Snow-Covered Fields Concerning Massachusetts Schools' Spring Sports Teams

It's time for spring training, but it's not quite spring yet among the snow piles for many high school student athletes.

It's baseball practice in the Milford High School parking lot, because loosening up your arm on the practice fields, is clearly not an option yet.

"We said every year when we see the bad weather, we'll never get out there, we'll never get out there, but you get out there. This year's a little different," said head baseball Coach Paul Pellegrini, who knows that's the understatement of the year.

His Scarlet Hawks are sharing space with the other spring sports teams - that means using an indoor multi purpose room with your catchers, and it means boys' volleyball tryouts get started in the gym at 6pm - instead of right after school.

Lacrosse, softball, and tennis all have to be indoors at other schools in the district.

"It's just about being creative, telling the kids and the coaches that everybody is dealing with this. And what we have to do is we have to be flexible, we have to keep pushing forward. Everybody in the Northeast, certainly in our league, is dealing with this," said athletic director Peter Boucher.

Due to the snow, spring games will start at least a week late, not just in Milford, but at most Massachusetts schools.

Athletic director Peter Boucher is targeting April 7 instead of March 30 for the first baseball and lacrosse games.

A possible negative? For baseball players, this means more games per week, leading to more strain on young arms.

"It's pretty tough if you're playing four games a week. I don't know how many teams have all that pitching. It's not very good for the kids to be throwing a little bit more than they should," Coach Pellegrini added.

Also, this is impacted on the back end with the MIAA voting unanimously Tuesday to push spring tournament start dates back approximately seven days, given this unprecedented winter. 

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