Warm temperatures mean early start
for spring sports teams
Sports Editor
Given the unprecedented warm spring weather, it’s not surprising that many area baseball and softball fields are far ahead of schedule.
The regular season does not begin until April 22 and since fields in Aroostook County are typically among the last to clear of snow, local athletic directors do not schedule home pre-season contests.
In Presque Isle, the baseball and softball fields are weeks ahead of schedule, much to the delight of Presque Isle High School Athletic Director Dave Heald.
“We are way ahead of schedule,” Heald said. “Normally, we are not on the fields prior to April vacation. This year, we are two-and-a-half weeks ahead of schedule.”
Because SAD 1 had a synthetic turf soccer field, the University of Maine at Presque Isle has been practicing on that field for three weeks, Heald said.
The softball field at PIHS is now playable, while the baseball field is very close to being game-ready, Heald said. The baseball infield is clear, but there are still some small patches of snow in the outfield, near the fence.
“I coached baseball in Washburn for 14 years, and have been here [at PIHS] for 11 years and I have never seen anything like this,” Heald said. “This is the earliest we have ever had.”
Because the softball field is already playable, PIHS has scheduled a round-robin event Saturday with Ashland, Caribou and Madawaska starting at 9:30 a.m.
“That tourney was something we put together, and it certainly looks like we will be able to [get those games in],” Heald said.
The Presque Isle baseball team is playing an exhibition game in Waterville Saturday.
In Caribou, Athletic Director Dave Wakana said the Vikings are in a similarly good position.
“Our fields are in very good shape,” he said. “The baseball and softball teams have been outside for several days now. We are usually inside until after April vacation. The tennis courts are in great shape, we usually snowblow them just before vacation, but have been on them since the first day of the season. The same is true with track also. Kids are outside enjoying this nice weather.”
In Washburn, while the fields themselves are in pretty good shape, the road leading to those fields is not.
“The boys field is not bad, but the problem is getting to it as it is on top of the hill behind the school and the road is soft,” Washburn Athletic Director Ron Ericson said. “The girls field is still quite wet.”
Central Aroostook Athletic Director Ryan Guerrette said the Panthers fields were in excellent condition for early April.
“The softball field doesn’t have any snow on it at this time and the baseball field only has snow around the dugouts,” he said. “Over the past couple of years we have added a lot of turface to the infield to help condition the field and allow it to dry better. I would say we are two weeks ahead of schedule.”
The rain that came in the middle of last week actually proved beneficial for the Panthers’ fields as it helped pull much of the frost out of the ground, Guerrette said.
“Our fields have always drained and dried relatively quickly,” he added. “We are usually one of the first teams on our fields every year in the County. CAHS teams should be able to practice on the fields this week.”
In Fort Fairfield, both the baseball and softball squads have been outside practicing on their respective fields, according to Athletic Director Tim Watt.
“A lot depends on the amount of rain we get (Wednesday and Thursday) and how fast they will dry,” Watt said. “Our fields are usually some of the first fields ready in the spring. It is hard to tell what the weather will be like, but we may be a little ahead of schedule.”
In Ashland, the Hornets’ softball field is in great shape, but the baseball field is another story.
“There are some minor amenities that need to be fixed on the softball field, like the gate needs to be patched up, but if we could paint the lines we could probably play now,” said Ashland Athletic Director Joel Hall. “The baseball field is a different story. The baseball field is probably going to be wet most of the year, because of drainage issues.”
The school is still using temporary fields until the new school is completed. Ashland should be playing on its new fields next spring.
“This is by far the earliest we have ever been on our fields,” Hall said. “We are a good two weeks ahead of schedule.”
