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Winter forces boys of summer indoors
Auraria Events Center becomes new home until snow melts
By Eric Lansing
lansing@mscd.edu

Photos by Heather A. Longway-Burke • longway@mscd.edu Auraria Field is blanketed by snow that is forcing Metro’s baseball team to practice in the gyms in the Auraria Events Center. Brent Bowers, left, feeds a soft toss to Tommy Frikken, right, in batting cages made out of nets Feb. 5. A four-game series that was scheduled to be played Feb. 3 and 4 against Hastings was already canceled and games scheduled for Feb. 10 and 11 were moved to Pueblo.

Snow is nothing new for the Metro baseball team, with many cancellations due to inclement weather in the past. But this season is a little different.

In years past, the snow would come, litter Auraria Field, and be gone by midweek. But with the recent arctic blast bringing over 40 inches of snow and single-digit temperatures to Denver, the Roadrunners have had no choice but practice in a gym shared by three different schools.

Being confined indoors, there are aspects of the game that will not be practiced. “It is the little nuances,” Metro head coach Bobby Pierce said. “You can’t go out and do cuts and relays, and you can’t take ground balls. You lose the subtle feelings of the game that you really can’t coach or teach, that you can only get from being on the field.”

The players are adjusting to the constant work inside, but are eager to get back on that field.

“It hurts, but we are getting a lot of work done in the gym,” infielder Dakota Nahm said. “It hurts to be inside because you can’t do things like long toss. And we aren’t running, but we’re still getting work in. We definitely want to be out there.”

New recruit Josh Marner said the team is getting antsy and that they have spent enough time in the gym. He doesn’t believe, however, that being held up on the basketball and racquet courts are going to affect their game during the season.

There are 30 players currently on Metro’s roster, with 23 Colorado natives. They are used to working around Mother Nature and unders     e may be some sloppy plays and miscommunication, but I don’t think it’s going to be a glaring weakness where we will lose a ballgame because of it.”

The first four-game set that was supposed to be played against Hastings on Feb. 3 and 4 was canceled due to the snow and will not be made up.

Metro’s first game of the season will come in Pueblo against Regis in nonconference action Feb. 9 at Runyon Field.