— —
Local baseball and softball players have developed a bit of cabin fever over the last week or so, as cold and rainy weather has them itching to get outdoors.
The recent weather forecast has not only forced teams to stay indoors, but also has resulted in nearly two weeks worth of games postponed to open the season.
Although local meteorologists have predicted fairly warmer temperatures and spotty showers for the upcoming weekend, it is still unknown whether or not local fields will be able to host games without suffering severe damage.
North Tonawanda softball coach Larry Lash, who’s in his 35th season as a head varsity coach, said it’s tough to get a feel for the game indoors.
“Experience says that you need to be on the dirt,” said Lash, the former longtime Wilson coach. “You need to see more live pitching and get out where the sun is instead of inside dark gyms. You need to hit real balls instead of soft balls.”
Lash added that a late spring has certainly happened before. He recalls one season when he was at Wilson when the season began on April 17, noting that he marked in his score book that it was the first time his team played outside on the diamond.
“It’s the strategy that hurts,” he said. “The outfield relays, the things that you can only get on a diamond where there’s a lot of room. But we’re all in the same position.”
Lash said that most schools haven’t even had the chance to get started treating their fields for the season due to the late winter and the wet start to the spring.
“(Fields) didn’t even get initial drying or time to defrost,” he said. “To say we’re behind is an understatement.”
Lash added that teams that return experience are certainly in better shape than those that don’t.
“We’re all frustrated but we’re in the same boat as everybody else. We’re all chomping at the bit to get outside, but the weather is holding us back,” Tonawanda baseball coach John Frank said. “But you have to be ready. The first time you get on that field is probably going to be your first game, so we have to be ready for the test. And we’ve been studying hard.”
A non-league contest between Tonawanda and Kenmore East scheduled for today is among the many games postponed to a later date.
“It stinks knowing that we can’t do anything about it,” Tonawanda’s Steve Stich said. “All we can do is take ground balls on the wood floors ... and hitting in the cage.”
North Tonawanda coach Tony Ruffolo is eager to get a bit of fresh air following a year off from coaching.
Ruffolo shares much of the same frustration with the local players and coaches.
“We’re probably one of the only teams that haven’t even been in a parking lot yet,” he said at practice Monday. “We haven’t yet thrown a ball outside. I can’t wait to get outside and actually play a game. Chances are it’s going to be the first time we get outside. It’s going to be up in the air for everyone. It is what it is.”
Rain is projected for today and Friday, according to the National Weather Service. Spotty showers are forecasted to persist through the weekend and into early next week.
Local Sports
Weather postpones season for now
- Local Sports
-
-
Coalition presses for campaign finance reform
- Kelso to speak at O'Hara concussion seminar
-
THS shells Cleve Hill in opener
The Tonawanda baseball team kept warm the past few weeks indoors, and despite a chilly wind on Tuesday, the Warriors heated up even more.
Tonawanda shortstop Steve Stich led the way at the dish, going 4 for 5 with four runs batted in to lead the Warriors past visiting Cleveland Hill, 11-5, to open the 2011 campaign. -
Jacks are warming up
North Tonawanda ready to challenge Niagara Frontier League foes this season
-
Plenty of questions remain with NT softball
Reigning POY Bunker leads inexperienced bunch this spring.
-
Weather postpones season for now
Rain, snow pushes back opening pitch for locals.
-
Warriors look to defend Section VI title, return to state semifinal
One more game.
Tonawanda baseball coach John Frank recently dubbed that phrase as the Warriors’ motto for the 2011 campaign.
And if they live by it, Frank said he’s confident his squad can pick up right where they left off. -
Allen, Lady Warriors ready to battle
The 2011 Tonawanda girls softball team is comprised of seven seniors and six juniors.
Yet the lone eighth grader on the roster is poised to be the difference maker for the Lady Warriors this season. -
Things looking up for NT lacrosse
It may sound cliché, a phrase recycled by coaches time and time again.
But first-year North Tonawanda boys lacrosse coach Todd Faddoul has no problem sticking to it.
Get better every day. -
NT’s Larson headed to Pikeville
Following the 2010 bowling season it wasn’t a question of if, but where North Tonawanda standout Brianna Larson would decide to compete at the collegiate level.
Last weekend she made her choice, signing to bowl for Pikeville (Ky.) College , one of the top programs in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics. - More Local Sports Headlines
-
Probe Begins After Conn. Commuter Trains Crash
NTSB Begins Investigation Into Conn. Train Crash
Lotto Fever Sweeps the Country
Conn. Commuter Trains Collide; 60 Go to Hospital
Coffee Run Leads to Hatchet Hitchhiker Arrest
Fmr. IRS Head Insists No Politics in Targeting
CDC: Fecal Bacteria Common in Swimming Pools
$1 Million in Jewels Stolen at Cannes Film Fest
NM Mom Chases Down Child Abductor
Raw: Crash Sends Car Into Fla. Pool
Raw: Obama Sits Down With Elementary Kids
Raw: Bear Falls From Tampa Tree
Ousted IRS Chief: Errors Not Caused by Politics
Terror Suspect Due in Court in Idaho Friday
Raw: Driver Ejected From Truck, Over Bridge
Could Tobacco Be the Next Biofuel?
Wash. State Releases Draft Rules for Legal Pot
Dying Man's Blinks Lead to Murder Conviction
Officials: Texas Tornado Likely Had 200 Mph Wind
Brothers Arrested in NOLA Parade Shooting
