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Spring season off to a soggy start


For the teams that play outdoors, the YAIAA spring sports season has gotten off to a soggy start.

First, winter storm Stella dropped anywhere from a few inches to a foot of snow across York County from March 13 to 14, putting a cold blanket on teams' spring training efforts.

Much of the snow has melted, but that's left fields soggy and soft. And recent rainfall -- including heavy rain Tuesday morning -- hasn't helped matters.

It's made for a rocky start to the season for some teams.

“It’s no fun practicing indoors,” Dover softball head coach Terry Choate said after Friday's season opener against Dallastown. “When Mother Nature came in and took it [outdoors] away from us, it kind of put us back a little bit.”

Choate added Friday's game this was just his team’s fourth chance to play outside on the season.

Like other softball programs, the Eagles did as much as they could indoors, but the result just isn’t the same.

“We did station work, individual work and groups of outfield and infielders,” Choate said. “It was hard to bring everyone together because we’re in a gym.”

"We have to continue to work on the tees, do a lot of live hitting and have a better pitch selection,"  the second-year coach said last week. “That’s going to win you games.”

Looking ahead, teams will likely need to take advantage of the sunshine when it's there. Wednesday and Thursday should be sunny or partly cloudy with highs in the mid 50s to low 60s. But Friday should bring more rain to the area.

The Eagles, meanwhile, find themselves 0-2 on the season. They'll host defending YAIAA tournament champion Central York on Wednesday.

“I just want to have a great time,” Choate said, speaking of the season as a whole. “We’re going to be successful but we just have to believe in each other.”