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Spring sports season actually feels like it

It has truly felt like springtime for local sports teams, who officially opened spring practice last week.

For the first time in several years, the initial days of practice were not simply tolerable, or even mildly acceptable, but downright beautiful.

Many baseball and softball programs have actually been able to enjoy outdoor practices under the warm sun, even though Mother Nature’s calendar doesn’t catch up to the athletic schedule for another month or so.

It is a far cry from so many early-pre-spring-season workouts, which traditionally force teams to hold limited workouts indoors.

On the college level, spring sports in climates like Pennsylvania work from a disadvantage through much of their training schedule, as well as their seasons-proper.

Penn State baseball, for example, has already played one-quarter of their regular-season games, beginning almost a month ago in North Carolina.

While most of the country is still thinking about wrestling and basketball, the Nittany Lions hosted their season-opening tournament on the road at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, North Carolina, making the most of the warmer weather, while also enjoying some semblance of a home-game environment.

Since then, they’ve been on the road again and again to South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia, struggling to a 5-9 overall record before ever seeing the Medlar Field at Lubrano Park crowd. Their home opener is set for this Friday evening, which may feel more like a football kind of night, with high temperatures in the mid-40’s; still, it will be a short walk rather than a plane-or-bus-ride to their own beds after the ballgame.

In Loretto, the Saint Francis softball team seemed glad to be on their own diamond, opening their home slate over the weekend with a three-game sweep over Cornell, including two mercy-rule victories.

The Red Flash have already played more than one-third of their regular-season schedule, including tournaments in North Carolina and Arizona, standing at 12-12 overall.

Most conferences are regional, so there is parity in weather conditions for the Big Ten, NEC, etc. But teams in the warmer climates, who have the luxury of playing outdoors for most if not all of the year, have a distinct advantage when it comes to the NCAA tournament.

In softball, for example, southern and west coast teams have won 8 of the last 11 national titles. In baseball, southern-climate programs have captured the last 8 NCAA crowns since Oregon State won back-to-back championships in 2006 and 2007.

Fortunately, indoor facilities are increasingly available, leveling the playing field in some ways; it’s still hard to replace the reality of actual dirt and grass.

So with all of the challenges of cold-weather baseball and softball, no one appreciates the groundhog-promised early spring more than these spring sports.

Kellie Goodman Shaffer can be reached at kellie@bedfordcountychamber.org. Her column appears on Tuesdays.

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