UWS baseball holds just third outdoor practice of 2022 season

The University of Wisconsin-Superior (UWS) took to the field on Monday for their third outdoor practice of the 2022 season.

For many Northland teams this spring has been tough to get out on the field due to incelement weather. That’s been no different for the UWS baseball team who has had 17 out of their last 28 scheduled games postponed.

"This is our third practice outside all year so it’s a little crazy, you have to be creative," head coach TJ Oakes said. "It is a little bit tough to keep the guys motivated when we are practicing inside so much. Come out here and cherish each time you get the chance to be out here, give it our all, and that’s all we can do."

"Mentally just trying to stick with it is hard," added senior pitcher Ryan Rodriguez. "Obviously it is hard to be inside the field house and not be able to be outside in the middle of April. We are just trying to stick with it, stick to the game plan and keep it rolling."

This month alone they’ve only hit the mound in nine of what should have been 20 conference and three non-conference competitions. Overall the Yellowjackets sit 9-15 with 11 regular season games remaining.

"We’re better than what we expected to be right now," senior pitcher Bryce Flanagan said. "I know our record doesn’t show it but we have a lot of guys that are playing multiple positions doing a lot of things. Our bats aren’t really there right now, but we’re treating every at bat like a new game and if we do that, any of our games could change by the stat standard."

Next the Yellowjackets are set to host Northland College for a Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) doubleheader on Tuesday. First pitches at the NBC Spartan Sports Complex are set for 2pm and 4:30pm.