Sports

Snow way to stop Owls

The baseball team "pitched" in to shovel the warning track.

The baseball team “pitched” in to shovel the warning track.

WESTFIELD – After a long winter and an unusually cold spring, the Westfield State baseball and softball fields are anticipated to be ready for play during the week of April 6.

Equipment was brought in this week to clear the last of the snow which had drifted on the warning tracks, and the baseball team took shovels in hand after practice a few days ago to try to help speed up the process as well.
Bud and Jim Hagan Field, the baseball field, has been ready to play as early as March 20 in 2012, while the softball field was ready on March 19 just three years ago as well.
“This has really been an unusually rough winter all across the region,” said Westfield State head baseball coach Nate Bashaw. “Pretty much every team in New England has been in the same boat, and everyone has been working hard to get the fields ready for play.”

Snowthrowing the outfield of the baseball field.

Snowthrowing the outfield of the baseball field.

It has been an extra-long break in the season this year, as the Owls’ spring break was about a week earlier than normal based on the variations in the calendar.
Westfield State played a baseball game at the New England Baseball Complex in Northborough, Mass., on March 25, and played a softball doubleheader indoors under “The Dome” at the Adirondack Sports Complex in Glens Falls, N.Y. on Tuesday night in an attempt to get a few games in and help keep the student-athletes ready for MASCAC competition.
“Once we’re on the field, the games are going to come fast and furious, so we will need to be ready to go and for all the back to back games, but all the teams will be in the same situations.”
Westfield will kick off the home seasons with conference doubleheaders against Framingham on Saturday, April 11, unless there is an opportunity to get a rescheduled game on the calendar earlier in the week.

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