2008 Woodie Awards
Weather wreaks havoc on baseball team's plans
Rain, rain, go away
Scott Vicker
Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Sports
At this point, the baseball team should have played nine home games.
Four of those nine, however, have been rained out, including the most recent home game against Indiana State, which was scheduled for Tuesday, April 1. Only two of the four games have been rescheduled.
"I don't think it's a matter of home or away for us, because I'm not sure that we have a home-field advantage," head coach Darin Hendrickson said. "The fact that we don't get in a rhythm is the hard part. The rain that has been getting us disrupts practice, and we have a lot of work to do."
According to the National Weather Service, the city of St. Louis set a new record this year for rainfall in the month of March: 8.4 inches. This record eclipsed the previous one, 8.25 inches, set more than a century ago in 1897. The average rainfall in March is 3.6 inches.
"It is frustrating for everybody," Hendrickson said. "As a coach from here in the Midwest, this is expected. But I think this has been the worst ever. It is a downer. We just have to dig deep and keep plowing through it."
The numerous rainouts have left the Billikens frustrated, but not down, junior pitcher Dave Sever said.
"It is definitely frustrating because we have been on the road for so long; it just breaks up our rhythm," Sever said. "The only good thing about it is that it saves up some pitching for us."
With the infield under water, the rain has affected those positions the most, Sever said. All the practice the Bills have done this season, he said, seems useless when the rain forces the team to start from the beginning again.
Instead of practicing on the field, the team resorts to batting in cages in the Bauman-Eberhardt Center. The constraints of being indoors not only affects the live pitching and fielding opportunities that practicing outdoors offers, but also the ability to practice as a team.
"Rhythm is the key," Hendrickson said. "All the fundamental stuff that we need to work on, we can't do. There is a lot that we haven't been able to accomplish."
Four of those nine, however, have been rained out, including the most recent home game against Indiana State, which was scheduled for Tuesday, April 1. Only two of the four games have been rescheduled.
"I don't think it's a matter of home or away for us, because I'm not sure that we have a home-field advantage," head coach Darin Hendrickson said. "The fact that we don't get in a rhythm is the hard part. The rain that has been getting us disrupts practice, and we have a lot of work to do."
According to the National Weather Service, the city of St. Louis set a new record this year for rainfall in the month of March: 8.4 inches. This record eclipsed the previous one, 8.25 inches, set more than a century ago in 1897. The average rainfall in March is 3.6 inches.
"It is frustrating for everybody," Hendrickson said. "As a coach from here in the Midwest, this is expected. But I think this has been the worst ever. It is a downer. We just have to dig deep and keep plowing through it."
The numerous rainouts have left the Billikens frustrated, but not down, junior pitcher Dave Sever said.
"It is definitely frustrating because we have been on the road for so long; it just breaks up our rhythm," Sever said. "The only good thing about it is that it saves up some pitching for us."
With the infield under water, the rain has affected those positions the most, Sever said. All the practice the Bills have done this season, he said, seems useless when the rain forces the team to start from the beginning again.
Instead of practicing on the field, the team resorts to batting in cages in the Bauman-Eberhardt Center. The constraints of being indoors not only affects the live pitching and fielding opportunities that practicing outdoors offers, but also the ability to practice as a team.
"Rhythm is the key," Hendrickson said. "All the fundamental stuff that we need to work on, we can't do. There is a lot that we haven't been able to accomplish."
Be the first to comment on this story