By Baylee Goff/Gator Galaxy Staff
Nebraska’s weather is very unpredictable. It can go from 70 degrees and sunny to 30 degrees and snowing, all in 24 hours. And because of our bipolar weather, North Star’s spring sports have had a rocky start, especially baseball.
Some seasons start out two weeks after the first day of practice. But, there are always those unlucky seasons that take a toll from the wild weather of Nebraska. North Star’s baseball team’s season started out with that crappy weather. Having three to four weeks of practice without a game really takes a toll on players. You can simulate things in practice needed for the game, but it’s not always the same.
After having their first two games cancelled and rescheduled, they went up against Omaha Westside, who is ranked number one in the state and has a Vanderbilt-committed pitcher. So, it was a very tough game after having about a month full of practice.
Coach Bolles said, “The boys were behind the pitching and they could’ve used the at-bats before the game.” If the boys would’ve had the games before Westside, the game could’ve been completely different. They would’ve had better at-bats and better calls overall on the bases and in the field. Plus, would’ve been used to the speed of the game. After the 9-inning game, the boys lost a tough one to Omaha Westside 2-0.
It’s not always a bad effect to have extra practice. The boys have an overall better bond, they figure out each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and they get more practice before having games which helps with plays and signals from the coach. Jake Mangels (10) said, “We weren’t really affected by the late start, we had practices in place of games which helped.” Some of the boys are in different positions regarding how they feel about the late starts, but overall they will all attempt to adapt the the rainy season they’ve had.
The boys’ are trying to accomplish things in spite of their season so far. Coach Bolles said, “I’m really excited about this group of kids, how hard they work, and how unselfish they are. The ceiling is very high from what they can accomplish.” Bolles and all the boys are excited for the rest of this season full of unpredictable, wild weather.
