Gophers Baseball Not Letting Spring Snow Impact On-Field Play
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The University of Minnesota baseball team is off to a 7-1 start in the Big 10.
That's impressive, considering they have not been able to play a home game because of the weather. As WCCO's Mike Max explains, it's been a lesson in team attitude.
The benefit of a new practice facility is that the old football practice facility is now available often to the Gophers baseball team.
"You kind of get used to it. It's what we've been doing for several months now. You've got to be grateful for whatever space you got. We know a lot of teams when the weather gets bad don't have a space like this," Gophers infielder Micah Coffey said.
They were saved early in the season with U.S. Bank Stadium as an option. That facility is now being rented for events and not an option, so your team must adapt.
"It's been a pretty resilient group. There's strong leadership in the team and nothing really seems to phase them so far. So I'm counting on that fact that that's going to continue," coach John Anderson said.
Maybe the lesson learned this season isn't about the weather or Mother Nature, but about attitude. The right attitude can overcome much, even piles of snow.
That's been the theme of the season, the personality of the team. That bad weather can move in and make life in Minnesota miserable, but that's only opportunity to prove a point.
"We like to prove to other teams that northern teams play baseball too. I think there's kind of a stigma against northern teams in college baseball and we just want to prove to everyone across the country that we're able to get it done too," Gophers pitcher Jeff Fasching said.
And they can at least dream of the day that this field becomes this field again.
