LAKE COUNTY >> The distinctive ping of aluminum bat on baseball, the crack of a smartly thrown softball finding its mark in a broken-in glove, and the enthusiasm that accompanies day one of practice all were in plentiful supply Monday at ballfields throughout Lake County.
Yep, it was day one of the spring sports season around the North Coast Section and athletes in a host of sports — baseball, softball, tennis, track, golf and swimming — were back on diamonds, courts, running surfaces (most of those very muddy) and golf courses throughout Lake County.
The second in a series of storms that pounded the county with rainfall in the last few days relented, producing mostly cloudy skies, tolerable temperatures and plenty of smiles and lively chatter as a new season gets underway.
“We’ll see how they are tomorrow,” Clear Lake High School coach Gary Pickle joked while watching his players open a new year with some physical training. “Most of them will have this walk (from sore muscles) later in the week.”
Clear Lake High School’s softball and baseball teams move down from Division IV to Division V for the North Coast Section playoffs later this spring and while the postseason is still months off, both Clear Lake teams figure to be major players in their new division. Clear Lake’s baseball team won the Division IV-dominated North Central League I last season and finished 20-7 overall while the Lady Cardinals placed second in league behind Cloverdale. Both Clear Lake teams reached the Division IV playoffs and won a game before bowing out. The Lady Cardinals ended up 19-6.
Sunny skies are forecast through the weekend, which means spring sports athletes won’t have to go inside to practice.
“We wouldn’t have anywhere to go,” Pickle said.
That’s true for a significant number of county teams because the winter sports of basketball and wrestling have at least two more weeks to go or even more for those individuals and teams moving on to sectional tournaments.
The sunny weather will also give fields, tracks and golf courses a chance to dry out after being battered by several inches worth of rainfall.
While most of the spring sports don’t being playing regulation games/matches until sometime in March, baseball and softball teams are usually holding scrimmages or even games by the end of this month.
Clear Lake’s softball team, for instance, will scrimmage Ukiah on Feb. 28 before officially opening its season March 3 at Calistoga.
