It does not feel like it with the April snow storms, but spring is technically here and with that, spring sports are starting. Sadly, all of the spring sports are outdoors. They require little to no snow on the ground and mother nature does not seem to agree.
The wacky weather experienced in the last few weeks will likely wreak havoc into the spring sports schedules. As of right now, baseball and softball fields have not been able to fully melt to remove the frost and then harden, making it impossible to play. The track sports are even being affected by the excess snow, having their meet this week cancelled. Tennis could shovel the courts and be ready to go the next day and Lacrosse could shovel the turf and be OK, too. Like baseball and softball, golf is at the mercy of the weather.
The Hastings Hawks Amateur Baseball Team starts roughly a month after all of the Raider sports start, so there is currently no threat to their season being delayed. That being said, the organization is eager to get out to Veterans Park to get the field prepped and ready as a secondary option for the High School to use if needed. Plus, the new batting cages will be completed soon allowing more practice space for Raiders Softball and Baseball.
Here are the schedules as of Monday, April 3rd from www.metroeastconference.org, the official schedule website for the Metro East Conference. For those of you that are decent with technology, you can select the sports schedules you wish to follow and add them right to your calendar.
If there is a specific sport you follow, remember, weather can change the schedule in the blink of an eye, so check the above resource before you make any long road trips
