Athlete, school: Trey Gunderson, KMS
Sport: Wrestling
College: Augustana University (S.D.)
Affiliation: Division II
Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg senior guard Acelynn Hacker attempts a free throw in a Camden Conference game against Lac qui Parle Valley on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, at Kerkhoven.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Athlete, school: Acelynn Hacker, KMS
Sport: Basketball
College: Minnesota-Morris
Affiliation: Division III
MACCRAY senior guard/forward Brielle Janssen drives toward the basket while Central Minnesota Christian School junior guard Aurora Rosen looks to slow her down in a Camden Conference game on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, at Clara City.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Athlete, school: Brielle Janssen, MACCRAY
Sport: Basketball
College: Minnesota State-Mankato
Affiliation: Division II
Minnewaska junior Jayda Kolstoe uncorks a throw in the girls’ discus at the MSHSL Class A State Track and Field Championships on Tuesday, June 10, 2025 at St. Michael.
Joe Brown / West Central Tribune
Athlete, school: Jayda Kolstoe, Minnewaska
Sport: Track and Field
College: North Dakota State
Affiliation: Division I
Willmar’s Kennedy Mara tees off at No. 7 at a Central Lakes Conference meet on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Willmar.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Athlete, school: Kennedy Mara, Willmar
Sport: Golf
College: Augustana (S.D.)
Affiliation: Division II
Willmar’s Charlotte Nauman runs in the Section 8-2A girls cross-country meet on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, at River Oaks Golf Course in Cold Spring.
Andy Rennecke / St. Cloud LIVE
Athlete, school: Charlotte Nauman, Willmar
Sport: Cross-country and track
College: Southwest Minnesota State
Affiliation: Division II
Community Christian School’s Hope Reid chips the ball onto the No. 7 green in the Willmar Girls Golf Invitational on Thursday, April 10, 2025, at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Willmar.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Athlete, school: Hope Reid, CCS
Sport: Golf
College: Northwest Nazarene (Idaho)
Affiliation: Division II
NLS junior shortstop Brayden Skindelien lines up a throw to first base during Game 1 of a Wright County Conference doubleheader against Dassel-Cokato on Wednesday, May 14, 2025 at Green Lake Diamonds in Spicer.
Joe Brown / West Central Tribune
Athlete, school: Brayden Skindelien, NLS
Sport: Baseball
College: Minnesota State-Mankato
Affiliation: Division II
Willmar junior setter Ellery DeBoer sets the ball in a Section 2AAA semifinal match against Mankato East in the Section 2AAA semifinals on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025, at the Big Red Gym in Willmar
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Athlete, school: Ellery DeBoer, Willmar
Sport: Volleyball
College: Michigan State University
Affiliation: Division I