Stepping Up: Spring sports already taking on Mother Nature

Published 7:07 pm Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Each sport has its share of adversity. Injuries are always one of the main concerns with football. In basketball, team chemistry is something that takes time to develop, and can make the difference between good and great.

All sports have to combat the weather to some degree. Even though winter sports are largely held indoors, it has gotten to the point where basketball conference tournaments are a treat. They didn’t washed out by the snowstorms that seem to pop up around the same time every year.

Mother Nature seems to always make spring sports suffer the most — especially early in the season. Many area baseball and softball teams have had more indoor practices than outdoor thanks to rain and cold.

It’s just another hurdle to overcome. Unforeseen challenges like these pop up from time to time, and it’s the exceptional groups that push forward.

Washington, Northside and Southside were all set to begin conference play in baseball and softball on Tuesday. Many of those games had to be rescheduled due to a wintery wrath mere days before the official beginning of spring.

Different teams approach this proverbial monkey wrench in different ways. For the Pam Pack, it wants to keep moving after romping Northside last time out. Its defense and pitching have been on point early on, and the bats came alive on Friday, so time off likely isn’t desirable. The same goes for Washington’s softball team.

Southside struggled in its first two games, so some extra preparation isn’t the worst. However, baseball teams may have to revise their pitching plans for the week due to the pitch count rules implemented last year.

It’s a long campaign. One week isn’t going to make or break the season, but for teams like the Panthers and Pam Pack that are eyeing conference championships, starting league play on the right foot is key.

That said, any team good enough to contend for first place has to be able to roll with the punches. Baseball and softball can be some of the most unpredictable sports. There are always going to be events that pop up on and off the field. It’s up to the top teams to respond accordingly.