×

Weather big issue in spring

Well, needless to say the spring sports season has started off pretty slow.

OK, that’s technically not 100 percent true, but it is a pretty accurate statement.

St. Marys baseball player Jarrod Lough, who has seven hits in seven at-bats with five home runs, might disagree. Lough is doing just fine even if he’s only played two games for the Blue Devils.

When he hit four of his taters last weekend at Roane County, which is known for not having a huge field, Raider baseball coach Jeff Thompson assured me none of his bombs were “cheap” and they would’ve been hit out of just about any prep park in the state.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature has played the wet rain and snow game in the early going and athletic directors everywhere are scrambling to try and move games around so their spring sports teams can squeeze in as many contests as possible.

Here in the sports department, we try to provide the public with daily information on where teams from the Mid-Ohio Valley are going to be playing. However, we also need help from the schools in order to have this as close to correct as possible.

That’s why when I got into the office on Wednesday afternoon I was excited to see an email from Gilmer County head baseball coach Joe Frashure. The Titan skipper sent out a notice stating since so many games had been moved in March that parents should just put the old schedules in the trash and here was a new schedule. It was the only such email I know anyone in the sports department has received like that, but it was more than welcomed.

I urge our area schools to please make sure the sports department knows and has updated schedule changes for not only baseball, but all the spring sports for everything which has been moved around thus far. It’s a two-way street and we’re always here to try and help out the public.

Although the calendar has turned to spring, a lot of people are starting to get the feel the next month or so might not hold a lot of weather which turns out to be suitable for playing baseball and softball. I surely hope that’s not the case, but we’ve experienced it before and I’m sure we’ll experience it again.

Twice already this season the Parkersburg versus Parkersburg South baseball game has been changed due to inclement weather.

Today at the Godbey Fields, the first installment of the Parkersburg and Parkersburg South softball rivalry is expected to get under way with a 5 p.m. first pitch. However, the status of that contest is going to be up in the air until early afternoon today.

I spoke with Patriot head coach Jennifer Null on the phone early Wednesday evening and she noted even though it didn’t look “very promising” and that there were indeed still a “lot of puddles on the field” she is holding out hope the Patriots and Big Reds will be able to play.

Contact Jay Bennett at jbennett@newsandsentinel.com

NEWSLETTER

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today