Talk about dedication to the game. Following the winter storm that dumped around a foot of snow in Weatherford, the SWOSU Baseball team had to take matters into their own hands to get their field in good condition before opening day.
As seen all around town, the storm that came through a week ago has left a mark on the city. Roads are just now getting better, and yards are finally starting to melt. This was the same for the SWOSU baseball field, just north of town. With temperatures forecasted to not jump any higher than 40 degrees before opening day Sunday, the team was out for hours getting the field ready for the season opener.
Senior Catcher Rusty Wortman explained the timeline for getting the field in shape.
“Monday, we were off. Tuesday was the first day we got out there and started shoveling and started moving some snow off the tarp, got as much as we could done. Then on Wednesday, we were out there for a couple more hours, getting some piles off the field, trying to load up gators and get all the snow,” Wortman said.
Games were originally slated to begin on Friday, but earlier in the week, the series got rescheduled to Sunday and Monday. The Bulldogs will take on Northwest Missouri State in a doubleheader on both of those days. The extra days needed to get the field in shape, coupled with another chilly forecast on Saturday, led to the change. A change that Wortman hopes will improve field conditions even more.
“The weather has been nice the last couple of days [Thursday and Friday], so it’s helping with melting. Just trying to get some open spots on the field, some spaces where some heat can melt some snow, and hopefully not have a soggy mess for the weekend.”
While they are using the somewhat nicer weather to get some warmth on the field, due to temps still being hardly above freezing, the team has had to spend a lot of hours out there over the last few days. This is on top of the time spent practicing and getting game-ready.
“The last few days combined, probably close to 8 hours [were spent shoveling], just us players. I know our coaches have been out there since pretty much 9 or 10 all the way to sundown,” Wortman said. “Obviously, we’ve gone to class the days we’ve been in school, then hitters are inside for about an hour, and pitchers are inside for about an hour. Then once our groups are done, we just head out there and shovel for a couple of hours. Definitely some sore backs.”
The last week has certainly brought its challenges. But as in life, you must adapt and overcome it. The team has just done that and is ready for the upcoming season.
“You can only do so much inside. Thankfully you do have an indoor that has two bullpens and two cages so we can definitely still get a good amount of work in. But it definitely affects us on the defensive side just not being able to get live reps on the field, or outfielders not being able to get reads on fly balls,” Wortman said. “It becomes tough at times, but I think we’ve done a really good job the last week of getting out work in and work done and preparing for this weekend.”
The challenges have been handled well by a group full of new players. This group features little returners besides Wortman. He is excited about the talent this squad brings.
“I feel pretty good. Last year we had a senior heavy group. But this year we have a good group of guys. We have a lot of JUCO transfers. It’s gonna be a good way to see what we’re made of. It’s gonna be interesting to see how different guys shap into different roles and how they plug themselves into the lineup and just go from there. But I think we certainly have the talent to be a good team in the conference this year and ideally in the conference tournament.”
Wortman also likes the team’s dedication. It was shown especially over the last week.
“I think this week was just a testament to how much we were ready to play. To see some new competition and see where we’re at as a team and what we need to work on. I think all the guys are really willing to play this weekend. I mean, if we weren’t willing to play we wouldn’t be shoveling the field. Everybody’s eager to play and get out there and it showed this week with the work we’ve had to put in to make our field playable.”
The Dawgs take on Northwest Missouri State at 11 am and 2 pm on Sunday and Monday. Get out and support the Bulldogs. If they spend that much time shoveling the field, you can set aside a few hours to watch some good college baseball!